Name ______Date ______Pd._____

Welcome to the “land of opportunity!”

  1. More than ____ million new immigrants came to America between ______.
  2. Two of the most famous entry points to the US were ______, NY and ______, CA.
  3. Immigrants that came through Ellis Island, NY were greeted by the ______– a symbol of hope and freedom for many.
  4. Ellis Island opened in ______as a receiving station. Today it is a part of the National Park Service as a monument. Visit to find out more.
  5. AngelIsland was an entry point into the US off the San FranciscoBay. This station was flooded with ______immigrants throughout the 1800’s, many of which were turned away.
  6. It was not easy reaching the United States and living the American dream. Despite the lure of ______and reduced ______, the extensive travel to get ashore was challenging.
  7. Journeying to the US required immigrants to save ______(that they didn’t have) for the boat ride.
  8. Immigrants did not come to the US on luxury cruise liners, they traveled in close quarters, often times packaged in the ______(cheapest fare) compartment of the boat.
  9. ______spread like wildfire on these boats which became a problem once immigrants landed.
  10. Living the American dream was not always what it was cracked up to be. Once admitted into the US immigrants faced all of the following:
  11. Adjusting to the ______. Often times immigrants had this starry-eyed belief about what America would be like and sometimes people were disappointed.
  12. ______. Jobs were plentiful in the US during this time as ______and western ______ruled the markets. However, job discrimination was sometimes practiced, wages were low (especially for immigrants) and conditions gruesome.
  13. “There’s no place like ______. Coming to the US meant finding a home as well. Immigrants from similar regions around the world tended to flock to one another. Throughout the cities you would find (and still do) ______or neighborhoods of a specific ______. In those neighborhoods you could find ______and ______that reflected their culture.
  14. ______. This was one of the toughest ideas of coming to America. It was (and very much is today) expected that if you live in the US that you learn and practice the ways of ______. Immigrants, especially first generation, struggled with this idea as they wanted to keep in tact their traditions and blend that with those of the US.
  15. There were many Americans that were opposed to these newcomers. ______, as they were called, wanted to preserve the US for the native born white Protestants. These immigrants were seen as “______” to be part of America’s landscape.
  16. One group in particular suffered during this time period, the Chinese. In fact the ______ended Chinese labor immigration. This was the first law to exclude a specific national group and the ban was not lifted until 1943.
  17. There were two distinct waves of immigrants that came to the United States during the 1800’s and early 1900’s.
  18. The “______” immigrants were dominated by western and northern Europeans (______).
  19. The “______” immigrants were a different group that streamed in from southern and eastern Europe (______, etc.)


  1. What brought immigrants to the US during this time period?
Push Factors / Pull Factors
______ became scarce in Europe for farmers. They couldn’t earn enough to support their family. / ______ were in demand. Low wages were to be expected, but it was more than the money an immigrant made at home.
Religious persecution. / Lower cost to reach the US. ______ were reduced in order to recruit workers.
______. Uprising within their own countries drove people out. / New and cheap ______ was available in the west.
Farming jobs were lost to ______. / Promise of ______ – religious and otherwise.
______ and hard lives. / ______ and friends had already established themselves in the US.