1. Unit 5: The Progressive Era (1890 – 1920)
The Immigrant Experience

2. Old Immigrants vs. New Immigrants
1865 –U.S. Population = 31.5 Million
1865–1920 – 30 Million Immigrants entered the U.S. Most from Europe.
1840–1880 – Most from N & W Europe. These were the Old Immigrants.
– New Immigrants from E & S Europe (Slavs, Italians, Russians, and many Jews; Culturally different from Old Immigrants & many didn’t assimilate well ).

3. Identifying Pushes and Pulls
Complete T-Chart for Pushes/ Pulls
List the reasons people came to America and classify them as Pushes/ Pulls

4. Why did they come? Push Factors Factors that caused them to leave home
Wars
Famines
Lack of Freedom
Lack of Opportunity
No Jobs or Land
Pull Factors
Factors that drew them to America
Freedom
Desire to Own Land
Mostly the availability of Jobs

5. Ellis Island, NYC (1892-1954) By 1900, crossing took 7 days
Most traveled in the steerage b/c it was cheaper
12 Million came (2% failed physicals)
Most lived in ghettoes
Discrimination/ Nativism were common

6. Immigrants from Asia
Angel Island, SF (1910) – Most Asians came into here
Chinese Exclusion Act (1882), 92, & 02
Gentlemen’s Agreement with Japan (1907)
Webb-Alien Land Law (CA) – prevented land ownership by aliens

7. Immigrants from Latin America
more than 10% of Mexico’s population came to the U.S.
Settled in CA and S.W. U.S.
WW I created labor shortage in mines and on farms

8. Shutting the Golden Door
Xenophobia – the fear of immigrants
Nativism – the belief that native-born white Americans were superior to newcomers
Emergency Quota Act of 1921 (3% or 1910 Census)
Immigration Act of 1924 (2% of 1890 Census)
End of WW I in 1918 saw a revival of the KKK

9. The Great Migration (1910-1920)
Nearly 400,000 African-Americans served in A.E.F.!
1.2 Million moved North to the “Land of Hope”
Chicago (meatpacking), Detroit (new auto industry), and to cities in the NE U.S.
Push (racism & Jim Crow laws); Pull (jobs & family)

10. Exit Slip – Immigration
The major port of entry after 1892 for European immigrants to America?
a. Long Island b. Ellis Island
Immigrants who came mostly from countries of Eastern and Southern Europe?
a. New Immigrants b. Old Immigrants
Most of the 12 million who came to the U.S. in NYC were turned away.
a. True b. False
Most immigrants from Asia arrived here?
a. San Diego, CA b. San Francisco, CA