Immigration

Industrialization and Urbanization Industrialization and urbanization, the growth of cities, went hand in hand. Cities offered large numbers of workers for new factories. Cities provided transportation for raw materials and finished goods. As more factories were built, more workers moved to cities in search for jobs. This shift from rural to urban life had both positive and negative effects.

Negative Effects of City Growth Housing Construction of decent housing often lagged behind the growth of city populations Much city housing consisted of multifamily buildings called tenements. Immigrants and working class families , who could pay little for rent, crowded into such buildings. These poorly maintained tenements deteriorated, and whole neighborhoods became slums. Crime flourished in such poor, congested neighborhoods. http://www.google.com/search?q=tenement+housing&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ei=Pm76UoydA5DMkAeptYHYDw&sqi=2&ved=0CAcQ_AUoAQ&biw=1280&bih=930&surl=1&safe=active

Negative Effects of City Growth Health Urban crowding helped spread disease Water and sanitation facilities were inadequate Poor families could not afford proper diets and lacked knowledge of basic health procedures Politics Political machines took control over many city governments, partly by providing help to the growing number of poor immigrant voters, and thereby gaining their support. Corruption increased, and money that could have been spent on public works ultimately ended up in private pockets.

Positive Effects of City Growth Urbanization was aided and improved by new technologies in transportation, architecture, utilities, and sanitation. Subways, elevated trains, and streetcars provided mass transportation Steel girders and elevators made possible high-rise skyscrapers Gas and electric brightened city streets to make them safe Growing health problems forced officials to design and build new water and sewage systems

Positive Effects of City Growth Cultural Advances Public and private money funded museums, concert halls, theatres, and parks. New printing presses turned out mass-circulation of newspapers, magazines, and popular novels by authors like Mark Twain and Horatio Alger Community Improvement Other reformers founded groups intended to correct the problems of society. In Chicago, Jane Addams started Hull House, a settlement house designed to provide education and services to the poor

Immigration The United States has always been a nation of immigrants. After the Civil War, however, industrialization drew an even larger flood of immigrants. From 1865-1900, some 13.5 million people arrived from abroad. During much of the nineteenth century, there were few restrictions on immigration as the growing number of factories provided job opportunities for cheap labor. Immigration to the United States can be divided into two stages.

Old Immigration The Old Immigration covered the years from the establishment of the United States until around 1850. Most immigrants from this time period came from northern and western Europe, mostly form Germany, Ireland, and Scandinavia. These immigrants left their home countries for various reasons.

Old Immigration Reasons for Immigration Areas of Settlement Massive famine caused by failure of the potato crop drove millions of Irish immigrants to flee to the U.S. Revolution in Germany caused many immigrants to seek peace and stability in America. Many people continued to arrive in search of better economic opportunity. Areas of Settlement The Irish largely settled in cities in the Northeast. Some Germans moved to the cities, but most moved out west to start farms

Old Immigration Difficulties Old Immigrants Faced Irish and German Catholic immigrants often faced hostility on their arrival in the United States. Some Americans feared economic competition from the newcomers Americans had an anti-feeling in regards to immigrants coming to the United States, this feeling was known as nativism. Since at this time the nation was predominantly Protestant, resentment toward Catholics and Jews was also strong. Irish workers helped build railroads and canals. Germans and Scandinavians brought advanced farming techniques and new ideas on education including Kindergarten.

New Immigration New Immigration covered the time period between 1870 to 1924. Immigrants primarily came from southern and eastern Europe, especially from Italy, Poland, and Russia. In addition, a large number of immigrants also came from Japan and China.

New Immigration Reasons for Immigration Areas of Settlement Hope of greater economic opportunity prompted many of these immigrants to come to America. Some also came seeking political freedom. Russian Jews came to escape religious persecution. Areas of Settlement Most of the new immigrants settled in cities, especially industrial centers and ports, often concentrated in ghettos, or urban areas dominated by a single ethnic group. Asian immigrants tended to settle on the west coast, usually in California.

New Immigration Problems Faced by New Immigrants Immigrant families experienced hardships attempting to assimilate into American culture. At school, immigrant children learned not only English, but American tastes and customs. Immigrant parents feared that their children would lose their cultural background and heritage. The growing number of immigrants caused fear and resentment by native-born Americans. New immigrants faced discrimination in jobs and housing

New Immigration Contributions The new immigrants found an abundance of jobs in the nation’s expanding industries. Yet the steady stream of incoming workers to fill such jobs kept wages low. Young Italian and Jewish girls worked in sweatshops of the garment industry. Poles and Slavs labored in the coal mines and steel mills of Pennsylvania and the Midwest. Chinese immigrants helped build the transcontinental railroad. These immigrants contributed to the nation’s rich cultural diversity

Reaction Against Immigration The flood of immigration between 1850-1920 increased a strong feeling of nativism in America. Nativism was the belief that native-born Americans and their way of life was superior to that of immigrants. Nativists believed that immigrant languages, religions, and traditions would have a negative impact on American society. Nativist workers believed that the new flow of immigrants competing for jobs kept wages low Americans feared that immigrants would take their jobs. Immigrants were often met with discrimination and prejudice.

Immigrants and American Society Over the years, experts have studied how immigrants were absorbed into a larger society. “Melting Pot” Theory- According to this theory, people from various cultures have met in the United States to form a new American culture. The contributions of individual groups are not easily distinguished. The resulting culture is more important than its parts. Assimilation Theory- immigrants disappeared into an already established American culture. They gave up older languages and customs and became Americanized, adopting the appearances and attitudes of the larger society in order to be accepted. Immigrants from Africa and Asia, who looked least like nativist Americans, had the hardest time becoming assimilated.

Reaction Against Immigration Know- Nothing Party- political party that worked to limit the voting rights of rights of immigrants Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882- Congress passed this law severely limiting Chinese immigration “Gentlemen’s Agreement”- in 1907, President Roosevelt reached an informal agreement with Japan under which that nation nearly halted the emigration of its people to the United States. Literacy tests- In 1917, congress enacted a law barring any immigrant who could not read or write. Emergency Quota Act of 1921- law limited the number of immigrants to the US each year to about 350,000.

Journal Entry Write a journal entry from the perspective of an immigrant coming to live in America. Be sure to use your guided notes and the information learned in our interactive tour of Ellis Island. Your journal entry must include the following information: What country are you leaving? Why are you leaving that country? What attracts you to America? How was the voyage to America? What were your experiences like at Ellis Island? Where did you live once you were officially a citizen of the United States? How were your living conditions? Where did you work? How were you treated by native-born Americans once you became settled in your new home