Immigration Click on this symbol Don’t click on this symbol in the corner
In this lesson you will learn why Clara Lemlich, a young Jewish girl, left Russia and how she effected American History.
Push factors=anything that will push someone into leaving their homeland Rules for Jews in Russia Can’t own land (more land = more money) Had to live in Ghettos. These were the only areas in towns where Jews could live. Could only have low paying jobs.
Pogroms were anti Jewish riots where townspeople would go to the ghettos and steal, rape, burn and murder Jewish people. Children killed in 1905 pogrom Russian mob attacking Jewish Ghetto
In 1881 the Russian leader, Czar Alexander, was killed. Jews were blamed. More pogroms ,000 people involved in pogrom in city of Kishinev pogrom in Gome, Russia 1904 Russia loses a war with Japan, Jews blamed. More pogroms. November 1905 there were many pogroms in Russia that killed over 800 Jews June 14, ,100 Jews killed 17,000 wounded in one pogrom. 1/3 of all the Jews in Europe leave. Most go to USA.
Why did Italians leave Italy Italians lose farmland in mudslides. There were few jobs available. Very low pay even if you had a job.
Pull factors= anything that pulls someone to move into a certain country, like the USA. Land = America has plenty of cheap land. Homestead Act 160 acres for $10 Jobs = Plenty of jobs are available in the growing number of American factories Freedom = America has religious, political and social freedom. 1st Amendment to the Constitution.
The sign says No Oppressive taxes No expensive kings No compulsory military service Uncle Sam
Life for a new immigrant Assimilate = To blend into American Society Acculturated = Also, to blend into American Society Click Here Silent movie
Nativism Direct from the slums of Europe Many Americans who had lived in the country for generations (natives) did not want more immigrants coming into the US. They are dirty, poor, take jobs from Americans because they work for smaller wages. Click here for movie
“Old” and “New” Immigrants Old Immigrants came from Northern and Western Europe early in 1790’s- 1870’s. New Immigrants came from Southern and Eastern Europe from the 1880’s
Use the sheets in the folder to fill out the chart on your note sheet about Old Immigrants, New Immigrants and Americans
Think about older people and younger people, what they remember from Italy and how long they will be in America. If a family (Grandma, Mom and Dad, and a 16 year old girl and a 7 year old boy) immigrate to America from Italy, which member of the family would assimilate or acculturate the best? Explain why.
Clara was born in 1886 to an Orthodox Jewish family in Gorodok, Ukraine, Russia. Clara helped her mother run a grocery store because women did “worldly” work while men studied the Torah (Jewish Bible). Jews could not own land in Russia and had to live in ghettos. Her family left Russia to escape the pogroms and came to America to be free from religious hate.
In New York City Clara became a “draper” someone who took a clothing designers ideas and actually sewed the clothes together. She experienced a great deal of workers suffering in the clothing factories. She became a labor organizer, gathering workers to fight for better pay and working conditions. Because of this she was beaten up several times, but she organized 3 strikes in 3 years (1907, 1908 and the big one in 1909) to improve the lives of the 40,000 women working in the clothing business. Click Here
How was Clara’s experience very different from the other 10,000+ Jewish women who immigrated to America from Russia?