DO NOW: Is America still the land of opportunity? Why or why not? Immigration in the 1900s

Immigration in the 1900s

For generations, our families have migrated…

Where did the first Americans come from? “Old Immigration” When the 13 colonies were established, most immigrants to America were from England. Between , 1.5 million immigrants came to America. Nearly ½ were from Ireland due to the potato famine of that country. Most settled in New York City or Boston Ireland England France

“New Immigration” By 1920, most immigrants coming to the United States were from southern and eastern Europe Italy Poland Greece Russia Most immigrants came from Italy, Poland or Hungary and many were Jews

New Immigration

The Statue of Liberty in New York Harbor was the symbol of America to many immigrants looking for a new life A Land of Hope “Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, the wretched refuse of your teaming shore. Send these, the homeless, the tempest-tost to me, I lift my lamp beside the golden door.” -- Statue of Liberty -- Statue of Liberty

 Escaped difficult conditions like famine, land shortages or religious and political persecution.  Birds of Passage- intended to temporarily earn money and then return to their homeland. Through the Golden Door

Immigrants coming into New York were stopped at Ellis Island Ellis Island Incoming immigrants were given a physical to check for diseases and their criminal record was checked

Ethnic Cities Little Italy, New York City, circa 1901 By the late 1800s, immigrants made up a great portion of the country’s largest cities, including New York City, Chicago and Boston

Ethnic Cities - Chinatown Immigrants lived in their own separate neighborhoods and kept many of their former traditions. Chinatown, New York City

Tenement dwellings Immigration led to a massive increase in the number of slums in U.S. cities. Tenements, (cheaply built apartment buildings), were often overcrowded and lacked many necessities.

Jacob Riis How the Other Half Lives Jacob Riis was a journalist whose books gave a vivid account of the life for ethnic groups of New York City living in this tenement slums

The Rise of Nativism Gave rise to anti- immigrant groups and led to a demand for immigration restrictions. Obvious favoritism toward native-born Americans.

The Rise of Nativism The flood of immigrants into the U.S. worried many Americans who felt their way of life could be changed. Nativism is an extreme dislike for foreigners by native-born people and a desire to limit immigration.

The Rise of Nativism New immigrants were easy scapegoats for the fear of social change that many experienced due to the rapid changes based on the Industrial Revolution. Workers blamed immigrants for low wages or shortages of employment. A resentment of foreigners crept into America’s attitudes.

Asian Immigration During the late 1800s, the west coast (California) saw a boom in the amount of immigrants coming from Asia. Most Chinese immigrants came to America because over-crowding in China led to high unemployment, poverty and famine.

 Inspection Station in San Francisco Bay processing Asians primarily Chinese  processed about 50,000 Chinese Immigrants  Immigrants endured harsh questioning and long detention in ramshackle facilities Angel Island

I told myself that going by this way would be easy. Who was to know that I would be imprisoned at Devil’s Pass? How was anyone to know that my dwelling place would be a prison? The Walls of Angel Island

 A mixture of people from different cultures and races who are blended together by abandoning their native languages and customs.  Many immigrants refused to give these things up, which gave way to anti-immigrant sentiments. Melting Pot

 An intense or irrational dislike or fear of people from other countries Xenophobia  “Those who come are generally the most stupid of their nation. And as Hollen says of the young Germans, that they are not esteemed men until they have shown their manhood by beating their mothers, so they seem not to think themselves free, till they can feel their liberty in abusing and insulting their teachers.” ~The German Problem in Pennsylvania ~

Chinese Exclusion Act (1882) Greatly reduced the amount of Asian immigrants coming to America in the late 1800s by prohibiting further immigration to the U.S. by Chinese laborers until Initially, the law barred Chinese immigration for 10 years and prevented the Chinese from becoming U.S. citizens.

Gentlemen’s Agreement ( ) Japan’s government agreed to limit emigration of unskilled workers to the United States in exchange for the repeal of the San Francisco segregation order.

National Origins Act (1924) In 1924, Congress passed a discriminatory immigration law that restricted the immigration of Southern and Eastern Europeans and practically excluded Asians and other nonwhites from entry into the United States. This act instituted admission quotas by using the 1890 census to determine the population of a particular nationality group; the government then only allowed 2 percent of that population into the nation.

National Origins Act (1924) In addition, the act completely barred immigration for all those whom the Supreme Court prohibited from obtaining U.S. citizenship, specifically Asians. The National Origins Act drastically lowered the annual quota of immigration, from 358,000 to 164,000. Congress abolished the national origins quota system in the 1960s.

Summary Beginning in the late 1800s, most immigrants coming to the U.S. were from southern and eastern Europe Beginning in the late 1800s, most immigrants coming to the U.S. were from southern and eastern Europe Immigrants lived in their own separate neighborhoods and kept many of their former traditions. Immigrants lived in their own separate neighborhoods and kept many of their former traditions. Immigration led to a massive increase in the number of slums and tenement buildings in U.S. cities. Immigration led to a massive increase in the number of slums and tenement buildings in U.S. cities. Workers blamed immigrants for low wages or shortages of employment. A resentment of foreigners crept into America’s attitudes. Workers blamed immigrants for low wages or shortages of employment. A resentment of foreigners crept into America’s attitudes.