Bring Your U.s. History book. Go get it if you do not have it.

Escape religious persecution for better economic opportunity. Ch. 15 Sec 1 & 2 Bellringer Why did immigrants come to America in the late 1800’s? How did Nativists respond to the new wave of immigration to the US? How did American Cities change in the late 1800’s? How did the settlement house movement work to improve living conditions for immigrants and poor Americans? Opposed further immigration and called for restrictions. Tall buildings, mass transit, urban planning, and parks. Taught skills they would need to help themselves out of poverty.

Section 1 New Immigrants Section 2 Urban Life Chapter 15

Main Idea A new wave of immigrants came to the United States in the late 1800s, settling in cities and troubling some native-born Americans.

CHANGING PATTERNS OF IMMIGRATION The old immigrants The new immigrants 10 million immigrants came between 1800 and 1900. Known as the old immigrants, they came from Northern and Western Europe. Most were Protestant Christians, and their cultures were similar to the original settlers. They came to have a voice in their government, to escape political turmoil, for religious freedom, or fleeing poverty and starvation. Most immigrants came for economic opportunity, attracted to the open farm land in the United States. Chinese immigrants had been lured by the gold rush and jobs building railroads. From 1880 to 1910, a new wave brought 18 million people to America. Most came from Southern and Eastern Europe. They were Roman Catholics, Orthodox Christians and Jews. Arabs, Armenians, and French Canadians came as well. Smaller numbers came from East Asia. Severe immigration laws reduced Chinese immigration, but 90,000 people of Chinese descent lived in the U.S. by 1900. Japanese immigrants arrived by way of Hawaii. The makeup of the American population had changed. By 1910 about 1 in 12 Americans were foreign-born.

COMING TO AMERICA Desire for a better life The journey to America Most immigrants were seeking a new life, but they left their homelands for many reasons, including religious persecution, poverty, and little economic opportunity. If you were willing to work hard in America, prosperity was possible. The journey to America The decision to come involved the entire family. Usually the father went first and sent for the rest of the family later. Travelers made their way to a port city by train, wagon, or foot to wait for a departing ship. They had to pass an inspection to board, and prove they had some money. Most traveled cheaply, in steerage, and they still had to make it through the immigration station. Ellis Island Opening in 1892 as an immigration station, 112 million immigrants passed through Ellis Island. Immigrants had to pass inspection before they were allowed to enter.

Angel Island West Coast immigrants were processed in San Francisco at Angel Island. Many Chinese immigrants were detained in prison-like conditions while awaiting a ruling. Poverty and discrimination awaited many newcomers.

Building urban communities Many new immigrants lived in poor housing in teeming slums near the factories where they found work. In the Northeast and Midwest, immigrants settled near others from their homeland. Cities became a patchwork of ethnic clusters. Residents established churches and synagogues to practice their religious faith. They formed benevolent societies, aid organizations to help new immigrants obtain jobs, health care, and education.

NATIVISTS RESPOND Threat to society Some native-born Americans saw immigrants as threats to society. Nativists felt they brought crime and poverty and accepted jobs for lower wages, keeping wages low for everyone. They wanted to close America’s doors to immigration.

Limiting Chinese immigration Chinese workers were tolerated during good times, but with a worsening economy Denis Kearney led an active opposition to their presence. Chinese workers were not allowed state jobs, and local governments could ban them from communities or restrict them to certain areas. The Chinese Exclusion Act was passed in 1882, banning Chinese immigration for 10 years. None of the Chinese in the U.S. would be allowed citizenship. The law was renewed in 1892, and Chinese immigration was banned indefinitely in 1902.

Japanese Nativists also resented the Japanese. Japanese students in San Francisco were segregated from other children. Theodore Roosevelt negotiated a Gentlemen’s Agreement with Japan. No unskilled workers from Japan, and in return Japanese children could attend schools with other children.

Other immigrants Nativists opposed immigration from Southern and Eastern Europe. They claimed these folks were poor, illiterate, and non-Protestant and could not blend into American society. They called for a literacy test to see if test takers could read English. The Literacy Test Act was passed in 1917, over President Wilson’s veto. Americanization occurred in many places. Newcomers were taught American ways to help them assimilate. They learned English literacy skills and American history and government.

Section 2 Urban Life

Main Idea In cities in the late 1800s, people in the upper, middle, and lower classes lived different kinds of lives because of their different economic situations.

AMERICAN CITIES CHANGE Compact cities Before industrialization, cities had no tall buildings and most people lived within walking distance of their work, schools, shops, and churches. In the late 1880s, they ran out of room and started to build up. Tall buildings and transportation Steel frames and Elisha Otis’s safety elevator made taller buildings possible. With mass transit, people moved farther away. Green spaces Urban planning was used to map out the best use of space in cities. Frederick Law Olmsted designed city parks to provide residents with countryside. New York’s Central Park is his most famous endeavor.

CLASS DIFFERENCES The wealthy in America inherited fortunes, but they made them from industry and business as well. The newly rich made a point of conspicuously displaying their wealth. Grand city houses and magnificent country estates were commonplace. High-society women read instructional literature detailing proper behavior. The ideal woman was a homemaker who organized and decorated her home; entertained visitors and supervised her staff; and offered moral and social guidance to her family. Some women lent their time and money to social reform efforts.

Class Differences The middle class The urban middle class grew as jobs for accountants, clerks, managers, and salespeople increased. Educated workers like teachers, engineers, lawyers, and doctors were needed. The rise of professionalism required standardized skills and qualifications for certain occupations. Married women managed a home. With time for other activities, some participated in reform work or other activities, expanding their influence to the outside world. The working class Many lived in poverty, with a growing population keeping wages low. Housing shortages led to crowded and unsanitary tenement conditions. Housekeeping was difficult; with no indoor plumbing, water had to be hauled inside from a pump. Clothes were boiled on the stove and hung on lines to dry. Many women also worked low-paying jobs outside the home.

THE SETTLEMENT HOUSE MOVEMENT London reformers Founded the first settlement house in 1884. Volunteers provided a variety of services to people in need. They taught skills people could use to lift themselves from poverty. Hull House Jane Addams founded Hull House, one of the first settlement houses in the U.S., and the movement spread quickly. The movement gave women the opportunity to lead, organize, and work for others. Religious views The Social Gospel was the idea that religious faith should be expressed through good works and that churches had a moral duty to help solve society’s problems. Social Darwinists disagreed; they felt people were poor because of their own deficiencies.