Module 4 Immigration and Urbanization Review Questions

Ellis Island

An inspection station for immigrants located in New York Harbor from 1892 to 1924; an estimated 24 million immigrants passed through this facility.

Angel Island

An inspection station for immigrants located at Angel Island in San Francisco Bay from 1910 to 1940; primarily about 50,000 Chinese immigrants entered.

Melting Pot

A mixture of people of different cultures and races who blended together by abandoning their native languages and customs.

Name that major PULL Factor that drew immigrants to settle in the United States 

the promise of a better life

There were also several PUSH FACTORS that the immigrants were trying to escape, what were they?

immigrants wanted to escape famine, land shortages, religious and/or political persecution

What is the first thing that immigrants at Ellis Island encountered once they got off the ship? 

physical examination by a medical profession

Why did immigrants take dangerous job in factories and mines?

they lacked the skills to work in other industries

What impact did nativism have on immigrants in the United States during the late 1800 and early 1900's?

it encouraged discrimination against immigrants

Why did nativists want the government to bar entry to Chinese immigrants? (refer to the Chinese Exclusion Act) 

they feared that jobs would go to Chinese immigrants who would work for lower pay

What compromise did the governments of the United States and Japan reach on immigration? 

they entered a Gentlemen’s Agreement….Japan would restrict the emigration of unskilled workers in exchange for the U.S. to repeal the San Francisco segregation order

Tenements

old housing taken over by multifamily urban dwellings that were overcrowded and unsanitary

Social Stratification

The organization of people into social classes based on wealth.

Mass Transit

Transportation systems designed to move large numbers of people along fixed routes, facilitating easier commutes to jobs.

Social Gospel Movement

A reform group that preached salvation through service to the poor.

Social Mobility

The ability of families or individuals to move up to a higher social class.

What solutions to urban problems did the settlement house movement propose? 

-offered educational services in poor, urban neighborhoods

-provided cultural services in poor, urban neighborhoods

-offered social services in poor, urban neighborhoods

 

Name the two major factors that contributed to the urbanization of the United States in the late 1800s and 1900s. 

-immigrants settled mainly in the cities because they were the cheapest and most convenient places to live

-cities offered unskilled laborers steady jobs in mills and factories

What was the Americanization Movement designed to accomplish?

designed to assimilate people of wide-ranging cultures into the dominant culture

What problems did rapid growth pose for cities? 

-a need to provide adequate housing                       

-a need to provide adequate transportation

-a need to provide adequate sanitation

-a need to provide clean water

-to provide a living wage

-to fight fire and crime