The New Immigrants The Second Wave

Shift away from Northern and Western Europe to Eastern and Southern Europe. -poorer, more uneducated, different religions, more unskilled, very different cultures

avg. of 1 million a year come to the US.

How did they get here? Luxury Liners-like Titanic—sank in 1912 »Steerage

Statue of Liberty First many would see in America.

Ellis Island Many immigrants to US came through Ellis Island from –Over 12 million immigrants came through the processing center

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Medical Exam

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–Who paid for your trip –Occupation –Do you have any money –Have you ever been in prison –Do you speak English –Do you have a job set up –Do you have any relatives in the US –Must be mentally fit –Have documentation from home country

Great Hall.

Only about 2% rejected but it was big fear.

Where did most immigrants settle? Most in the cities in which they landed –In ½ of all immigrants settle in 4 states –New York, Mass., Penn, Ill

Immigrant Life in 1900 –Pay $ 5-10 a month, working 90 hours a week –Suffer prejudice Religious, language, ethnicity

Sweatshop labor Makeshift factories, dimly lit, poorly ventilate, unsafe working conditions, no fire escapes. Very low paid

Tenements: Overcrowded, unsanitary apartments put together in slums of major cities.

The New Groups Hungarian Family.

Jewish Immigration State encouraged pogroms: organized robberies, violence and murder of Jews Anti-Semitic: Discrimination against Jews In US. –Took advantage of free education –Suffer discrimination in US » Housing, jobs, social clubs settle mostly in NY During pre-WW II period US severely limited the immigration of Jews-condemning them to death in Germany.

Italians Came because of lack of jobs in Italy million Italians Mostly to Northeast Coast, Great Lakes and Calif. Prejudice because of religion-Catholic Very poor Uneducated Unskilled

Asian Immigrants –Chinese 1849 Gold Rush/Flood and Famine in China 1860 Railroad/ Flood and Famine in China 1882 Anti-Chinese Riots Chinese Exclusion Act-halted all Chinese immigration-pure racism

Japanese Started in Hawaii- sugar plantations Farmers in California Fishing in Washington 1907 law limited Japanese immigration

1917 Asiatic Barred Zone-to keep Asians out.

Puerto Rico – not immigrants technically 1917 Jones Act makes Puerto Ricans-American citizens – ,000 Puerto Ricans come to US uneducated, poor, can speak English, Catholic