Mass immigration to the United States transformed American life in the late 1800s and early 1900s. Between 1880 and 1920, around 18 million immigrants came to America from southern and eastern Europe to take advantage of new job opportunities. They settled primarily in cities and many took low-wage jobs, living in crowded tenement housing. While they faced discrimination, immigration ultimately benefited America by filling demands for labor and contributing new cultural influences.
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
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
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.
Chicano Studies 168
Lecture 2
Dr. Raúl Moreno Campos
UCSB
Agenda
Mexican Communities in the U.S. Southwest at the Turn of the 20th Century
Immigration to the U.S.: Then and Now
The History of Illegality, the Racialization of Mexican Labor, and the “Revolving Door” of U.S. Immigration Law and Mexicanos
I.
By the dawn of the 20th century, the once sovereign, and often wealthy, Mexican families and communities of the former Northern Mexican territories had been largely dispossessed, brought under U.S. rule, and placed within the lowest rungs of its racial regimes.
One central dimension of this change, therefore, was the marginal status that Mexicanos had come to occupy in the U.S., and the manner in which, despite being native to these lands, they ultimately became thought of as “foreigners” and “illegal aliens”, to be looked upon with suspicion and subject to various forms of state-sponsored violence.
By the middle of the 20th century, Mexican social segregation and political marginality, and the use of Mexicanos as disposable labor, was firmly entrenched and widespread- indeed, these conditions became some of the central issues of the Chicano Movement in the 1960s.
I.
How did Mexican communities come to be thought of as “foreign”, and what was the historical process by which Mexicanos came to be thought of as “iconic illegal aliens”?
In particular, how did Mexicans become the primary target of U.S. border patrol after its formation in 1924?
In turn, how did this racialized and regionalized method of border enforcement shape race in the U.S.?
I.
Throughout the Southwest, the terms of the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo were not kept- in particular guarantees of rights of citizenship and protection of property for Mexicans
Ex. California Land Act of 1851- flagrant violation of Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo.
Led to exhausting and expensive legal battles (land rich, cash poor)
I.
As Lytle Hernandez (2010) points out, a variety of techniques were used to acquire land rights from Mexican landholders
Violence, genocide reservation system- used against indigenous populations by Spaniards (1st conquest)- pg. 22
Fraud, debt payment (legal battles), marriage- used for Mexicans (Ibid.)
The decline in wealth for wealthy Mexicans, led to a decline in political clout, and consequently a marked decline in social status.
Ex of Ventura county- by 1900, 80% of Mexicans were at the bottom of social strata (Cf. Almaguer)
I.
Dramatic shift to agro-industrialist model
1902- Newlands Reclamation Act in the West- funding of irrigation projects made large scale farming possible.
1920- West largest and most profitable agricultural producer in the nation
31 million acres of crops valued at $ 1.7 billion in California and Texas alone.
This rapid expansion depended on a cheap farm hands- where to get them?
I.
The case of CA
Late 1800s- growers relied on Chinese and (to some extent) Indian labor.
Growing nativism (Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882)- li ...
The main reason for immigration to the United States during the late .pdfinfomalad
The main reason for immigration to the United States during the late nineteenth century was the:
a. industrial revolution in Northern Europe. b. religious persecution in Southern Europe. c.
desire for economic betterment. d. collapse of the peasant economy in central and southern
Europe. e. there were no immigrants coming to the United States in the late nineteenth century.
The urban ethnic neighborhoods of the late nineteenth century: a. were crowded and unhealthy.
b. were destroyers of traditional immigrant culture. c. were racially and ethnically integrated. d.
were the sole cause of urban problems. e. had areas reserved where people could grow gardens
and house their animals. Most European immigrants who arrived between 1880 and 1914 came
from: a. The Caribbean. b. Europe. c. Africa. d. Asian. e. Mexico. For the most part, native-
born Americans viewed the \"new immigrants\" as: a. culturally sophisticated and racially fit. b.
politically mature c. racially inferior and culturally impoverished. d. groups who would enrich
America\'s multicultural society. e. capable of assimilating to American traditions. Social
Darwinism argued that human history witnessed: a struggle among the races, with the strongest
triumphing. b. the inevitable evolution of the weakest groups to the positions of highest power.
c. the inevitable collapse of capitalism. d. the evolution of humans from the ape. e. the eventual
disintegration of Western civilization. The Red Scare: a. ended when Woodrow Wilson voiced
his opposition to repression. b. was led by labor unions and social reformers c. completely
destroyed the Socialist party of America. d. targeted Native Americans. e. exemplified postwar
American fear of foreign ideas and influences. Most African Americans in the United States in
the early twentieth century were: a. treated better by their employers than were the immigrant
workers. b. denied job opportunities by the northern Jim Crow laws. c. urban skilled tradesmen
and middle-class businessmen. d. southern sharecroppers. e. actively engaged in politics.
Solution
Religious persecution was another driver of immigration. Scandinavian immigrants fled official
discrimination in their home countries, while Russian Jews came to America to escape the
pogroms.
Immigrants were rarely met with open arms. Nativist organizations like the Know-Nothings
opposed German and Irish immigration due to anti-Catholic sentiment. The influx of Chinese
immigrants in the West eventually led to official restrictions on immigration from China..
Lecture 6 harlem renaissance and prosperity in the cityElhem Chniti
This is the last lecture on the "Roaring Twenties". The explored topics are : the Harlem Renaissance, the Jazz age, and the economic prosperity of the 20s.
5. Write:
Mass immigration at the turn
of the 20th century made the
country more diverse and
transformed American life by
filling a demand for workers,
diffusing new traits into the
American culture and
impacting the growth of cities
7. Write:
They came from southern
and eastern Europe
Write: 18 million came
between 1880 and 1920
8. Write:
Angel Island was an
immigrant process
center in San Francisco
Bay, mostly Asian
immigrants ;
Ellis Island was an
immigrant process
center in New York
Harbor, European
immigrants
9. Write:
Most were from southern
and eastern Europe;
a few from East Asia;
faced discrimination;
many took low-wage jobs
and lived in crowded
tenements
10. Write: They enabled
immigrants to retain some of
their culture and to adjust to
life in America.
What were the benefits of ethnic neighborhoods?
Little Italy, showing life in lower
Manhattan around the turn of the
20th century
11. He emigrated from
Russia to the United
States.
He immigrated to the
United States from Russia.
In Russia, he's an
emigrant.
In the United States, he's
an immigrant.
12. Push—reasons Europeans
wanted to leave Europe,
especially Southern and Eastern
Europe
Pull—reasons Europeans wanted
to come to the United States:
crop failures available land to farm
extreme poverty available jobs
oppressive governments allowed to have a voice in
government
persecution of religious beliefs a government that gave them
more personal freedoms such as:
religious freedom, speech, press,
etc
Write:
15. (a) What do the shadow figures look like? (b) Was the artist a
nativist? (c) What point is the cartoonist trying to make?
Write: (a) immigrants; (b) no; (c) the cartoonist is trying to
show that the nativists were once immigrants themselves.
17. Some native born Americans wanted to help immigrants
assimilate into the American culture. What did they do to help
immigrants?
Recent immigrants often attended
Americanization classes held in
the factory after their work shifts
were completed. [YMCA Industrial
Service.]
Write:
Schools and volunteer
organizations taught
immigrants English
literacy skills and subjects
needed for citizenship,
such as American history
and government.
This process is called
Americanization.
18. Write:
federal law banning
Chinese immigration for
ten years and preventing
Chinese from becoming
citizens
A cartoon shows Uncle Sam trying to keep
Chinese immigrants out using the Chinese
Exclusion Act of 1888. (Image courtesy
Library of Congress)
What was the Chinese Exclusion Act?