IMMIGRATION COMING TO AMERICA

WHY IMMIGRANTS CAME In the late 19 th century, Europeans flooded American cities in search of work and homes “PUSH” FACTORS Oppression Poverty War Religious/ Ethnic Persecution “PULL” FACTORS Freedom Economic Opportunity Cultural Ties Jobs

CONTINUED… America is a country founded by immigrants Push factors are those reasons people are being pushed away from their country Pull factors are the things that are drawing them to a new country Immigrants saw the U.S. as a land of unbounded opportunity They fled oppressive regimes in Europe and Asia to live in a democratic society

SHIFTING PATTERNS Before 1880, most immigrants to America came from Northern Europe (Britain, Ireland, Germany), were Protestant or Irish Catholic, and spoke English – Railroads and large ocean-going steamships made the voyage to America more possible for many Europeans. Most of these “New Immigrants” came from Southern and Eastern Europe (Poland, Italy, Greece, Russia) Most were not Protestant Most spoke little or no English

THE IMMIGRANT EXPERIENCE Steerage An open room below the water line Often had a single bag of possessions Could assemble on the ship’s deck on clear days for fresh air and sunshine Processed on Ellis Island in New York Harbor

CONTINUED… Initial Hardships Most settled in cities (many stayed in N.Y.) Usually poor Dressed differently Unfamiliar with American customs Lived in crowded tenement buildings Worked at unskilled jobs for low wages Faced hostility and discrimination Though America was not always what they hoped for, they appreciated the new opportunities for themselves and their children

CONTINUED… Ethnic Ghettos To cope with problems, immigrants usually settled with relatives or others of same nationality These ethnic neighborhoods became know as ghettos Retained language and customs Attended their own churches and synagogues Newspapers in their own language Isolated them from mainstream American life and made it harder for them to adapt

THE PROCESS OF AMERICANIZATION Most immigrants were too busy working and caring for families to learn language or new culture (some adults attended night school) It was left to their children to learn English and become “Americanized” (dress, speech, etc.) Immigrant children became assimilated America was seen as a “melting pot” in which immigrants were melted down and reshaped (public schools helped this process) Often “Americanization” created conflict between parents and their children

THE RISE OF NATIVISM Hostility toward immigrants mounted as numbers increased Nativists (those born or native the the U.S.) wanted restrictions on immigration Believed that other races were inferior (especially non-whites) Feared that “New Immigrants” could never be fully absorbed into American society Argued that they took jobs from Americans because they worked for lower wages

EARLY RESTRICTIONS ON IMMIGRATION Chinese Exclusion Act (1882) 1 st federal law to restrict immigration Reflected American prejudices against Asians Chinese workers were blamed for unemployment and decline in wages in California Temporarily banned Chinese immigrant workers Placed new requirements on Chinese already here State and federal courts were denied the ability to grant citizenship to Chinese residents (American leaders carefully negotiated with Chinese gov’t. to enforce the ban)