1. Changing attitudes to immigration in the early 1920s
Click the picture to navigate around this exercise.
Read through the websites carefully. However, in most cases only the first one or two paragraphs are needed.
Answer the questions from the purple boxes in your jotters where appropriate, under the correct sub heading.
Click home or back to take you to previous slides.
Click here to see a cartoon

2. The Board says, “I hear you knocking but you can’t come in”.
BACK

3. Click on a reason to find out more
The Red
Scare
The
Dillingham
Commission
Racism
Click on a reason to find out more
World
War One
Restrictions
Before
1900
American
Self
interest

4. The Red Scare BACK Click here to read about the the Red Scare
Use the links on the page to answer the following:
Q. What was the Red Scare in America?
Q. What decade did the Red Scare disappear?
Q. Why do YOU think innocent people were jailed for expressing their views in America?
Click here to
see a
cartoon
Q. Describe the cartoon.
What does it tell you?
Click on the picture to enlarge
Click the image to enlarge
BACK

5. BACK
Q. How does the cartoon show that certain immigrants were a threat to America?
The writing on the man’s cloak says, “European Anarchist”. Click HERE
to find out what anarchist or anarchy means if you are unsure.

6. BACK In 1919 there was a huge wave of strikes in the USA.
The strikers were unskilled and semi-skilled workers, many of whom were recent immigrants from Southern and eastern Europe.
Therefore, many people claimed that the strikes were started by revolutionary immigrants.
Q. Describe the cartoon above. The man is Uncle Sam (He represents America).
Q. What can it tell you about the reaction of people towards the strikes. Use the cartoon and information on this page.
BACK

7. The Dillingham Commission
In 1907 the US government wanted to know more about the ‘problem of immigration’ so it set up the Dillingham Commission
The Dillingham Commission
discovered that since 1880
immigrants had come mainly
from Southern and Eastern
Europe.
Use the links to the right.
Q. Who initially tries to stop the ‘1917 Act’ in 1916?
Q. What ‘undesirables’ were stopped from going to America?
Q. What type of test was put in place for people over 16?
Q. What did the entry fee raise to?
Click here to
find out about the
measures brought in
in 1917 to cut
immigration.
Click here to
find out even
more!
BACK

8. Racism Click here to find out about WASPs Italian immigrants
Many Americans were WASPs. Their families had come from Northern Europe
Many of these people disliked the new
immigrants from Southern Europe, who
were poor and often illiterate.
Click the pictures to enlarge
Click here
to read about
racism in the
USA
Click on the picture to
see more pictures of
immigrants in America
Italian immigrants
were some of many
races that were
discriminated
against in America
BACK

9. BACK Q. Describe the Cartoon.
Q. It was published in a magazine. Look at the language used- new immigrants are described as ‘aliens’. How do you think this may influence people to dislike new immigrants?

10. Q. Describe the picture.
It appeared in an American magazine in the 1920s.
Q. What evidence is there in the source to suggest that it is a racist cartoon? (Think about the caption ‘Cleaning the nest)
BACK

11. BACK Greek Immigrants Chinese Immigrants Italian Immigrants
Jewish Immigrants
BACK

12. World War One Click the cartoon to enlarge BACK Click here to
This created problems for the
‘Melting Pot’ idea. Click here to
find out more.
WW1 made many Americans realise that new immigrants might be more loyal to their old country and would not be ‘good’ Americans.
Click the cartoon to enlarge
Click here to
find out about the
effect of war on
immigration
Click here to
read a Person’s view
on immigration
after the Great War
Click the picture to read about America’s entry into World War One.
BACK

13. “My boy went off to fight for our country in the Great War but back home we had hundreds of German immigrants who said that Germany was in the right. Why should we let these traitors into our Country? If they still support their old country let them stay there”. Emily Maine, 1919.
Q. What attitude does Emily Maine have towards some German immigrants after the Great War?
Q. How do you know she has this attitude? (What evidence is there in the source?)
BACK

14. BACK Q. Describe the picture.
1921 US cartoon
US cartoon
Many Germans switched to British traditions after WW1. Click HERE to
read information before answering the question below.
BACK
Q. Describe the picture.
Q. Why do you think some Germans in America switched to ‘British’ culture?

15. Click on either picture to
Restrictions before 1900
Many restrictions were brought in
before Click on the relevant box
to read more
Chinese
Exclusion
Act (s)
Japanese
Government
Restrictions
Click the picture to enlarge
Q. Outline the Chinese
Exclusion Acts of 1882 and 1902
Q. Describe how people felt about Japanese immigrants in America
Click on either picture to
enlarge
BACK

16. BACK The picture above was printed in a magazine after measures were
brought in in the 1880s to try and stop immigration from the far east.
The caption reads, “and still they come”.
Q. How successful were the controls to immigration in the before 1900?

17. Look at the two pictures.
Q. Describe each picture.
Q. What do they tell you about people’s attitudes in
America towards the Japanese immigrants?
BACK

18. American self interest
Many immigrants came to the USA looking for homes and jobs. With growing unemployment after WW1 many Americans wanted to stop immigrants competing for scarce jobs.
Americans saw immigrants as a threat to their standard of living
“Anything done to improve our conditions or wages is wrecked by Italian or Polish workers who are prepared to work longer hours and for less wages”
Q. Why were immigrants a threat to American standard of living?
Click here to see living conditions in America. Navigate around the virtual house.
Q. Describe the conditions you have seen in the link above
BACK