GROWING IMMIGRATION Coming to America

Where did they come from? MOSTLY FROM: Northern/Western Europe (Before 1890) –English, Scots, Irish, Germans, Scandinavians Southern /Eastern Europe (After 1890) –Italians, Greeks, Slavic peoples (Poles, Slovaks, Czechs, Croats, Serbs, Ukrainians, Russians, Armenians)

To clarify… Before 1880, most European immigrants came from northwest Europe After 1880, most European immigrants came from southwest Europe

Why did they leave? Push and Pull Reasons of Course!

Over-Population

How much did the US Population change over time? US population 1860: 31.5 million US population 1920: 61.5 million What a HUGE addition - 30 million more people!

How many Immigrants came to the United States?

Lack of Jobs

Government Tyranny

Crop Failures! Land Shortages!

Famine

High Taxes/ Cost of Living

Political or Religious Persecution

How did immigrants get here? Steamships made of iron and steel 2-3 weeks to 1 week by 1900 “birds of passage”-Created “birds of passage”-single male worker who came for a short time, earn money, and return home

Steerage – for the “Economically Disadvantaged” Most immigrants traveled in Steerage (large open area under the ship’s deck) Cheap fares Limited toilet facilities with no privacy

Steerage postcard

Ports of Entry Boston Philadelphia Baltimore Seattle San Francisco New YorkBut New York was most popular!

Entrance to USA In 1886 greeted by Statue of Liberty in NY harbor

What do you think she represented to immigrants?

Castle Garden Overwhelmed by 1890!Overwhelmed by 1890! 70% of all European immigrants arrived in NYC70% of all European immigrants arrived in NYC

ELLIS ISLAND In 1892 an immigration center opened at Ellis Island in NY harbor to “process” those in lower- class/”steerage”In 1892 an immigration center opened at Ellis Island in NY harbor to “process” those in lower- class/”steerage” Immigrants were given a medical check- up and asked a series of questions

Sometimes immigrants were “quarantined” (isolated to prevent the spread of disease): tuberculosis, small pox, measles Some were even deported due to serious diseases: trachoma or other reasons The caption reads... Held at Ellis Island – Undesirable emigrants to be taken back by steamship company that brought them

Deportation of “idiots, imbeciles, feeble-minded persons, epileptics, insane persons; …persons with chronic alcoholism The Ellis Island record of an immigrant who deemed "feebledminded" by US officials, then summarily deported. (source: ForgottenEllisIsland.com)

After the Medical Exam, an interview… Name? Occupation? Who paid your fare? Can you read or write? How much money do you have? Have you been to prison or in a poorhouse? Where are you going? Do you have a job already?

Many Immigrants Received New Names Buchenroth=Roth Stefanopoulous= Stevens

Urbanization – Growth of the Cities! Most immigrants tended to settle in the city of their arrival (i.e. - land in Ellis Island, stay in New York…) Ethnic neighborhoods develop – people in the neighborhood share a common language, food, history, etc…(i.e. – Little Italy, Little Greece, Chinatown, etc

Immigrant Work Unskilled jobs Low paying – even children had to work Long hours Factory work – tedious, tiring, dangerous So many people needed jobs – you could be replaced very easily – don’t even think about calling in sick!

The Ellis Island of the West Coast

Angel Island Located in San Francisco Bay Poor conditions:Poor conditions: Overcrowded Poorly ventilated Filthy conditions Men and women, including husbands and wives, were separated and not allowed to see or communicate with each other again until they were admitted to the country.

Immigrants were processed over a longer period of time: weeks or months vs. days on Ellis Island

Where Did Immigrants Settle? Most lived with friends and relatives in established communities from homeland Communities formed in ports of entry (NY/Boston) and inland cities (Cleveland, Detroit, Milwaukee, Chicago) and in mining towns of the west Only 2% went to the south –why?

Limited opportunities Mines, mills, and factories Friends and relatives helped each other Jobs for European Immigrants

Sometimes... In other cases, a Padrone (labor boss) found jobs, provided food and shelter in exchange for large percentage of immigrant wages

Asian (Chinese) Immigrants Viewed with suspicion and subject to hostility because the culture was so different! Kept to themselves with other Chinese immigrants

Jobs for Chinese Immigrants On the railroad (Transcontinental Railroad in particular) In the agricultural fields Mining, fishing, manufacturing, food preparation, laundry

Jobs for Japanese Immigrants Initially worked on sugar plantations In Southern California in fruit and vegetable production Worked in private business and were not involved much with unions, unlike the Chinese

In San Francisco... Korean, Chinese and Japanese students attended private/separate schools (1906) Japan stated that an 1894 treaty with the US prevented such treatment of immigrants T. Roosevelt made a compromise with Japanese officials and created the “Gentlemen’s Agreement”

And then there is Mexico Starting in 1902 immigration from Mexico was PROMOTED for jobs in the farming and mining industries of the Southwest

Limiting Immigration Why would the government limit the amount of immigrants coming into the United States? Racism and Prejudices Economics –Did Immigrants lower wages, drive property values down, and were illegals an expense on tax payers? Did they take all of the menial jobs, take too many of the good jobs, etc. War Overpopulation

Limiting Immigration How do you limit the amount of immigrants coming into a country? Quotas - the share or proportion assigned to each in a division or to each member of a body Exclusions - to prevent or restrict the entrance of

Quotas were used to either limit to overall flow of immigrants into the US, or to put specific limits on the amount of people from a particular country or region of the world Exclusions were used to prohibit specific groups from emigrating to the US entirely

Example of a Quota Immigration Act of 1924 – the 1890 US Census totaled the amount of immigrants in the US, and then restricted immigration to 2% of each individual group’s total –IE. There were 200,000 Italian immigrants in the US in Only 4,000 Italians were allowed entry each year.

Examples of Exclusions In 1875, Congress banned criminals and prostitutes from entering the US In 1882, “idiots” and “lunatics” and those “at risk” for becoming a public problem were banned from entering the US In 1891, “paupers”, “polygamists” and the “diseased” were banned from entering the US

Examples of Exclusions Chinese Exclusion Act – pressured by US labor unions, the US Congress prohibit Chinese workers from entering the US, It was instituted from 1882 to 1902, and then became a permanent ban until 1943 when until 1965, only 105 Chinese immigrants were allowed per year. Webb Alien Land Law – in 1913, California banned non-citizen Asians from owning farmland