CH5 - American Identity (2) : Immigration

- PUSH FACTOR : What caused immigrants to leave. - PULL FACTOR : What attracts immigrants to USA.

What happened in 1820s ? What ? When ? Aim ?

American railroad - the steel industry :

In the 1820s, the steel industry is going to start developing in the Northeast of the US because of railroad construction.

The idea was to make it easier for people to travel the US and mostly because of the massive immigration. So, they are going to build the First American railroad line called "Iron Horse" in 1830

Crucial to this expansion : before people just moved on horseback or in wagons (// Spirit)

What happened in 1830 ? Why ? What ? Nickname ?

Indian Removal Act of 1830 :

As a result of people going more and more West, Congress is going to pass the Indian Removal Act in 1830 because it was the idea of President Jackson. => PUSH FACTOR

This act removed all Indians east of the Mississippi to an "Indian Territory" where they would be "permanently" housed.

It was supposed to be for "their own good" when in fact, it was to take their land and hand it over to white settlers.

In the following years, there were a number of conflicts between the American government forces and Native American tribes, trying to protect their territories.

=> There were some brutal forced marches, like the Trail of Tears (forced marches of Native Americans during winter...)

(PS : last resistance of native americans was during the Little Bighorn Battle in 1876, also called Custer's Last Stand)

What happened in 1845 ?

Manifest Destiny ? The Frontier Days ?

In 1845, they start using the term "Manifest Destiny" to refer to the Americans' restlessness and passion for new land.

In other words, they say it is their destiny to conquer, to push back the frontier.
=> Manifest Destiny = belief that Americans had the right to spread across the continent.
=> a term often used to justify American Imperialism

This period of time is called The Frontier/Pioneer Days, and the ones that were exploring were called The Pioneers (partir en expédition)

What happened in 1849 ?

1849 — California Gold Rush :

In 1849, the Pioneers (explorers) went West because they heard gold was discovered in California. These people were ready to kill for it so they were called "Wild West"

The Californian Gold Rush led to the mass migration to California in 1849. => PULL FACTOR

(Gold is discovered in California (the "Wild West") — pull factor)

What happened in 1853 ?

1853 — the Gadsden Purchase :

In 1853, The US paid Mexico a considerable amount of money for a small strip of land located in southern Arizona and New Mexico.

The purchase provided a suitable railway to California. Continental America now had its *present-day shape (forme actuelle).

*Alaska was bought in 1867 and Hawaii in 1898, but we talk about the continental US here.

What happened in 1862 ?

1862 — the Homestead Act :

It's a law that gave 160 acres of land to any citizens even immigrants willing to live on and cultivate it for five years

It's going to draw a lot of people to the US (PULL FACTOR) —> "they're giving land out for free!"

homesteader = immigrant farmer who could settle in the USA thanks to this Act.

What happened in 1876 ? Between whom ? Who won ?

1876 — Custer's last stand :

It's the most famous Indian battle in US history.

Custer (white colonel) fought against Sitting Bull and Crazy Horse (the last 2 Indians chiefs who fought against American expansion)

Custer attacked Sioux indians, but underestimated their force. His whole group was killed in the Battle of Little Bighorn.
=> defeat of Whites
=> last resistance of Natives

What happened in 1887 ?

1887 — General Allotment Act :

This act was imposed in order to americanize the Natives "Kill the Indian, save the man" = It was an assimilation policy.

Children were taken from their native families to be placed in white families to assimilate to the American culture. => push factor

Natives weren't killed if they assimilated to Americans and forgot their Native American nature.

What happened in 1889 ?

The Oklahoma Land Rush.

The federal government officially opened an unsettled region of Indian Territory to homesteaders, setting off the first major land rush.

This event allowed thousands to claim land, leading to a significant population increase in the region. It marked a significant migration of settlers into Oklahoma, as many rushed to stake their claims. => pull factor

homesteader = immigrant farmer who could settle in the USA thanks to this Act. (stead = place (stand))

Describe the painting.

American progress – Painting by John Gast, 1872, illustrating Manifest Destiny

• This is Lady Liberty, floating in the air and dressed in white, her clothing free to move with the wind representing freedom, liberty. She has the star of the Empire on her forehead, guiding her.

• The right side of the painting represents the East

  coast of the US with its bridges and ships. It seems

  rather developed, industrialised, and civilized. It is

  full of light, which represents freedom, openness, etc. The left side of the painting looks more savage.

That is the side Lady Liberty is going to. We know it is the West side because of the Rocky Mountains and the Pacific Ocean on the back.

She is taking some things with her: a book, which represents education and knowledge, and technology. We see an “evolution” with first horses, then carriages, trains, and ships.

We also see the Natives running away, who are in the dark: that implies that this side of the country has not been discovered yet, and that it “needs” light.

The painting represents really well the Frontier Days, and the imperialist idea they had that they were on a mission, that they were entitled to impose their model because they think it is the best out there.

Push factors >< Pull factors + EXAMPLES

PUSH : a factor that causes people to leave their homelands and migrate to another region
=> reasons to move : economic hardship, unemployment, discrimination, persecution, famine

PULL : A factor that draws or attracts people to another location :
- growth of industries like free land
- America's "chronic labor shortage" like railroad, gold rush
- political and religious freedom
- other family members writing letters (migration chains)

Old immigrants VS new immigrants :

WHEN ? WHO ? CHARACTERISTICS ?

Old immigrants : The First Great Wave (1820–1880)
- 1820s to 1880s
- came from Northern European (English, Germans, Irish Catholics)
- were mostly Protestants, except for a few Irish Catholics
- assimilated easily bc they usually spoke English.
- had the reputation of being hard-working & literate

New immigrants : The Second Great Wave (1880–1924)
- 1880s to 1920s,
- came from South/Eastern (Italian, Poles, Russians, Mexicans,)
- were also Catholic, Orthodox and Jewish or other
- harder assimilation due to language (always stayed together)
- had the reputation of being unskilled and illiterate

Immigration between the 1820s and 1920s : the 3 largest groups

1) The Germans (biggest)
2) The Irish
3) The Italians (new immigrants !)

Which immigrants came mostly from in America between the 1820s and 1920s ? Why ?

The Germans : old immigrants

- Between 1820 and 1920, it is estimated that 5.5 million people migrated to the US.
=> the largest contributor of immigration in America

- The push-factors were unemployment, the overpopulation, and the political situation with Bismark, a German Conservative politician.

- They tended to be better educated and skilled workers.

- They brought their own language and newspapers. For example, in 1865 in Ohio, a half of the schools were teaching in German.

- In 1860, 500,000 Germans lived in New York state, and 338,000 in Illinois.

The second largest group of immigration between the 1820s and 1920s ?

The Irish : old immigrants

- Between 1820 and 1920, there were approximately 4.5 million people immigrated.

- Their push-factors were the potato famine, population growth, industrial revolution (machines replace men), etc.

- Hard-working, success-oriented, literate (ex: the Kennedy family, one of the richest fam)

- Drank a lot of whisky, which was looked down on by older generation

- They often worked in rail-road and canal projects on East Coast.

The third largest group of immigration between the 1820s and 1920s ?

The Italians : Part of the new immigrant group

- From 1860 to 1920, approximately 4.1 million Italians came to the US.

- Pull-factor : America was a "Pot of Gold" so it was a great opportunity to make money before going back to Italy

- No will to settle and assimilate = different intention than Irish and Germans who wanted to stay

- Mostly were from rural communities with little or no education (reputation of doing nothing) => Not well accepted by Americans

- Many worked in unskilled jobs and sweat shops (ateliers illégaux) owned by older immigrants.

- This is the group that had the biggest "reverse immigration": 2.1 million Italians went back to Italy.

When they came back, they were rich and jealousy pushed other Italians to reject them as Italians and qualify them of "Americani" with condescendence.
=> This pushed a lot of Italians to return to America (fascism was a cause as well) => push factor : discrimination + political situation

(en gros, les italiens voulaient revenir en italie pr se vanter de l'argent, dcp les autres italiens étaient jaloux et disaient qu'ils n'étaient plus des vrais italiens, mais des américains, donc les américains sont revenus en amerique)

The reactions to new immigration (2)

1/ The old immigrants saw new immigrants as a threat and saw immigration as being out of control. (eg. Italians)

2/ The industrialization and urbanization made matters worse : the cities were overcrowded, especially the Big Three (Chicago, New York, and Philadelphia)

What is the Gilded Age? Tensions ?

Gilded Age refers to the period from 1865 to 1900 when things in America looked as though they were good, but under the surface many things were not very good at all. (Période dorée in French)

In fact, there was a growing gap between the elite and the poor in the US :

1/ The elite was sophisticated upper-class Americans, lived in mansions and luxurious houses : they were steel industry tycoons (magnats), railroad and transport company owners, etc. They are the gold on the surface.

2/ The middle- and lower-class Americans are hard-working and self-made. They are the wood underneath the gold on the surface. We can see them when we scratch the gold.

They lived in tenements, slums (quartiers défavorisés). There was no evacuation system = disgusting streets and living conditions)

=> There are growing tensions between immigrant groups and the older generation : the federal government has to respond.