1. AIM:
To re-examine the difference between “old” and “new” immigration.
To re-examine the push and pull factors that led to the immigrant migration.
To re-examine the contributions and problems of immigrants.
Do Now:
What is your favorite type of food to eat?

3. Immigrants at Ellis Island
Old vs. New Immigration
Immigrants at Ellis Island

5. “Old” Immigration (1609-1860) Came from northern and western Europe.
Major Sources: Ireland, Germany & Scandinavia
Push/Pull Factors:
Massive potato famine (Irish)
Revolution led to seeking of peace (Germans)
Better economic conditions
Areas of Settlement:
Irish: Northeast cities
Germans settled in cities and moved west to start farm, as did Scandinavian immigrants

7. “Old” Immigration Difficulties:
Resentment from the Protestant population
Know-Nothings
party that wanted to restrict immigration
keep Catholics out of public office and limit voting strength
Long residency before granting citizenship
Contributions:
Helped build railroads, canals and worked in factories
Germans and Scandinavians brought advanced farming techniques and new educational ideas such as Kindergarten.

8. ELLIS ISLAND

9. “New” Immigration ( )
Came from Southern and Eastern Europe, also and influx of Japanese and Chinese came.
Major European Sources: Italy, Poland, & Russian
Push/Pull Factors:
Greater economic opportunity
Political freedom
Russian Jews sought religious freedom
Areas of settlement:
Industrial centers and ports
Asians tended to settle on the west coast, namely California

10. “New” Immigration Difficulties: Contributions:
Hostility among many native-born Americans
Political Machines/Tammany Hall/Boss Tweed
Discrimination in jobs and housing
Contributions:
Increase US cultural diversity.
Cheap labor aided in US economic expansion:
Italians and Jewish girls worked in sweatshops
Poles and Slavs labored in coal mines and steel mills of Pennsylvania and the Midwest.
Chinese workers helped build the transcontinental railroad

11. Melting-Pot Theory Pluralism Theory Formation of a “new American.”
Immigrants became “Americanized”
Gave up old languages and customs adopting the larger societies in order to become accepted.
Pluralism Theory
“SALAD-BOWL” Theory
Groups do not always lose distinctive characteristics, but create a new larger whole.

12. DO NOW: Who were the “OLD” and “NEW” immigrants coming to the U. S
DO NOW: Who were the “OLD” and “NEW” immigrants coming to the U.S.? What were the differences?

13. Nativism – belief that native-born Americans and their ways of life were superior to those of the “new” immigrants.

17. 1) Chinese Exclusion Act (1882)
Stopped Chinese immigration
2) “Yellow Peril”
Viewed Japanese immigrants as a threat
3) Gentlemen’s Agreement (1906)
California withdraws law against educating Japanese immigrant children in exchange for agreement by Japan to reduce the numbers of immigrants.

18. OLD VS. NEW IMMIGRATION
Before Western and Northern Europe & Protestant
After Southern and E. Europe & Catholic and Jewish

19. 1920’s NATIVIST IMMIGRATION RSTRICTIONS
EMERGENCY
QUOTA ACT of 1921
Allowed only 3% of those that had been there from each group in 1910
QUOTA ACT of 1924
quotas cut from 3% of 1910 to 2% of no Japanese
QUOTA ACT of 1929
Limited immigration to 152,574 per year.

21. IMMIGRATION PRO: a) Cultural differences strengthen
America – “cultural pluralism”
(cuisine?)
b) Advantage for business owners
Immigrants take low paying jobs!
Immigrants endure hard working
conditions
c) Politicians like people who would be dependent upon government. They are a source of potential voters, especially if they were given government jobs!
MELTING POT -- Everyone is assimilated or “Americanized”
SALAD BOWL -- Everyone maintains individual cultural distinctions, but contributes to the whole

22. IMMIGRATION CON: a) cultural differences cause problems
1)language barriers exist
(Do they all learn English?)
2)religious differences
3)racial/ethnic differences
4)immigrants take jobs away from “real” Americans
b) “NATIVISM” anti-foreignism
attitude of superiority toward all immigrants

23. Lets Review Why They Came
Push Factors:
Horrible conditions of poverty
Potato famine
“Pogroms” – violent government sponsored riots against Russian Jews
Pull Factors:
Greater political freedom, higher standards of living and availability of jobs.
Benefits spread by letters, railroad ads and industrialist recruiters

24. Give me your tired, your poor, Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free…

25. Examination of immigrants at Ellis Island
After they left the ship and entered the inspection station at Ellis Island, they had to walk up a steep stairway, past doctors who stared at each of them and occasionally wrote something in chalk on their coats. L for lame, H for heart trouble, E for eye problems. Those who were sick could be removed from the line and denied entry. Everyone was examined, including children and babies. Families with one sick member were separated, sometimes for weeks. Many were forced to return to where they came from, leaving their families behind. And that was only the informal part of the physical exam.