American History (Brungardt) - Section One: The New Immigrants

Give examples of push factors for immigration.

Famine, land shortages, religious & political persecution

What does "birds of passage" mean?

Immigrants that intended to immigrate temporarily → earn money & return to their homelands

Approximately how many Europeans arrived in the U.S. between 1870 & 1920?

20 million

Before 1890 where did most European immigrants come from?

Northern & western Europe

What happened to Europe's population between 1800 and 1900?

Doubled to ~400 million

How was Europe's rising population a push factor for immigration?

With a larger population, there was scarce land for farming, Farmers competed with laborers for too few industrial jobs

Who arrived on the East Coast?

Europeans

Who arrived on the West Coast?

Asians

Why did many Chinese come to the U.S. between 1851 and 1883?

To seek their fortunes after the discovery of gold in 1848 that started the California gold rush

What year did the U.S. annex Hawaii?

1898

Why does Japanese immigration continue to rise in the late 18th & early 19th centuries?

Word of comparatively high American wages spread

Why did many West Indians come to the U.S.?

Jobs were scarce in their homelands

For what two main reasons did many Mexicans come to the U.S.?

Find work Flee political turmoil

1902 Reclamation Act

Encouraged irrigation of arid land & created new farmland in western states

What was the effect of the 1902 National Reclamation Act?

Drew Mexican farmers northward

What prompts immigration from Mexico after 1910?

political/social upheavals

Describe the statistics of Mexican immigration between 1910-1930.

~700,000 immigrated 7% of Mexico's population at the time

How did most immigrants travel to the U.S. after 1870?

Steamship

How long did the trip across the Atlantic Ocean from Europe take?

1 week

How long did the trip across the Pacific Ocean from Asia take?

3 weeks

Where did many immigrants travel on the ship?

Steerage

Steerage

Cheapest accommodations in a ship's cargo hold

What was the chief immigration station in the U.S. from 1892 to 1924?

Ellis Island

Approximately how many immigrants passed through Ellis Island?

17 million

Describe the events that took place once an immigrant arrived at Ellis Island.

Must pass a physical examination by a doctor, Then reported to a government inspector

If someone was found to have a serious health problem or disease, what happened to them?

Sent home

What did the government inspector have to determine?

Whether the immigrant met the legal requirements for entering the U.S.

What were the three legal requirements for entering the U.S.?

Proved they had never been convicted of a felony, Demonstrated they were able to work, Showing they had some money (at least $25 after 1909)

What happened to women who traveled alone to Ellis Island?

Had to remain on island until a male relative came for them, If they had no male relative in the country, they would often be deported

Where did immigrants arriving on the West Coast gain admission to the U.S. at?

Angel Island

What served as "life rafts" for immigrants?

Ethnic neighborhoods

Give examples of how ethnic neighborhoods were "life rafts."

People pooled their money to build churches/synagogues, Formed schools & social clubs to help preserve customs, Provided comfort foods immigrants craved, Opened local shops/small businesses

How did ethnic businesses help new immigrants?

Helped new arrivals by offering credit & giving small loans

Why was aid from ethnic businesses so important to new arrivals?

There were few commercial banks in immigrant communities

How did immigrants take on new identities?

They began to think of themselves as "hyphenated" Americans

In the early 1900s, mine accidents killed how many miners a year?

3/10

Why were Asian immigrants barred from labor unions?

Race, Status as unskilled workers

Melting Pot

Mixture of people of different cultures & races who blended together by abandoning native languages & customs

Nativism

Overt favoritism toward native-born Americans

Nativists believed that which ethnic group was superior?

Anglo-Saxon - Germanic ancestors of the English

How did religion play a role in Nativist thinking?

Many native-born Americans were Protestants & thought that Catholics and Jewish immigrants would undermine democratic institutions established by the country's Protestant founders

In 1897, Congress tried to pass what kind of bill? Give specifics.

Bill required a literacy test for immigrants, Those who couldn't read 40 words in English or their native language would be refused entry

What was the end result of the 1897 bill?

Vetoed by President Cleveland

What did Nativists in the West believe?

Feared jobs would go to Chinese immigrants who would accept lower wages

Chinese Exclusion Act

For 10 years, banned entry to all Chinese except students, teachers, merchants, tourists and government officials

What year was the first Chinese Exclusion Act passed?

1882

What happened to Chinese immigration in 1902?

Chinese immigration was restricted indefinitely

When was the Chinese Exclusion Act repealed?

1943

Describe the event that took place in San Francisco in 1906.

School BOE in San Francisco segregated Japanese children by putting them in separate schools

Gentlemen's Agreement

Japan's government agreed to limit emigration of unskilled workers to the U.S. in exchange for repeal of San Francisco segregation order