1. Chapter 6: Urban America Section 1: Immigration
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2. Europeans Flood Into America
Between 1865 – 1914: 25 million Europeans immigrated to the United States
More than half were Eastern and Southern European: Italy, Greece, Russia, Austria, and Serbia
Many came to escape religious persecution (Jews in Poland, Catholics in Ireland)

3. The Atlantic Voyage
Most immigrants booked passage in steerage, the cheapest accommodations on a ship
Europe to New York: 14 day trip
Passengers embarked at Ellis Island, a tiny island controlled by New York and New Jersey in New York Harbor

4. Ellis Island
12 million immigrants passed through Ellis Island between 1892 – 1954
Immigrants had to visit a doctor first
“H” for heart problems, “K” for hernias, “Sc” for scalp problems (head lice), “X” for mental disorders
Those who failed the medical inspection would be sent back to Europe

5. Ethnic Cities
By the 1890s, immigrants made up a large portion of the population in New York, Detroit, Chicago, and Milwaukee
Map of New York City colored in lines of the different cultures would have more stripes than a zebra
Cities separated in ethnic groups: Little Italy, Greektown, Chinatown, etc.

6. Asian Immigration
Mid-1800s: China’s population reached 430 million and the country was suffering from a depression
Taiping Rebellion caused civil unrest
Central Pacific Railroad offered work

7. Nativism Resurges
Feelings of nativism is an example of dislike of immigrants by native-born people
Surfaced during the wave of Irish immigration between 1840 – 1850
Opposed immigration of Asians, Jews, Poles, Catholics, and other Eastern Europeans

8. Prejudice Against Catholics
American Protective Association: founded in 1887 by Henry Bowers, was an anti-Catholic organization
Members vowed not hire or vote for a Catholic
Most aggression was directed towards Irish-Catholics
White Anglo-Saxon Protestant (WASP) was the dominant culture in America
WASPs considered the Irish to be lazy

9. Restrictions on Asian Immigration
In 1882 Congress passed the Chinese Exclusion Act which barred Chinese immigration for 10 years and prevented Chinese already in the country from becoming citizens; law renewed in 1902, repealed in 1943
Gentleman’s Agreement: Between President Roosevelt and the San Francisco School Board, Roosevelt agreed to curtail Japanese immigration and the San Francisco School Board agreed to revoke its segregation order

10. The Literacy Debate
1905: Roosevelt commissioned a study on how immigrants were admitted to the nation
Recommended a literacy English test
Two years later recommended a literacy test in any language
“New immigrants” vs “Old immigrants”
Both Presidents Taft and Wilson rejected the law
Eventually passed in 1917 over Wilson’s second veto
Purpose to reduce immigration from southeastern European nations