Immigration

  • first wave of immigrants came from germany and ireland (old immigrants)

  • Why are different immigrants coming to America?

    • Push Factors - Why do they want to leave?

      • war

      • famine

      • political/religious persecution

      • land shortage

      • crowding

    • Pull Factors - Why do they want to go?

      • peace

      • food

      • freedom of religion

      • job opportunities

      • new life

  • second wave of immigrants came from all over the place, and in greater numbers (new immigrants)

  • immigration quotas - in any given year, america will allow x amount of immigrants to come in ; if that number is exceeded, entry will be denied

  • Journey to America

    • many immigrants could barely afford a steerage ticket to the US

    • they could only pack what they could carry

    • many would wait in line for hours

    • ellis island → nyc

      • many would be evaluated for any visible injuries, disorders, pregnancy, etc…

    • name changes

      • to sound more “american”

  • Angel Island

    • off the coast of san francisco bay

    • port for asian immigrants

    • opened in 1910

    • worse conditions that ellis island

    • Chinese Exclusion Act (1880-1940)

      • if you were a chinese immigrant, you couldn’t come to america unless you’re a student, doctor, teacher, or parents are already here, etc

      • 1873 - depression made work scarce and natives resented chinese laborers who would work for less pay

      • 1882 - congress restricted immigration of chinese into america

    • most had to prove their citizenship to be let in

    • immigrants were sometimes left here for days or weeks in poor conditions

    • “chinatowns” sprung up all over west coast

  • nativism - favoritism towards native-born americans

    • a response to increasing immigration

    • led to anti-immigrant groups that demanded restrictions to immigration

    • americans feared immigrants would take their jobs

    • Know-Nothing Party - formed to oppose immigration

      • when it dies out, the majority of this party becomes republican → form republican party because it did not exist prior to this

    • many “older” americans believed new immigrants would not make good citizens

    • social darwinists and people obsessed with “racial purity also found new immigration alarming

      • attributed social problems of new immigrants to supposed psychological characteristics of newcomers

  • Immigrants Assimilate Into Society

    • most immigrants stayed in cities and lived in ethnics neighborhoods called ghettos

    • these neighborhoods would share the same language, religious, and culture

    • by 1890, many cities had a huge immigrant population

      • 4/5 people in nyc were immigrants