Turning into a Melting Pot: Immigration

TURNING INTO A MELTING POT:IMMIGRATIONChapter 25

PUSH AND PULL FACTORS Push Factors: Make people want to leave a

country Examples: Poverty, famine, Political Violence,

Religious punishment, Insecurity

Pull Factors: Things that attract you to another country Examples: Economic Opportunity,

Religious/Political freedom, Land, Fresh start

A FRESH START Many immigrants, especially Jewish people,

were refugees feeling from religious persecution in Russia

Ships made it easier for people to come to US

Railroads made it easier to move once in US New hope for immigrants, US took them all:

“Give me your tired, your poor, Your huddled masses yearning to be free”

~~~~~~DIFFERENT WAVES~~~~~~

Before the 1880s: Germans, Irish, Northern

Europe (England, France, Sweden etc)

Chinese on the West Coast By 1890:

Southern Europe (Greece, Italy) and Eastern Europe (Russia, Poland)

Chinese joined by people from Japan, Korea, India, and Philippines, Canada and Mexico

DIVERSIFYING Unlike being a country of mostly White,

Anglo-Saxon Protestants (WASPs), the US was turning into a nation of all kinds of people

Catholics, Jews, Buddhists bring a different religious body to the US and different cultures

Many were not well educated, and poor coming over, which had not always been the case before

ELLIS ISLAND The immigrant welcome center in New York City Mostly European immigrants since they came

across the Atlantic

Had to check in and wait in line after a two week journey by boat

Were medically examined upon arrival Processed and sometimes given new names so

they could be registered immigrants

ITALIANOS

There was little land and bad farming in Italy, especially in the southern part of the country

Would come to US for a fresh start, sometimes just the men so they could send money home

The poor usually put on the bottom deck of ships and stuck down there most of the two week journey

Many families forced to separate at Ellis Island

Nearly ½ of Italians returned to Italy because they didn’t find what they were looking for in the US or worked only seasonal jobs

ITALIANS CONTINUED… Because family closeness was so valued,

many Italians did not send their kids to school because they did not want them to learn English

Children would work instead (were able to bring in more money too)

Looked down upon by most Americans because they came here poor and uneducated

Started, like many other immigrants “Little Italys” in large cities to stick together

The Mob/Mafia was a small group of Italians, but not the majority like the Godfather portrays

JEWISH AMERICANS: FLEEING FROM RUSSIA Mostly came from Eastern

Europe (Near Russia) Russian laws persecuted

Jews since the 1800s because of their differences

Jews blamed for many Russian problems, even killing the Czar (king) in 1881

Russians would attack the Jews for decades with pogroms

JEWISH AMERICANS FLOCK NEW YORK Between 1881-1924, 2.4 million Jews came

here Just like Italians, many had to wait in lines at

Ellis Island and were often separated Most moved to Lower East Side of NYC Came to the US with many skills and did very

well, benefited from American school system Even though times weren’t always easy, they

cherished living in a land of opportunity without persecution

CHINESE IMMIGRANTS Started coming during the Gold Rush of 1849 Helped build the railroads of the West In 1882, and exclusion act kept Chinese out

of the US and would not let those already here become citizens (Chinese Exclusion Act)

Due to an earthquake that destroyed many public records, tons of Chinese men were able to say that they were citizens

Many tried to get their “families” over to the US

Held on Angel Island in San Francisco

CHINESE IN CALIFORNIA Tough questions asked to

the apparent family members of the men already in the US

Deported if they couldn’t answer them

More men than women in the US (20:1 in 1900) Led to a declining

population. WHY??? Chinatown in SanFran was

a tourist attraction for many Americans to see new things

Chinatown, SF California

MEXICAN IMMIGRANTS Tough times in Mexico as 14 million people

were having their lands taken from them by the gov’t

Civil war ensued as farmers rebelled 500,000 came to US during the 10 year war

(1910-1920) Many came to work the railroads in the West Benefitted from Chinese being excluded in

1882 They were paid better than back home in

Mexico Most found work on farms and would return

home after the season was over or started barrios

MEXICAN LIFE Barrios were similar to Little Italy's or

Chinatown: Mexican communities Many same ideas by whites towards

Mexicans now “They take our jobs, go back to Mexico”

Worked for much less wages and worse conditions than whites at almost every job

Proven to work very hard and be good employees

CLOSING THE FLOODGATES By 1920, many Americans began

to resent the new immigrants Each new group looked down

upon by those that came before them

Thought the new people were “polluting” America

America began a series of policies that were meant to restrict the numbers of new immigrants coming into the country “The only way to

handle it”

RESTRICTION POLICIES Chinese Exlcusion Act of 1882 1907- Japanese forbidden to enter US 1917- Congress passes bill requiring new

immigrants to prove they can read and write 1921- Emergency Immigration Act

Quota system established For each immigrant group, only 3% were allowed to

be new each year 1924- Immigration Act

Dropped the quota to 2% Numbers were to be based off 1890 census

During 1927, new people allowed was 150,000 for each country, not just 2% (even less people)

TREND OF IMMIGRATION (EUROPEANS)

DEALING WITH IMMIGRANTS AT HOME Since there were so many new people here,

America wanted to keep its identity Started with the public school system

Free school to help students read, write and become American citizens of the future

Developed a national identity Why would this be important? What were the WASPs afraid of?

TOTAL NUMBERS Between 1890 and 1920, 47 million

immigrants came to the United States ~41 Million of them from Europe

29 M from North and West Europe and 13 from S, E Europe

US Population by the decades (Census numbers) 1880: 50.2 Million 1890- 63 Million 1900- 76.2 Million 1910- 92.2 Million 1920- 106 Million