American Studies I Honors Mr. Calella

1870 to 1900

 TIME PERIOD: (1870 to 1900)  BIG IDEAS ◦ Immigrant ◦ Urbanization  ESSENTIAL QUESTION (Please answer) ◦ Why do people immigrate to other countries? Make a list of some “PUSH” and “PULL” factors

 Possible Push Factors ◦ Political persecution, religious persecution, poor economy, scarcity of land, rising population, unemployment  Possible Pull Factors ◦ Economic opportunity, religious freedom, political freedom, land

 1866 to 1915, 25 million immigrants to U.S from Europe  Before 1880, mostly from northern and western Europe (“old immigrants”) ◦ WHERE?  After 1880, mostly from southern and eastern Europe (“new immigrants”) ◦ WHERE?

 Why did many Chinese immigrate to California in 1848?  1851 to 1883, 300,000 Chinese arrived  By 1920, 200,000 Japanese lived on West Coast  Angel Island  Why did these two groups settle on the west coast?

 Transportation technology of the time?  Steamship voyage ◦ 1-3 weeks from Europe ◦ 3 weeks from Asia  Many traveled in STEERAGE ◦ Cheapest accommodations; in ship’s cargo area at bottom of ship ◦ Why? ◦ Titanic connection ◦ READ ALOUD “THE LOWER DECK”

 Do you guys have any relatives that passed through Ellis Island?  Immigration station that inspected immigrants for disease, mental illness, crime record, etc.  Would send immigrants back to their home country if failed test (see test on page 463)  Immigrants were treated well  Asian immigrants went to Angel Island off of San Francisco, but unlike Ellis Island, they were treated very poorly ◦ Why do you think there was a difference?

 What is it? What are the pros and cons of it?  Some of the new immigrants were not interested in assimilation or becoming American  They wanted to return to their home country with enough money saved to buy a farm  Connection to present-day immigrants from Central America?  Most immigrants came to save enough money to bring rest of family to US  Most wanted to become American citizens but retain some of their culture and customs ◦ Why was this important to them?

 1890, twice as many Irish in NYC than Dublin  What is the difference between “melting pot” analogy and “mosaic” analogy?  Americanization Movement: designed to assimilate immigrants into the dominant culture. ◦ Hyphenated Americans ◦ What was the dominate culture? Attributes? ◦ Who wanted immigrants to assimilate? ◦ Did immigrants completely assimilate?

 Nativism: favoritism to native-born Americans  Social and economic discrimination, but religious freedom preserved  Nativists felt that immigrants could not become “good” citizens  Nativists justify their arguments for immigrant restrictions on Southern and Eastern Europeans and Asians using Social Darwinism  American Protective Association and the “Catholic Menace”

 What some problems associated with an overcrowded house?  Do people living in urban areas experience similar issues? Which? How?

 Inventions and improvements in farming caused fewer laborers to be needed in the fields  Where do you think these farm laborers went? Why?  Many of these farm laborers were African American ◦ Blacks moved to northern cities like Detroit and Chicago for jobs (pull) and escape racial violence (push) ◦ City life for blacks was nonetheless difficult- discrimination and segregation, job competition with immigrants

 Garbage, clean water, sewage, overcrowded, crime, vice  Tenement living-Jacob Riis How the Other Half Lives ◦ One tub per floor ◦ Interior apartments-no circulation of air ◦ Disease and infant mortality ◦ Crime ◦ Unsanitary conditions-dark and dank, pests  Wealthy flee cities to suburbs

 As problems in cities pile up, concerned citizens (reformers) sought to make things better for poor city people  Settlement Houses ◦ Reformers established these ◦ They were community centers in slum neighborhoods that assisted people in the area ◦ Food, shelter, education, religion

 All cities’ problems prompted solutions  Electric lights, paved streets, electric trolley cars,  Suspension bridges using steel cables ◦ Brooklyn Bridge and Roebling, NJ (Extra Credit Assignment) ◦ View short video on Brooklyn Bridge  Steel girders and skyscrapers  Parks  New tenement designs