Immigration Notes
I.Two Major Waves of Immigration
A.Old Immigrants (Western Europe) 1840’s -1890’s
- England – Economic Opportunity / Unemployment
- Ireland – Potato Famine / Unemployment
- Scandinavia – Economic Opportunity / Unemployment
B.New Immigrants (Eastern Europe) 1890’s -1920’s
- Italy – Unemployment
- Germany – Opportunity to own land / Avoid Draft
- Poland – Poverty
- Russia – Poverty / Avoid Draft / Pogroms
- Austro-Hungarian Empire – Opportunity to own Land
- China – Famine / Unemployment
II.Push and Pull Factors
A.Push Factors – Factors that force people to leave their country (War, Famine, Religious and Political Persecution, Unemployment, Poverty…)
B.Pull Factors – Factors that attract people to a country (Economic Opportunity, Land, Jobs, Religious and Political Freedom, Family and Friends…)
III.Immigration out West
A.Chinese –Many Chinese immigrants were recruited by the Central Pacific to come over and work on the Transcontinental Railroad.
B. Mexicans – Many Mexican already lived in the Southwest (Mexican Session). Others came to America for the economic opportunities.
IV.Ellis Island – Immigrants from Europe were processed at the Ellis Island Immigration Station. At total of 12 million immigrants were processed through Ellis Island.
V.Angel Island – Immigrants from Asia were processed at Angel Island in California.
VI.Voyage to America
A.Immigrants in 1st and 2nd class cabins did not have to go through extensive processing at Ellis Island. Passengers who could afford 1st and 2nd class tickets only went through a brief inspection aboard the ship.
B.Steerage: The Economy Class section for immigrants at the ship’s bottom
1.Immigrants who traveled in Steerage had to undergo a thorough inspection at Ellis or Angel Island. The government was afraid that these poorer people might become a burden on our society. Immigrants who were found to be sick, mental ill, criminals or unemployable were filtered out.
2.If the immigrant's papers were in order and they were in reasonably good health, the Ellis Island inspection process would last only three to five hours.
3.The two agencies responsible for processing immigrants at Ellis Island were the United States Public Health Service and the Bureau of Immigration (later known as the Immigration and Naturalization Service - INS)
VII.New York Cities Ethnic Neighborhoods – Immigrants often settled in cities where there was an abundance of factory jobs. Commonly immigrants would settle in neighborhoods where people from their own country had already settled. (Clustering)
A.Reasons
- Spoke the Same Language
- Shared the same culture
- Belonged to the same church
- Ate the same foods
- Helped each other out
B.Examples
- Little Italy
- China Town
VIII.Naturalization – The process that immigrants had to go through in order to become American citizens
IX.American Citizenship
A.- Born in America – “Law of the Soil”
B.-American Parent
C.–Naturalization
X.Nativist Reaction
A. Nativists were Americans who wanted to limit immigration and preserve America for native born citizens. They called for immigration quotas or limiting the amount of immigrants that could come into America from certain countries. They were scared that the new immigrants would take jobs away from Americans and ruin the culture.
B. Chinese Exclusion Act 1882– A ten-year ban on Chinese laborers. Chinese were not allowed into the U.S.
C. Literacy Test 1887 – The Nativists attempted to pass a bill in Congress that would make all Immigrants demonstrate that they could read in their own language. President Grover Cleveland vetoed the bill. Congress then overrode his veto with a 2/3 majority in both houses.
XI.Settlement Houses – Community centers organized in the late 1800s to help new immigrants and the poor. They helped immigrants learn English, find jobs, and find apartments. Settlement Houses also provided health care, temporary shelter, and assistance.
A.Hull House 1882- Jane Adams
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