Millions of immigrants came to the US in the late 19th and early 20th centuries from Europe, Asia, and the Caribbean to escape difficult conditions and seek opportunities. They faced hard journeys and were often detained in poor conditions upon arrival. While some ethnic communities supported each other, nativist groups opposed immigration and lobbied for restrictions, leading to policies like the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882.
Covers the rise of nativism during the presidency of Ulysses S. Grant, focusing on the actions of Tammany Hall, the Know Nothing Party, and the Ku Klux Klan.
Covers the rise of nativism during the presidency of Ulysses S. Grant, focusing on the actions of Tammany Hall, the Know Nothing Party, and the Ku Klux Klan.
American Civ Chapter two: A Land of Immigrants Elhem Chniti
These are the slides of lectures 2 & 3: A Land of Immigrants.
It is an overview of the history of immigration to the US, from the first settlers to the current issues under the Trum Administration.
The 2nd and 3rd lectures for 1st year's students of English are devoted to the history of immigration to the United States from the Pilgrim Fathers to most recent legislation on immigration
1. “The New Immigrants”
(write what’s bolded)
Dion Stafford, James Nunn, Martin
Pineda, Patrick Layug, Sunshine Dominguez
(The Mystical Dragons)
2. Immigration to America
-Millions of immigrants entered the US in the late
19th and early 20th centuries
-Moved to escape difficult living conditions such as
famine, land shortages, or religious or political
persecution.
-Things such as birds of passage intended to
immigrate temporarily to earn money and then
return to homeland.
3. Europeans
-Between 1870 and 1920 20 million Europeans arrive
in US
-1890, most immigrants came from western and
northern Europe beginning of 1890 immigrants came
from southern and eastern Europe.
-Many immigrants left to escape religious
persecution.
(for example: the jews were driven out of
Russia)
4. -Others left because of rising population
(scarcity of land, farmers vs. laborers).
-Jobs were plentiful in US
-They were influenced by political
movements at home, young men and
women moved to US.
5. Chinese
-1851-1883 300,000 Chinese immigrants arrived
-Many came to seek their fortunes after the discovery of
gold in 1848 (California Gold rush)
-Chinese helped build nation’s railroads including the first
transcontinental line.
-Farming, mining, and domestic services
6. -1884, Japanese government allowed
Hawaiian planters to recruit Japanese workers
and a Japanese emigration boom began.
-Annexation of Hawaii in 1898 resulted in
increased Japanese migration of west coast.
-Immigration continued to increase as word of
higher wages spread.
-By 1920 more than 200,000 Japanese lived on
west coast
7. The West Indies and Mexico
-1880-1920: about 260,000 immigrants from the West
Indies came to Eastern and South Eastern U.S in
search of work during the Industrial boom
-Many came from Puerto Rico, Cuba, Jamaica, and
other Islands
-Mexicans also come to the U.S in search of jobs and
also to flee political turmoil.
8. -1902: National Reclamation Act (encouraged
irrigation of arid land) created new farmland in
the Western States which attracted Mexican
workers.
-1910: political and social upheavals in Mexico
prompt more immigration
-Over the next 20 years, about 700,000 people
came to the U.S
9. A Difficult Journey
-1870: almost all immigrants traveled by steamship. The
trip from Europe across the Atlantic took one week. Asia
to the Pacific took about 3 weeks.
-Immigrants traveled in steerage- cheap
accommodations in ships’ cargo holds.
They were rarely allowed on deck and slept in
mouse infested bunks.
-Shared toilets with many other passengers.
-Because of these conditions, disease spread quickly
and killed some people before they reached their
destination.
10. Ellis Island
• Chief immigration station in the US from 1892 – 1924.
• Estimated 17 million European immigrants passed through
it.
• About 20% of the immigrants were detained for a day or more
before being inspected. Only 2% of those were denied entry.
• The processing takes 5 hours or more:
– had to pass a physical examination, anyone with serious
health problem or contagious disease was sent home
– Inspector checked if they meet the legal requirements
such as:
Had never been convicted of a felony
Demonstrating they’re able to work
Had some money at least $25
• Interpreters were use to overcome the language problem
11.
12.
13. Angel Island
• Asians (primarily Chinese) immigrants
arriving on the West Coast gained admission
at Angel Island in San Francisco Bay.
• Between 1910-1940, about 50,000 Chinese
immigrants entered the U.S.
• Immigrants in Angel island endured harsh
questioning and long detention compared to
the immigrants in Ellis Island.
14.
15. Cooperation For Survival
Challenges after admission into the country:
-finding a place to live
-getting a job
-getting along in daily life and understanding
unfamiliar language & culture.
-Ethnic communities stuck together, pooled their $$ to
build churches/synagogues, social clubs and aid
societies.
-Native born Americans often disliked the immigrants’
unfamiliar customs and languages and viewed them as
a threat to the American way of life.
16. The Rise of Natavism
-Melting Pot- A mixture of different cultures and races
who blended together by abandoning their native
languages and customs
-Immigrants didn’t want to give up cultural identities
-As immigration increased, strong anti immigrant feelings
increased
-Natavism- overt favoritism toward native born
Americans
-Believed English were superior to other ethnic
groups.
17. Immigration Restriction League
-founded by Prescott F. Hall
- “Right” countries- British, German, and
Scandinavians
- “Wrong” countries- Slav, Latin, and Asiatic
races
American Protective Association
-Natavist group formed in 1887
-Anti-Catholic
-Many colleges, businesses and social clubs
refused to admit Jews.
18. 1897- IRL passed a bill requiring a literacy test for
immigration.
-had to read 40 words in English or their native
language for entry.
President Cleveland vetoed the bill.
-A similar bill would be passed in 1917 despite
the veto.
19. Anti-Asian Sentiment
-Native born workers feared that jobs would go to
Chinese immigrants who would accept lower wages.
-The founder of the working party, Denis Kearny
headed the anti-Chinese movement in California.
-In 1992 Congress slammed the door on Chinese
immigration for ten years by passing the Chinese
exclusion act.
-Banned entry to all Chinese except
students, teachers, merchants, tourists and
government officials.
20. The Gentlemen’s Agreement
When Japan raised an angry protest at this
-
treatment of emigrants, President Theadore
Roosevelt worked out a deal.
- Gentlemen’s Agreement: 1907-1908
Japan’s government agreed to limit
emigration of unskilled workers to the US
for the repeal of the SF segregation order.