US History - The Migration

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Old Immigration

Immigrants came from Northern and Western Europe during 1820-1890

Main immigrants of the Old Immigration

From comparably wealthy countries such as Great Britain, Ireland, and Germany.

New Immigration

Immigrants from 1890-1920s, from south & eastern Europe

Main Immigrants of the New Immigration

From less developed countries such as Italy, Austria-Hungary, and Russia.

Population of Immigrants from 1860-1900

About 14 Million People

Population of Immigrants from 1900-1915

About 14.5 Million People

The population fo the US during 1860

31.5 Million People

Population of US during 1900

76.3 Million People

Population of US during 1920

106 Million People

Chinese Immigrants Between 1851-1883

200K Chinese Immigrants

Reasons for Immigration

Poverty, Famine, Land Shortages, Religious Persecution, Political Persecution

1905 Immigrant population

1 million people, from Europe only

Steam ship trip cost

$25 (modern-day worth: $150)

Europe steamship trip length

1-3 weeks

Asia steamship trip length

3-4 weeks

Steerage class (Lowest, horrible class)

Had to travel with cargo inside a dark, crowded room.

Had poor sanitation and lacked fresh air, exercising was impossible. Diseases spread easily.

Ellis Island

Immigrant processing center for East Coast of the US

Processed 11K immigrants/day during peak years (1905-1907)

Angel Island

Immigrant processing center for the West Coast of the US

Processed Chinese and Japanese immigrants usually

Immigrant Inspection

Medical Inspection

1. Immigrants with serious health/mental problems were sent home

The government inspector checks documents, and legal questions are asked

Literacy tests are given in the native language (if you are from France, in French, if you are from China, in Chinese)

Had to prove that they were able to work

Had to show at least $25 ← to confirm that they had the time to find a job and a house ($25 = ~week or so of hotel life)

Culture shock

Confusion/anxiety resulting from immersion in a culture whose way of thinking/acting is something one can’t understand

Con artists

People that lured immigrants into fantastic dreams like “a great job in Pittsburgh just for you!” or “Buying this would make everything successful!” for their benefits, usually in the form of money.

Jobs and Shelters

Two things immigrants had a hard time finding

English and American Cultures

Two things immigrants had hard time learning

Ghettos

A place where certain groups of people of the same culture stayed together.

Examples: Chinatown (Chinese), Little Tokyo (Japanese), Little Italy (Italian), and Little Dublin (Irish).

Fun Fact: Little Dublin once had more Irish people than Dublin, the capital of Ireland.

Urbanization (1860-1900)

Urban population tripled

1840 City people

1 out of 12 Americans (8.33%)

1900 City people

1 out 3 Americans (33.33%)

City Benefits

Cheap & Convenient

Mills & Factories offered jobs for unskilled laborers

Social Support for Immigrants was there

Excitement & Entertainment were easy to get.

City Drawbacks

Poor Housing: 2-3 families lived in single-family tenement housing with poor sanitation (extremely crowded)

Water: as the sanitation of the city was poor (no garbage trucks, garbage thrown out the window, horse carcass left on the sidewalk), diseases from poor water quality like cholera and typhoid roamed.

Nativism

Caucasian “Americans” (not the actual natives) who felt that the immigrants were taking over their lives and harming themselves.

Tried to segregate and persecute immigrants (in fact, these Caucasians were immigrants too; they came over 200-300 years ago).

Problems in Cities: Poor Sanitation

• Horse manure on street

• Raw sewage (human feces) in gutters

• No trash removal (dump trash out the window)

• Factory Pollution

• Unsanitary outhouses (outside toilet)

Problems in Cities: Fires

• No good water supply ← no fire hydrant

• Tenement houses were made of wood

• Kerosene lamps and Candles were used for lighting (FIRE!!!)

• Fun Fact: #1 Cause of Fires today: Candles

• Great Chicago Fire 1871 (Caused by Kerosene lamp) - Burns 17,000 structures

Crime

• Organized Crime (E.g., Mafia)

• Pick Pockets

• Dark Alleys called “robbers roost”

Progressive Era

Era in which new technologies emerged to help solve many urban problems.