1. The New Immigrants
Section 5.1

2. Key Terms Objectives “new” immigrant “melting pot” Steerage Nativism
Ellis Island
Chinese Exclusion Act
Angel Island
Americanization
Objectives
Compare the “new immigration” of the late 1800’s to earlier immigration.
Explain the push & pull factors leading immigrants to America.
Describe the challenges that immigrants faces in traveling to America.
Analyze how immigrants adapted to American life while trying to maintain familiar cultural practices.

3. New Immigrants Come to America
2 reasons for immigrating: economic opportunity &/or religious persecution.
Colonial period – 1870s – northern & western European immigrants
1840’s – 1850’s – German & Irish immigrants
1870’s = “new immigrant”
Southern & Eastern European immigrants
Unskilled
Poor
City Dwellers
Greece, Italy, Poland, Hungary & Russia
By 1900, 70% of all immigrants were new immigrants.

5. Immigrants Decide to leave Home
Push Factors
Pull Factors
Economic
Land issues with farmers
Repeated European wars
Political Revolutions in Europe
Religious Persecution
Russian & Eastern Europeans
Largest group
1880’s
1862 Homestead Act
Railroads
Inexpensive farmland
Jobs
“Chain Immigrants
Joining family & friends already in America.
Thought that families lured people to America with the promise of religious and political freedom.

7. The Immigrant Experience
3 common themes:
Decision of leaving family & friends at home
Hard & costly journey with uncertain end
Difficulties of adjusting to a foreign country.
The Immigrant Experience
The Journey
Choose items to take/only what you can carry
Get a ticket
Go to the port of departure and wait for a ship
1870’s – Steamships – made trip safer & faster
Awful voyage
Traveled in Steerage
Lower decks
No private cabins
Crowded & dirty
Illness & possibly death

8. American Immigration Ports
Ellis Island – New York Harbor
Began processing in 1892
Entry requirements:
Healthy
Show money, skill or sponsor
1st & 2nd class passengers were inspected on ship and released with no additional inspections.
Shipowners did preliminary screening on board so only approx. 2% were denied entry from each ship.
Process took approx. a few hours.
Angel Island – San Francisco Harbor
Chinese & other Asian Immigrants
Opened in 1910
Designed to filter out Chinese immigrants.
After 1882 – proof of relatives was required for entry.
Held immigrants for weeks to months in poor conditions.

9. Opportunities & Challenges in America
What problems did they face once they got here?
Where to live
Work
Learn a new language
Learn new customs

10. Assimilation into American Society
Agents assisted immigrants with settling into America.
Took $$ advantage of immigrants.
Most stayed in cities for factory work
Lived in ghettoes – neighborhoods with similar cultures.
1890 – 40% of San Francisco population is immigrants.
-- 4 out of 5 New Yorkers were foreign born or had foreign born parents.
Americanization programs helped newcomers learn English language & culture.
Polish National Alliance & Ancient Order of Hibernians were created.
Provided social & financial assistance to immigrants.
“Melting Pot” – American belief that white people of all different nationalities blended to create a single culture.
Term came from a play that opened in 1908 that excluded Asians.

11. Hostility Against Immigrants
Nativism – belief that native-born Americans were superior to newcomers.
Economic Recessions
Competition for jobs & housing
Religious differences
Cultural differences
Restrictive contracts agreeing not to rent or sell to “non- native”
Chinese Exclusion Act
1882
Prohibited immigration by Chinese
Limited the civil rights of Chinese in America
Forbade the naturalization of Chinese residents.
Chinese feared if they left America they wouldn’t be able to return.
Marked the beginning of immigration restrictions into the US!

12. Immigrants Change America
Fueled industrial growth
Acquired Citizenship
Elected politicians
Made their traditions part of American culture.
IMMIGRANT LABOR HELPED THE US BECOME A WORLD POWER!
Immigrants expanded the definition of AMERICA!