Feb. 19, New Immigration & Ellis Island Era (1880–1920)

Big Population Growth (Gilded Age)

  • ~8 million immigrants arrived (35 years before 1892)

  • After Ellis Island opened (1892): ~700,000 per year average

  • U.S. population nearly doubled every 25 years

  • Reasons:

    • Immigration surge

    • Lower child mortality

    • Industrial job growth

Push & Pull Factors

Push Factors (Why leave?):

  • Poverty

  • Famine

  • War

  • Religious persecution

Pull Factors (Why U.S.?):

  • Jobs in factories

  • Opportunity for advancement

  • Political/religious freedom

Old vs. New Immigrants

Old Immigrants (Pre-1880)

  • Northern & Western Europe

    • Germany

    • Ireland

  • Mostly Protestant (Irish were Catholic)

New Immigrants (1880–1920)

  • Southern & Eastern Europe

    • Italy

    • Greece

    • Russia

    • Poland

    • Parts of the Ottoman Empire

  • Many Catholic, Jewish, Orthodox, some Muslim

  • Much poorer on average

Nativism

  • Fear/hatred of immigrants

  • Belief immigrants:

    • Took jobs

    • Lowered wages

    • Were “too different”

  • Increased due to:

    • Religion differences

    • Language barriers

    • Cultural differences

Ellis Island (Opened 1892)

  • Main immigration processing center in New York Harbor

  • Over 12 million processed total

  • First stop for most European immigrants

  • Located near the Statue of Liberty

Processing at Ellis Island

1. Steerage Passengers

  • Poor immigrants traveled in lowest deck

  • Had to go through full inspection

First & second class:

  • Quick medical check onboard ship

  • Usually admitted immediately

2. Six-Second Medical Exam

Doctors checked for:

  • Contagious diseases (e.g., trachoma, tuberculosis)

  • Heart/lung problems

  • Physical disabilities

  • Hernias

  • Mental illness

  • Signs of extreme weakness

If suspicious:

  • Marked coat with chalk

  • Sent for further exam

3. Legal Inspection Questions

  • Name

  • Age

  • Occupation

  • Money amount

  • Destination

  • Family in U.S.?

  • Criminal history?

  • Polygamy?

If approved → Enter U.S.
If rejected → Detained or deported

Name Changes

  • Many names shortened or altered

  • Language barriers caused spelling changes

  • Some immigrants simplified names voluntarily

Effects of Immigration

Positive:

  • Provided industrial labor

  • Grew cities rapidly

  • Fueled economic growth

Negative:

  • Overcrowded tenements

  • Job competition

  • Increased nativism

  • Rise of ethnic neighborhoods

Big Picture

Industrialization created demand for labor.
Immigration reshaped U.S. cities, culture, religion, and politics between 1880 and 1920.