Migration and Citizenship

Religion and European Migration

• Religion significantly influenced European migration to North America.

  • Examples:

    • Puritans settling in Massachusetts.
    • Spanish priests converting Native Americans.
    • French Jesuit priests seeking converts.
    • Religious communities formed by migrants from England, France, Spain, and the Netherlands.

• Many Europeans sought religious freedom in North America.

  • Puritans sought religious freedom for themselves but were often intolerant of other religious groups.

Similarities in Religious Influence on Colonies

• Christianity:

  • Most European colonies were founded by Christians.
  • French and Spanish priests aimed to convert Native Americans.

Differences in Religious Influence on Colonies

• Religious Strictness:

  • Puritans in Massachusetts were strict and intolerant of Native American culture.
  • Quakers in other colonies were more open and tolerant, fostering better relations with Native Americans.

• British vs. French/Spanish Policies:

  • Britain allowed Puritans to leave.
  • France and Spain resisted allowing non-Catholics into their colonies.

Economic Development and Migration (1890-1945)

• The Great Migration:

  • Black Americans moved from the South to the North and West.

  • Reasons:

    • Push Factor: Jim Crow segregation.
    • Pull Factor: Economic opportunities in urban centers.

  • Challenges: Discrimination persisted in the North, though less systematic than Jim Crow laws.

• Jim Crow Legislation:

  • Aimed to circumvent the Fifteenth Amendment (right to vote).
  • Included poll taxes, grandfather clauses, and literacy tests.

• Economic Context:

  • 1890s: Second Industrial Revolution.
  • 1920s: Harlem Renaissance.
  • 1914-1918: World War I.
  • 1939-1945: World War II.

Economic Developments & Regional Influence (Post-WWII)

• Timeframe: 1945 to present.

• Suburbanization:

  • A widespread trend across regions.

• Migration Patterns:

  • Black Americans continued moving from rural to urban areas for jobs.

• Regional Economic Differences:

  • The Sunbelt (South and West):

    • Population increased due to air conditioning and job opportunities.

  • The North:

    • Experienced population decrease as manufacturing jobs moved elsewhere.

• Possible Reasons for Northern Decline:

  • Defense industry jobs moving to California and Florida.

  • Globalization leading to manufacturing jobs leaving the North.

  • Rust Belt: Decline of car manufacturing in areas like Detroit.

DBQ Analysis: Definition of Citizenship

• Focus: The Fourteenth Amendment, which grants citizenship to anyone born in the United States.

  • The Fourteenth amendment is a topic of controversy due to immigrants from other countries coming to the United States and having children on US soil, therefore, making the child legal.

• Amendment Amendment Overturn:

  • To change an amendment requires another amendment (e.g., the Eighteenth Amendment [Prohibition] was overturned by the Twenty-first Amendment).

• Document Analysis:

  • Key distinction: People born in the U.S. vs. those not born in the U.S.

  • Documents generally argue that people born in the U.S. should have rights of citizens.

    • Examples: Sojourner Truth calling for equal rights, discussions about rights of Native Americans and Puerto Ricans.

  • Treatment of people born outside the U.S. varied.

    • Examples: Discussions about Chinese immigrants and other immigrant groups.

• Argument:

  • Changes in the definition of U.S. citizenship were significant.

    • Rights expanded for those born in the U.S.
    • Rights for those not born in the U.S. fluctuated depending on the era.