Think up a tweet for someone who was at each of the major strikes that you covered yesterday. Be creative!
New York City – the Nation’s largest Port Ellis Island (Atlantic) Angel Island (Pacific) *These places were major ports for entry into the U.S.
Immigrants struggled with culture shock 2 ideas about immigrants and immigrant life prevalent in America The Melting Pot (Tomato Soup) – immigrants should blend in [early 20 th Century] Cultural Pluralism (Salad Bowl) – differences should be appreciated [latter 20 th century and early 21 st ]
There were four major waves of European immigrants from These immigrants were often called ‘New Immigrants’ because they were from Eastern Europe. Old Immigrants *from western Europe *knew the English language *Generally, had an educated skill *Generally, were of Protestant faith New Immigrants *from southern and eastern Europe *Did not know the English language *Did not have skills *Were more Catholic than Protestant
Nativists, people that viewed immigrants as a threat to jobs and livelihood, disliked foreign and ethnic minorities. They believed they were trying to protect Americans from outside influences *The American Protective Association (Anti-immigrant, Anti-Catholic) The Chinese Exclusion Act, 1882 This act barred Chinese laborers from immigrating to the United States for ten years. In 1892, the act was renewed for another ten years. In 1902, Chinese immigration was made illegal until 1943.
Some people in the age of mass immigration, urbanization, and industrialization were influenced by a theory of social evolution called social darwinism. Herbert Spencer – Sociologist First coined the phrase “survival of the fittest” Social Darwinism was the theory that only the strong people or classes survive through natural selection The theory also maintained that governments should not get involved in this natural cycle by regulating the economy or trying to address social problems Social Darwinists bought into the ‘rags to riches’ stories of Horatio Alger – stories that stressed the values of hard work and honesty as a way to prosper in America [Ragged Dick by Alger is a good example]
Immigrants, arriving to Ellis Island, were often greeted by members of a political machine Political Machines (like Tammany Hall, a democratic machine [organization] in New York) promised immigrants jobs and housing in return for votes Immigrants usually housed in tenements in Ethnic Neighborhoods Jacob Riis [a muckraker] later wrote about tenement living in How the Other Half Lives, an expose on immigrant life
Many immigrants worked in unhealthy conditions There was no job security, no work compensation, no standard workday hour law, no restrictions against child labor If a father was hurt on the job, often his oldest son replaced him at work The crowded living and working conditions led to epidemics of cholera and other diseases – close living and working conditions, and often poor medical facilities, led to quick spreading of disease Nativists blamed the diseases on the immigrants
Immigrants were aided in education and sanitation through Settlement Houses Jane Addams – founded Hull House in Chicago in 1889 Settlement Houses provided support, education, English lessons, and child care for immigrants Progressive women like Jane Addams would settle in poverty stricken areas in cities and help to educate children and immigrants
Get in 5 groups. In your groups, you are going to have a collection of sources to use in coming up with a narrative story of someone who came to the United States at the turn of the century. Here’s what should be included in your narrative:
1)A title of your story 2)A description of why you came to the United States 3)A description of the journey 4)What you went through when you arrived at either Ellis or Angel Island 5)What life was like in America Each group member should be either researching or writing part of the story.
IDENTIFY 3 of the 4: 1)Nativism 2)Chinese Exclusion Act 3)Ellis Island 4)Quota