Lecture 14: Immigration

prior to 1930, who were the main immigrants?

Europeans

true or false: immigrants are flooding the areas that exhibit the most anti-immigrant sentiment

false

true or false: America has not filled up

true

why has America not filled up?

while population density in major cities is high, in the midwest population density is more sparse

what was Benjamin Franklin’s view on immigration?

he is a British nationalist and thinks America should be reserved for the “white” and “red”

what is J. Hector St. John de Crevecoeur’s view on immigration?

he viewed America as a melting pot that offers opportunities for diverse immigrants to prosper and contribute to society

what were transportation costs like in 1780-1980?

falling transportation costs allowed even the working class to immigrate

what is an overwhelming regularity in immigration?

people looking for climates they are familiar with; temperate climates (places like North America, Australia, NZ, South Africa, etc)

why was there lots of immigration to the US?

the US was a temperate zone, US was open to immigrants and was a place of opportunity

without immigrants, what would US population look like compared to Britain?

the US population would be significantly smaller and less diverse, potentially resembling a demographic more similar (and likely smaller) to that of Britain

if america was not open to immigration, how would this affect their economic prosperity and ability to grasp the technologies of the 2nd Industrial Revolution?

fewer workers would mean less innovation, skilled engineers from other countries would not have come to the US (like Tesla) and the country would likely lag behind in industrial advancements and economic growth