Immigration to the United States Immigrants came to America for many reasons and faced a number of challenges.

Immigrants flock to America Old Immigration Prior to 1871, most immigrants came from Northern and Western Europe – Germany, Great Britain, Ireland, etc… New Immigration Between , most immigrants came from Southern and Eastern Europe - Italy, Greece, Poland, present-day Hungary, etc… Also, many of the Catholic and Jewish faiths came during this time.

From 1866 to 1915, more than 25 million immigrants migrated to the U.S. America is a nation of immigrants. Immigrants are people that go to a new country to make it their home. All Americans are related to immigrants or are immigrants themselves.

Reasons For Increased Immigration 5. Letters from family and friends 4. Adventure 3. Escape from oppressive governments and political persecution…War or fighting in their country 2. Religious freedom1. Hope for better opportunities

Poverty Shortage of farmland Lack of opportunity Political & religious persecution Wars & threats of war What pushed immigrants from their homeland?

Jobs Opportunity Political & religious freedom Letters from family & friends What pulled immigrants to the United States?

Old Immigration 1830 – 1890 The Irish from Ireland The Germans from Germany The Scandinavians from Sweden, Norway, and Denmark

New Immigration The Italians from Italy The Russians and Polish from Russia and Poland The Japanese from Japan The Mexicans from Mexico The Chinese from China

They first had to go to the immigration center on Ellis Island in New York or Angel Island in California Before they could enter the U.S., they had to have a medical inspection…then wait in long lines…. …before they could finally enter the U.S. Arrival In America The two ports of immigration entry

Immigrants flock to America and experience discrimination Nativism - open favoritism towards “native” born Americans; especially WASPs Xenophobia - the fear and/or hatred of foreigners Fear of “cheap labor”- that immigrants will work for lower wages, and therefore “take jobs” away from “real” Americans There was also prejudice based on religious and cultural differences The American “Melting pot” faces resistance

In 1882, Congress passed the Chinese Exclusion Act. This act banned Chinese immigration for ten years Repealed/ended in 1943 during WWII. There was first discrimination against the Irish because they were Catholic… Second, there was discrimination against the Chinese…

Immigrants flock to America and face discrimination The Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 The first significant law that restricted immigration of an “ethnic working group“ into the United States. Immigration Restriction Act of 1921 This law effectively ended immigration for a couple of decades.

Example and Compromise San Francisco Segregates Schools Following the destruction from the San Francisco earthquake, the city decided to segregate Japanese from their rebuilt public schools. Japan protested directly to President Roosevelt. The Gentleman’s Agreement, 1907 President Roosevelt has San Francisco School Board meet at the White House. Japan agrees to limit immigration & San Francisco ends segregation