1. The New Immigrants

2. Who came to America? Between 1800 – 1880 over 10 million immigrants came to America – Old Immigrants: many were Protestants from Northwestern Europe – English, German, French, Irish Between 1890- 1910 more than 12 million immigrants came to America – New Immigrants: came from Southern or Eastern Europe – 70% of them were Czech, Greek, Hungarian, Italian, Polish, Russian, Slavic – The majority of these immigrants settled in America’s cities

3. Push and Pull Factors Push Factors: Immigrants were pushed out of their homelands to escape – religious and political persecution – poverty Pull Factors: Immigrants were drawn to America by: – Economic opportunities – Freedom

5. The Journey Many immigrants were informed by railroad and steam ship companies of employment opportunities, some were over exaggerated. Most passengers traveled in steerage – These accommodations were below decks, they were cramped, no privacy and little ventilation – Titanic Movie Scene of Steerage Titanic Movie Scene of Steerage

6. Arriving in America Immigrants arriving in America entered through immigration stations – Ellis Island- New York Harbor – Angel Island- San Francisco Bay Discuss the processes that took place at Ellis Island as discussed in your online activity.

7. Life in America Although life was better in America for most immigrants they still endured many challenges – Lived in crowded cities – Took low paying and dangerous jobs; construction, mining, and sweatshops – Poor housing – Crowded neighborhoods and slums

8. Many began to settle in ethnic neighborhoods in order to help make the transition to America more bearable – How might this help the new immigrants?

9. Americanization Many immigrants became part of the process of Americanization or assimilation – This process forced immigrants to become part of the American mainstream – Parents wanted to hold on to their cultural ties while children often adopted American cultural practices

10. The Nativist Response Many native born Americans felt threatened at this time: – The thought the immigrants were too different to fit in – Some blamed immigrants for social problems such as crime, poverty, and violence – Believed that immigrants worked for too cheaply lowing wages for all – Labor unions began demanding restrictions on immigration for these reasons.

11. Chinese Exclusion Act – As a response to rising unemployment in the west nativists began blaming the Chinese for their problems – 1882- Congress passed the Chinese Exclusion Act Denied citizenship to people born in China and prohibited the immigration of Chinese Laborers – Chinese still came to America, some were held at Angle Island for months