1. Warmup = Looking at these graphs, which population region had the biggest increase in rate of immigration to the US in 30 years?

3. Migration From 1880 to 1921, 23 million immigrants came to America
The US had no limits or laws regarding immigration
70% of the immigrants came from Southern and Eastern Europe
Typical immigrant was young, male, and either Catholic or Jewish

5. Immigrants leaving for the US
Push: reasons people LEAVE their country
Pull: reasons people COME to the US
Push factors:
War, famine, religious persecution, overpopulation
Pull factors:
Opportunity, “free” land, lots of work

7. Your Trip in Steerage
Steerage was the cheapest and least comfortable way to travel to the US
The cost was still too high for many, and some families could only afford to send one or two family members to America
Minimal food was provided
1 toilet for 1,000 people
No fresh air
Diseases spread easily

9. Ellis Island in New York City
In 1890, Congress approved a new immigrant processing station on Ellis Island
The facility opened in 1892 and was periodically rebuilt and expanded to meet demand
75% of all immigrants passed through the Ellis Island processing facility
Passengers were greeted by the Statue of Liberty

11. You’re Here! Time for Inspection!
All passengers were immediately checked for contagious diseases (like cholera, the plague, or typhoid)
Steerage passengers were checked for back problems, hernias, lameness, heart problems, or mental defect
Those that were sick were often rejected, confined to hospitals and/or deported
Most inspectors did not bother to spell-check foreign-sounding names
Millions of people had their family names changed at Ellis Island to English-friendly versions

12. Chalk markings for medical signs

13. You Passed Inspection! Time for Processing!
Immigrants were separated into language groups
Many were tagged with chalk for faster processing
Inspectors would question immigrants to determine if they should be allowed to enter the US
Immigrants had to answer 32 questions about their past, any criminal backgrounds, their plans, and their reasons for coming to the US
About 2% of all immigrants failed the legal and medical tests, and were deported

14. You’re Now in America! Everyone hates you!
Nativism was a belief that immigrants posed a threat to native-born Americans
Northern and Western European immigrants were OK
Southern and Eastern European immigrants were bad
American workers feared immigrants would take away their jobs
Immigrants typically worked for lower wages than native-borns
Business owners would fire their workers for cheaper immigrant labor

15. These Native Americans?

16. Nope! These guys!

17. Quick! Find an area that looks EXACTLY like home!
Immigrants settled where the work was: big cities with industrial centers and ports
By 1900, two-thirds of foreign-born people lived in cities
4 out of 5 residents of NYC were immigrants
75% of the immigrants moved to urban areas creating “ethnic neighborhoods”
Immigrants started native language newspapers, grocery stores, churches and more
Immigrant neighborhoods slowed down the assimilation process and helped fuel nativist sentiments

19. You need a roommate. Hope you don’t mind sharing…
The rush of immigration overcrowded the available living space
Tenement housing (low rent apartments) were crammed with 4-5 families per room
No sewage or garbage services meant waste was everywhere
Fires, disease and death were common in tenements

21. School? What School? Get ready to work!
Most immigrants worked in industrial jobs
Textiles, stockyards, coal mines, steel mills
Families typically NEEDED $16 a week to have minimum standards of living
Families typically earned $4 a week
Children needed to work to help the family
Workers typically worked 15 hours a day, seven days a week
Working conditions were dangerous, unsanitary and uncomfortable
Between 1880 and 1900, over 35,000 workers were killed on the job
Average of 1 death every 2 days

23. Chinese Exclusion Act
Signed in 1882
Prohibited all Chinese immigration
Also excluded Chinese immigrants already living in the US from gaining citizenship (permanent aliens)

24. Ellis Island video
Please take notes about the medical issues at Ellis Island
Ellis Island