Chapter 10, Section 1 – Immigration By Mr. Bruce Diehl

I. Europeans Flood Into the United States By the late 1800s, most European states made it easy to move to America. Migration restrictions lifted, assets released America offered immigrants employment, few immigration restrictions, avoidance of military service, religious freedom, and the chance to move up the social ladder

By the 1890s, eastern and southern Europeans made up more than half of all immigrants: Italians, Greeks, Poles, Slavs, Slovaks, Russians and Armenia Of the 14 million immigrants who arrived between 1860 and 1900, many were European Jews.

A difficult trip Most immigrants took the difficult trip to America in steerage, the least expensive accommodations on a steamship. The 14-day trip usually ended at Ellis Island, a small island in New York Harbor.

Ellis Island served as a processing center for most immigrants arriving on the East coast after 1892 Most immigrants passed through Ellis Island in a day. Some faced the possibility of being separated from family. Those who failed inspection were sent back to Europe due to health problems.

Most immigrants settled in cities. They lived in neighborhoods that were separated into ethnic groups. Here they duplicated many of the comforts of their homelands, including language and religion.

Those who adjusted to living in the United States: Those who learned English quickly, Those who adapted quickly to American culture, Those having marketable skills or money, Those that settled among members of their own ethnic group

Reading Check How did immigration affect demographic patterns in the United States?

II. Asian Immigration to America Chinese immigration to the United States in the mid-1800s increased due to: Severe unemployment and poverty in China Famine in China; The discovery of gold in California; The Taiping Rebellion in China – 20 million died The demand for railroad workers in the United States

In Western cities, Chinese immigrants worked as: laborers, servants, skilled tradesmen, and merchants. Some opened their own laundries.

Japanese immigration to the United States Between 1900 and 1919, drastically increased Japan began to build an industrial economy and an empire Farmers were pushed out.

Angel Island in California Opened in 1910 Barracks were built to house would be immigrants from Asia. Mostly young men and boys, waited sometimes for months for the results of immigration hearings.

Reading Check Why did Chinese immigrants come to the United States?

IV. The Resurgence of Nativism The increase in immigration led to nativism: Nativism is an extreme dislike for foreigners by native-born people and desire to limit immigration. Earlier, in the 1840s and 1850s, nativism was directed towards the Irish. In the early 1900s, it was the Asian, Jews, and eastern Europeans that were the focus of nativism.

Nativism led to the forming of two anti-immigration groups. The American Protective Association had 500,000 members by 1887. The party’s founder, Henry Bowers, disliked Catholics and foreigners. He wanted to stop immigration.

The Workingman’s Party of California. Organized in the 1870s by Denis Kearny, an Irish immigrant. This group wanted to stop Chinese immigration. Radical violence resulted.

In 1882 Congress passed the Chinese Exclusion Act It barred Chinese immigration for 10 years It also prevented the Chinese already in America from becoming citizens. The act was renewed by Congress in 1892, made permanent in 1902, and not repealed until 1943.

Reading Check Why did the federal government pass the Chinese Exclusion Act?