The New Immigrants

Difficult Journey to a New Land Most immigrants traveled by steam ship Europe to America over the Atlantic took 1 week Asia to American over the Pacific took 3 weeks Most traveled in steerage (cheapest accommodations) Not all immigrants survived the journey Treatment upon arrival was not always welcoming

Ellis Island Immigrant entry point in New York Harbor Inspection to enter the country -- 20% of immigrants held at inspection for 1-2days --2% not allowed to enter the country Inspection included physical exam, government questioning, and proof that you had a min of $25 (after 1909) 17 million immigrants would come through from 1892-1924

Immigrant entry point in San Francisco Bay Angel Island Immigrant entry point in San Francisco Bay 50,000 Chinese immigrants entered the country here between 1910 and 1940 Immigrants withstood harsh questioning and lengthy detainment in dirty/unsafe buildings during this process

How to Survive in the New World Once in America immigrants were faced with the task of finding a place to live, a job, and fitting in to an unfamiliar culture. Many immigrants began to think of them selves as “hyphenated” Americans while others did not want to adapt Native born Americans began to think of the country as a melting pot, or mixture of people from different cultures and races blending together

Immigration Restrictions There were many different reactions, both positive and negative to the influx of immigrants. Nativism: overt favoritism toward native-born Americans. This would lead to many anti-immigration groups Chinese Exclusion Act: Banned all Chinese immigrants except teachers, students, merchants, and government officials (repealed 1949) Gentleman's Agreement: President Roosevelt and Japanese government agree to limit unskilled worker emigration to U.S. in return for the repeal of segregation in San Francisco