Immigration and Race

Assignment Overview

  • The first midterm exam is scheduled for next Tuesday.

  • Study guides are available for students who haven't picked one up yet.

  • Only required item to bring for the exam is a blue book.

  • Encourage students to ask questions about the exam format or studied material.

Focus Topics for Upcoming Discussion

Immigration

  1. Broad Dynamics of Immigration

    • The late eighteen hundreds and early nineteen hundreds saw intense immigration.

    • Approx. 23 million immigrants arrived in the United States during this 40-year period.

    • U.S. total population during this era was about 60 to 100 million.

    • Immigration significantly impacted American life during the Gilded Age and Progressive Era.

  2. Visual Representation of Immigration

    • A graph indicates distinct peaks in immigration during this period, with a significant drop in the 1920s due to legislation restricting immigration.

    • Ellis Island (New York) and Angel Island (San Francisco) as major entry points for immigrants.

  3. Origins of Immigrants

    • Majority came from Southern and Eastern Europe (e.g., Italy, Poland, Russia).

    • Shift from Northern and Western European immigrants pre-Civil War to Southern and Eastern European immigrants post-Civil War.

  4. Reasons for Immigration

    • Many came to escape persecution (e.g., Russian Jews) or for economic opportunities.

    • Significant percentage (up to 50%) viewed their stay in the U.S. as temporary, intending to return to their home countries.

    • Most immigrants were single men from rural backgrounds, leading to high urban concentrations.

  5. Concentration of Immigrants

    • Most immigrants settled in cities due to the booming industrial economy and lacking resources to buy land or farm.

    • Cities like New York housed as many Italians as in Naples, illustrating high immigrant concentration.

  6. Native-Born American Attitudes Toward Immigrants

    • Two general viewpoints: acceptance and hostility.

    • Positive attitudes include acknowledgment of America's immigrant roots (e.g., political cartoons highlighting hypocrisy of rejecting new immigrants).

    • Example view from Randolph Bourne advocating for a diverse, transnational America.

    • Hostile attitudes often arose from anxiety about immigrants' ability to assimilate and associated negative stereotypes.

    • Political cartoons depicted immigrants as dangerous or problematic (e.g., socialists, anarchists).

Systematic Discrimination and Race

  1. Impact of the Civil War on African Americans

    • The Civil War ended slavery but did not result in racial equality or systematic acceptance of African Americans.

    • Constitutional amendments provided nominal rights but did not prevent discrimination.

  2. Mechanisms of Discrimination

    • Disenfranchisement practices (poll taxes and literacy tests) effectively barred many African Americans from voting.

    • Jim Crow laws instituted racial segregation across various aspects of public life (e.g., schools, transportation).

    • Racial violence, including lynching, became pervasive, often supported by local authorities and societal norms.

  3. Lynching and Racial Violence

    • Lynching as a form of extrajudicial killing, often justified by unproven accusations.

    • Photographs from lynching events reflected societal acceptance of such acts, with perpetrators showing no remorse.

  4. Federal Government's Stance

    • Federal government largely ignored or inadequately addressed systemic racism, supported by Supreme Court rulings such as:

      • Plessy vs. Ferguson (1896): Affirmed "separate but equal" as legal.

      • Williams vs. Mississippi: Upheld poll taxes and literacy tests as acceptable means of disenfranchisement.

African American Responses to Discrimination

Contrasting Approaches

  1. Booker T. Washington

    • Advocated for gradual self-improvement through education and economic success.

    • Emphasized patience and gradual acceptance from society rather than immediate civil rights.

    • Founded the Tuskegee Institute focusing on vocational education.

  2. W.E.B. Du Bois

    • Opposed Washington's approach, advocating for immediate civil rights and political action.

    • Co-founded the NAACP, seeking to address discrimination through legal challenges and activism.

    • Criticized Washington's emphasis on self-improvement as unrealistic without civil rights.

    • Highlighted the need for political rights as a precursor to social and economic advancement.

Conclusion

  • Summary of the complex dynamics of immigration and race during the Gilded Age and Progressive Era emphasizes the historical significance and socio-political implications of these issues.

  • Questions encouraged regarding both immigration and race topics before proceeding to next class discussions on related historical developments.