Chapter 15 The New Immigrants Mr. Hammill Phillip O Berry HS

Immigration During the Gilded Age : –45 MILLION IMMIGRANTS CAME TO THE US!!! Called entrance to America the Golden Door

The Journey Most took a steamship across the oceans –1 week from Europe –3 weeks from Japan Slept in very poor conditions on the boat –Disease spread fast

Arrival into the US Ellis Island (NYC) was the entry point for European Immigrants Had to pass the following tests –Physical Exam –Literacy/Obedience Tests Had to read 40 words in English or was refused entry

Arrival in the US Asians typically entered on the West Coast at Angel Island (San Fran Bay) –Called America The Golden Mountain Worse admitting procedures than Ellis Island –Harsher Questions –Longer wait and filthy detention centers

Restricting Immigrants Many Americans thought their country was a Melting Pot –Mixture of all types of people Nativists: People who were already in America who did not want immigrants coming to the country –Targeted the new immigrants –WHY?

Anti-Asian Sentiment Fear of native born Americans that Chinese will take their jobs –Very high in California Congress passes Chinese Exclusion Act (1882) –Banned Chinese entry except students, teachers, tourists and government officials –Not repealed until 1943

Part II Life in America for Immigrants Mr. Hammill Phillip O Berrry

Settling in the Cities Cheaper to live in cities and had the unskilled jobs Americanization Movement –Designed to assimilate new immigrants into USA –Government and cities sponsored programs to teach English and history to help become citizens

Turn to your Brother or Sister Many did not want to abandoned their culture Depended on each other and lived around each other –Little Italy, Chinatown

Urban Problems: Housing Housing –Most working class families lived in multi- family dwellings called tenements Very poor conditions in sanitation and ventilation Dumped Garbage out window

VIDEO! America: The Story of us Immigration Problems and Jacob Riis

Urban Problems: Water Water –Cities had little safe drinking water Few apartments had indoor plumbing Had to get in street Filtration and chlorination not introduced until 1890s

Urban Problems: Sanitation and Crime Sanitation –People dumped garbage in street –Defecated in the streets Crime –Crime rose huge –Most cities had only a small police force –NYC in 1844 established first salaried police force

Native-born Americans blamed immigrants for the increase in crime and violence Jacob Riis –Muckraking Journalist who wrote “Shame of the Cities”: blamed alcohol for breeding poverty, corrupting politics, and bringing suffering to the families of drunkards

Skyscrapers began to appear –NYC soon caught up and had more than any other city –By late 1880s—the electric elevator had been invented, which helped to make these buildings more practical

NYC skyline circa 1912

Who to Turn To? Political Machines –Offered jobs, homes, and services in return for votes Settlement Homes –Community centers in slums that help immigrants to get a place to live, a job, or education –Jane Addams started the most famous one called Hull House in Chicago –By 1910 around 400 settlement houses in USA

City Corruption Cities could not provide everything their citizens needed. So people turned to “political machines” NYC’s political machine was called “Tammany Hall” and was run by Boss Tweed

How Political Machines Worked

Why was this bad? Cities lost millions of dollars to the ring through Graft: taking the money meant for city projects for yourself

The Government was corrupt too Whiskey Ring- President Grant and his friends created high taxes on whiskey and gave that money to the Republican Party. Credit Mobilier Scandal- The Credit Mobilier railroad company gave shares (stock) to Congress in their company. Congress then gave them federal money to make their company more successful.

Government Reforms The Pendleton Act- Ended the “Spoils System”. People now had to be qualified to hold government positions. Had to pass an exam. Sherman Antitrust Act-outlawed business monopolies. Allowed the Attorney General the power to break up monopolies.