Through Ellis Island and Angel Island Immigration Through Ellis Island and Angel Island

Data 1865 – 1914 Appx. 25 million immigrants came to the U.S. 24 million from Europe 1.3 million from Canada 425,000 from Latin America 450,000 from Asia

Why immigrate to the United States? Push Factors Pull Factors Farm poverty and worker uncertainty Wars and compulsory military service Political tyranny Religious oppression Population pressure Plenty of land and work Higher standard of living Democratic political system Opportunity for social advancement

European Immigrants Europe experienced rapid population growth in the 1800’s Crowded cities Lack of jobs Food shortages Crop failures such as the Irish Potato famine Social class restrictions Italy suffered from high rents and a cholera epidemic Poland and Russia had land shortages, unemployment, high taxes, and a long military draft Jews suffered from organized anti-jewish attacks in Russia and Poland Armenian Catholics suffered persecution and massacre at the hands of Turks in the mostly Muslim Ottoman Empire.

Edward Corsi, In the Shadow of Liberty, 1935 I looked at that statue with a sense of bewilderment, half doubting its reality. Looming shadowy through the mist, it brought silence to the decks of the Florida. This symbol of America – this enormous expression of what we had all been taught was the inner meaning of this new country we were coming to – inspired awe in the hopeful immigrants. Many older persons among us, burdened with a thousand memories of what they were leaving behind, had been openly weeping ever since we entered the narrower waters on our final approach toward the unknown. Now somehow steadied, I suppose, by the concreteness of the symbol of America’s freedom, they dried their tears.”

Emma Lazarus – “The New Colossus” - 1883 “Give me your tired, your poor, Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, The wretched refuse of your teeming shore Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me, I lift my lamp beside the golden door!”

Ellis Island 1st & 2nd class passengers had a short inspection on deck and then were allowed to enter New York. Steerage passengers had to go to Ellis Island first Tiny island in New York Harbor Large 3 story processing center Medical inspection Disabled or chronically ill people would face deportation Legal Interview Up to 29 questions “Do you have work waiting for you in the U.S. ?” 20% failed either the medical or legal inspection

Ellis Island Failed inspection? Those with treatable illnesses were sent to the Ellis Island hospital Legal failures went before a Board of Special Inquiry Ultimately, only about 2% of immigrants were turned away and deported back to their country of origin.

Reactions to European Immigrants Immigrants were generally poor and uneducated Looked down on by American society Strong sense of nativism An extreme dislike of immigrants by native born people Saw immigrants as an economic threat Native workers worried that immigrants were taking their jobs and lowering wages Faced overcrowding in cities and poor living conditions Push for the Americanization of immigrants Feared that increased immigration posed a threat to American values and traditions Promoted loyalty to American values

Chinese Immigrants Thousands of immigrants were brought over to lay railroad tracks Thousands more joined the gold rush Majority of the immigrants were men Most came through San Francisco Many worked in agriculture Would work for less money than white workers

Chinese Immigrants 1870’s – a depression and a drought hits California’s economy Blamed the Chinese because they were easy targets Mob violence against the Chinese erupts Driven out of their homes Murdered Strong racial component Increased feelings of nativism

Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 Prohibited the immigration of Chinese laborers, skilled or unskilled, for 10 years Prevented Chinese already in the U.S. from becoming citizens First time the U.S. restricted immigration based solely on nationality or race Allowed a handful of exceptions Merchants, teachers, students, and relatives of existing Chinese citizens Immigration slowed 1882 – 40,000 1884 - 279

Angel Island - 1910 The “Ellis Island of the West” More secure than the San Francisco processing center Prevented illegal immigration Designed to enforce the Chinese Exclusion Act More rigorous physical and legal examinations than Ellis Island Could take days to complete and detainees could be held for years Detainees were locked in overcrowded, unsanitary barracks 10% of arrivals were deported

Other Asian Groups The Chinese Exclusion Act created a shortage of farm labor Farm owners looked to Japan, Korea, and the Philippines for workers Very similar experience to Chinese immigrants Prejudice Hostility Discrimination 1906 – San Francisco segregated their schools President Theodore Roosevelt convinced them to repeal the segregation rule 1907 – 1908: “Gentlemen’s Agreement” Japan agreed not to let laborers immigrate The U.S. agreed to allow wives, children and parents of Japanese in the U.S. to immigrate

Latin American Immigrants The need for farmworkers was also filled by Mexican immigrants Came to escape poverty and civil unrest in Mexico Higher wages in the U.S. Suffered at the hands of native-born Americans Scorned as inferior to whites Racist attitudes led to discrimination Kept in low-level jobs and denied access to public facilities Segregated schools

French Canadian Immigrants Were seeking greater opportunities than they had at home Majority of them settled in New England and around the Great Lakes Worked in textile mills and lumber camps Spoke French and were Catholic Resisted Americanization Came under attack by nativists “The Canadian French are the Chinese of the Eastern States. They care nothing for our institutions…Their purpose is merely to sojourn [stay temporarily] a few years as aliens…They are a horde of industrial invaders, not a stream of stable settlers.” - Massachusetts Bureau of Statistics of Labor, Twelfth Annual Report, 1881