THE HISTORY OF U.S. IMMIGRATION “Here is not merely a nation, but a teeming nation of nations.” Walt Whitman

IMMIGRATION VOCABULARY Emigrate: to leave one country or region to settle in another Immigrate: to come to a country of which one is not a native, usually for permanent residence. Migrate: process of moving from one country, region, or place to another

OLD IMMIGRANTS Came to U.S. before the 1880s from Northwestern Europe Britain Germany Ireland Scandinavia Spoke English Skilled workers Protestants Except Irish & Germans http://metrocosm.com/animated-immigration-map/

NEW IMMIGRANTS Southern & Eastern Europe Czechs Greeks Hungarians Italians Poles Russians Slovaks

WAVES OF IMMIGRATION: 37 Million 1820-1860 Germany (6 million) Ireland (4.5 million) Great Britain (4.2 million) 1860-1890 Scandinavian nations (2.3 million) 1890-1910 Austria-Hungary Italy (4.75 million) Russia & Baltic (3.3 million) https://www.bing.com/images/search?view=detailV2&ccid=PLpSvtZa&id=6B5E9D0FA15934EA4E8FFC4F30D1500DCF47A2F4&thid=OIP.PLpSvtZaCqvku1gisrrxkwEsCf&q=map+of+demographic+changes+in+the+us+over+time&simid=607999699599754241&selectedIndex=0&ajaxhist=0

PUSH-PULL FACTORS

WHY IMMIGRATE? 1607-1830 Push factors: Political Freedom Religious Tolerance Economic Opportunity Refugees Slavery Family Reunification

“streets paved with gold” WHY IMMIGRATE? 1830-1890 Pull Factors: Land Jobs “streets paved with gold”

WHY IMMIGRATE? 1890-1924 Jews for religious freedom Italians/Asians for work Russians to escape persecution “Land of opportunity”

ELLIS ISLAND Where did they settle? 70% initially landed in New York City – fanned out into surrounding areas

ELLIS ISLAND European Immigrants 5+ hours Physical examination Government Inspector proper documents literacy test ready for life in U.S.

ANGEL ISLAND Asian immigrants San Francisco Harsh questioning Many interrogations Terrible conditions Chinese exclusion until 1943

THE NATURALIZATION PROCESS 18 years old Lawful residence “Good moral character” Understand some basic English Some basic knowledge of government Some basic knowledge of U.S. history Oath of Allegiance

NATURALIZATION OATH OF ALLEGIANCE TO THE U.S.A. “I hereby declare, on oath, that I absolutely and entirely renounce and abjure all allegiance and fidelity to any foreign prince, potenate, state, or sovereignty, of whom or which I have heretofore been a subject or citizen; that I will support and defend the Constitution and laws of the United States of America against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I will bear arms on behalf of the United States when required by law; that I will perform noncombatant service in the armed forces of the United States when required by the law; that I will perform work of national importance under civilian direction when required by the law; and that I take this obligation freely without any mental or purpose of evasion; so help me God.”

CHOICE OF DESTINATION Relatives or friends in particular region Sought particular type of work Looking for heavy industry (Buffalo, Pittsburgh, Cleveland, Detroit, Chicago) Looking for skilled occupations & agriculture (Texas & Midwest) Farming (Upper Midwest) http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2009/03/10/us/20090310-immigration-explorer.html?mcubz=3

1910 FOREIGN BORN CONCENTRATION

LIFE OF AN IMMIGRANT Most worked in low prestige occupations Earned wages that were insufficient to provide decent standards of living Lived in shabbily built and overcrowded dwellings without heat, light, air or plumbing Took 2-3 generations for children or grandchildren of immigrants to move up socioeconomic ladder and earn sufficient incomes

Problems of Urbanization

ATTRACTION OF THE CITIES Loss of farming jobs Cheaper to live in cities Unskilled labor positions Social support for immigrants Cultural opportunities

THE CITIES

THE CITIES

URBAN PROBLEMS Housing, transportation, water, sanitation Problems developed as a result of population explosions in cities

HOUSING Problems: Live in outskirts; commute to work Boardinghouses in cities share bathrooms/kitchens overcrowded Solution: Row houses Tenements

TRANSPORTATION Problems: Lack of decent, safe transportation Walked, horse-drawn vehicles Solution: Cable car (1873) San Francisco Subway (1897) Boston

WATER Problems: Bought from vendors Lack of adequate clean water Solution: Public Water Cleveland, New York 1850: public water 1893: chlorination 1908: filtration

SANITATION Problems: Horse manure Sewage (open gutters) No dependable trash removal (scavengers) Solution: Underground sewers (1900)

FIRE Problems: Limited water supply Wooden dwellings Candles Kerosene heaters Volunteer firefighters Occurred in most major cities

CHICAGO FIRE 1871 29 hours 300 dead 100,000 homeless 3 square miles destroyed $200 million in damage 17,500 building destroyed

CHICAGO FIRE 1871

SAN FRANCISCO 1906 Major earthquake (28 seconds) 4 days of fires 478 dead 250,000 homeless 5 square miles destroyed $500 million in damage 28,000 buildings destroyed

SAN FRANCISCO 1906

SAN FRANCISCO 1906

FIRE Solution: 1853: first paid fire department -Cincinnati 1900: in most cities 1874: auto fire sprinkler Use of brick, concrete, stone

CLEVELAND

CLEVELAND

CLEVELAND

CLEVELAND

CLEVELAND

CLEVELAND

CLEVELAND