Immigration History
Jan 01, 2016
Immigration History
Define
Emigrate : Leave one's own country in order to settle permanently in another
Immigrate: coming into a country for the purpose of permanent residence
First Wave of Immigration
1830s / 1850s – Northwestern Europeans flee starvation, feudal governments & social upheaval from the Industrial Revolution. They came here from:
Ireland Germany Scandinavia As well as China
Second Wave of Immigration
A “Flood-Tide” from Eastern & Southern Europe
Fleeing burdens of high taxes, poverty & overpopulation, oppression & religious persecution
Ellis Island Wave
Ellis IslandFrom Europe
to “The Golden Door”
100 Million Americans Can Trace Ancestry to Ellis Island
12 Million pass through from 1892 – 1954
Peak years from 1892 – 1924 11,747 processed on one day 1907 Quotas begin to restrict immigrants
1924 A quota is a certain number of
immigrants allowed from certain countries.
Used as detention center for enemy aliens 1943
Closes doors 1954
The Ship’s Manifest
Before Boarding Ship, Each Passenger was Subjected to De-Lousing & Questioning
A Series of 29 Questions were Asked Answers were Written on the Ship’s
Manifest In English Documenting Information for
Genealogists Today
The Ship’s Manifest
Leaving Europe for America
$12.00 Ticket
10-14 Day Journey
3rd Class Steerage
Crude Conditions
Onboard Ship
End of the Journey “Give Me Your
Tired, Your Poor. Your Huddled Masses Yearning to Breathe Free, The Wretched Refuse of Your Teeming Shore… “
Arrival At Ellis Island Transferred from
Ship to the Island via Ferry
Sometimes Waiting for Hours to be Moved
And Reach the Golden Door to America
Welcome to America!
The Waiting Room
The Great Hall
The Waiting Is Over Now began a series of tests that
would determine your fate Only 2 % were sent back 2% of 12 Million Would you like to have 2% of $12
Million Dollars?
The Inspection Line
The Medical Exam Medical Inspectors
watched the people & marked them with chalk
The exam was frightening & embarrassing
Many varied ailments could send you home
Chalk Marks Used at Ellis Island
X – Suspected Mental Defect Circled X- Definite Signs of Mental Defects B – Black C- Conjunctivitis CT – Trachoma E- Eyes F- Face Ft- Feet
G- Goiter H- Heart K- Hernia N- Neck L- Lameness P- Physical & Lungs PG- Pregnancy SC- Scalp S- Senility SI- Special Inquiry
The Questions Asked a Series of
29 Questions The Same as Were
Asked Before Leaving Europe
To See if Your Story Remained the Same
The Mental Exam Immigrants who
Looked “Out of the Ordinary” Were Given Mental Exams
If You Failed the Exams (3 Chances), You Were Deported
Or Sent to DC to Become a Congressman
Making it Once All the Testing Was Done, You Were
Allowed to Leave the Island & Become an American
Support for immigrants was sparse No government assistance to speak of Political parties in large cities played a role
(political machines) Local ethnic groups formed aid societies Immigrants for the most part lived in segregated
communities
The Streets Are Paved with Gold
“I came here believing the streets were paved with gold. I found out the streets weren’t paved at all, And I was expected to pave them!”
Nativist Resistance
Too Many Undesirables
The Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 effectively ends Chinese immigration
A growing Nativist movement grips the nation
Sacco and Vanzetti
Third Wave of Immigration
1970s-present– Asian Refugees (post Vietnam) Mexico=Largest Number Cuba Central America India
Lead to both a debate over illegal immigration and legal immigration centered on “needs based” professions and reuniting families
Limiting Immigration
Quota system instituted in 1922
Limits immigrants to a percentage of ethnic group already in the U.S.
Favors “desirable” immigrants over others
America, The Melting Pot
Our Unique Blend of Ethnicity has Resulted in a New & Distinct Culture Amongst the Nations of the World
Are We Really a Melting Pot?
Or More Like A Salad Bowl
Cultural Blending
Elements of Cultural Blending here?
Laws Governing Immigration
The Immigration and Naturalization Act of 1952 (McCarran-Walter Act) establishes the basics of immigration laws and creates a national immigration agency.
The Immigration Act of 1965 (Hart-Cellar Act) changed the criteria for admitting immigrants from concentrating on their nationality to focusing on their skills and profession.
The Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986 granted amnesty to illegal aliens who had been in the U.S. before 1982 and made it a crime to hire an illegal alien.
The Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996 adopted stronger penalties against illegal immigration and streamlined the deportation process.