The Hopes of Immigrants Chapter 14, Section 1

Emigrants vs. Immigrants  Emigrant  A person who leaves a country  Exits  Immigrant  A person who settles in a new country  Into

Patterns of Immigration  Generally single men or families, relatively few single women  Very unpleasant conditions  Steerage: the cheapest (lowest) deck on a ship

Why People Migrated “Push” Factors  Push people out of their native land “Pull” Factors  Pull people towards a new place

Immigrants Move Westward  Why West?  Cheap land - $1.25/acre  Scandinavians  Minnesota and Wisconsin  Similar geography to Scandinavia  Forests, lakes, cold winters  British  Midwest  Farming, factories  Chinese  California Gold Rush wikipedia/commons/a/a7/Ce nsus-2000-Data-Top-US- Ancestries-by-County.svg

Germans Pursue Economic Opportunities  Largest immigrant group in 1800s  Established German communities in the northern Midwest and Texas  Active in all industries and businesses  Brought with them many cultural traditions  Kindergarten  Gymnasium  Christmas Tree  Hamburger  Frankfurter

The Irish Flee Starvation  Irish Catholics had few rights because they were ruled by Protestant Britain  Couldn’t vote, hold office, own land, or go to school  1845: Irish Potato Famine  Famine: a severe food shortage  Caused approximately 1.5 million Irish to emigrate  Irish Immigrants  Most stayed in port cities and were very poor and uneducated  Found work doing hard labor – especially canals and railroads

America Adjusts to Immigrants  Us vs. Them  Overcrowding in the Cities  Assimilation  The process of being absorbed into a new culture and blending into a new society  Organizations to help immigrants

Life for the New Arrivals  Cities became extremely overcrowded as they rapidly expanded  Immigrants and native-born Americans looking for jobs  Northern cities bore the brunt of population growth  Life in the cities  Crowded apartment buildings with little sunlight and fresh air  Poor plumbing – health concerns  Lots of crime  No public police force/fire department/public works

Opposition to Immigration  US vs. THEM  Prejudice: A negative opinion (of a group of people) that is not based on facts  Nativists: People who want to eliminate foreign influence  Know-Nothing Party: Wanted to keep immigrants out of politics  Wanted to limit immigration and establish a 21-year-wait to become a citizen  Disagreed on slavery