1. Immigration
American Journey
Ch. 20

2. A New Form of Immigration
Pre-Civil War: W.A.S.P
Post-Civil War: 1.3 Million from all over.
Mostly East & South Europe (80%)
Ex: Greece, Russia, Hungary, Italy, Turkey & Poland.
Mexico, China, & Japan also had many immigrants during this time.

3. How Were They Different?
Catholic or Jewish Faith
Could not speak English
Felt like outsiders
Urban neighborhoods were divided by nationality.

4. Why They Came Over? Push-Pull Relationship Overcrowding and Poverty
Pushed away by homelands
Economic Troubles
Pulled to U.S. by new opportunities
Overcrowding and Poverty
Not enough land
Crop failures – Famine
New technologies = Loss of jobs
Persecution
Wanted to escape unfair discriminatory laws.
Ex: Jews in Russia
The U.S. = Land of Opportunity
Plentiful & affordable land
Chance for a better life

5. The Journey to America First they had to travel to the sea.
On foot or horseback
Through foreign countries
Then they had to travel across the Ocean.
12 day trip across Atlantic
60 day trip across Pacific
Steerage – cramped, noisy quarters on the lower deck.

7. The Statue of Liberty Built in 1886 in New York. A gift from France
Emma Lazarus –
“ Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
Send these, the homeless, the tempest-tossed to me,
I lift my lamp beside the golden door!”

9. Ellis Island & Angel Island
Ellis Island – New York, NY
European immigrants
Angel Island – San Francisco, CA
Asian Immigrants

10. Entrance – The Godfather Part II
Examiners
Record names
Often shortened or simplified
Took records of:
Where they came from?
Occupation?
Relatives in the U.S.?
Gave Health Exams
If contagious, could mean refusal into the country.
“Treated like sheep”

11. Think-Pair-Share
What types of questions do you think the immigrants asked themselves after they got through examinations & were “officially” free to roam the U.S.?

12. Finding Work At first it was very difficult.
Organizations from the homelands often supplied American companies with unskilled laborers.
Ex: Unloading cargo, digging ditches.
Industries Prospered
Steel Mills – Pittsburgh, PA
12hrs/day, 7 days/week

13. Immigrant Steel Workers

16. Women & Children at Work
Sweatshops
Garment Factories
Repetitious
Hazardous
Low Pay
Long Hours
Child labor was very common

18. Adjusting to America There was a Thin-Line
Assimilation vs. Preservation
Children typically wanted to assimilate ASAP.
Language Differences
Parents spoke original languages everywhere.
Children spoke original languages at home, but English in public.
3rd generation = English only.
Role of Women
Traditional- at home, under guidance of men.
New – General freedom, work outside of home, socialize.

19. Building Communities Often settled in Industrialized Cities
Little to No Education = Unskilled Labor
Ethnic Neighborhoods
Chinatown, Little Italy, etc.
Brought Churches & Synagogues
Native Language Newspapers
Stores, Theaters, Social Clubs
All of these things helped preserve Cultural Heritage.

21. Conflict With the Native-Born Americans
Nativism – Anti-Immigration
Created organizations against immigration.
Fought for laws against immigrants having certain jobs and rights.
Denied entry to some colleges
Physical violence
Workers often resented immigrants
Ethnic, Religious, & Racial Differences
Foreign languages, unfamiliar religions, distinctive customs = UNAMERICAN
Blamed immigrants for crimes, unemployment & anything else they could think of.

23. New Immigration Laws Laws to limit Immigration Chinese Exclusion Act
Prohibit Chinese from entering U.S. for 10 years.
“Gentlemen’s Agreement” with Japan
Limited number of immigrants from Japan, if Americans treated them fairly.
1882 – Tax to enter country
Immigration Act of 1917
Literacy requirements

24. Immigrants’ Contributions
Supplied the country’s need for industrial workers.
Led to economic growth
Helped shape American culture – Melting Pot
Brought new religions
Catholic, Protestant, Jewish
Enriched society with own customs & cultures, language & literature.
Cities developed greatly from ethnic neighborhoods and population increases.