The “Ellis Island” of the West Coast
Angel Island Located in San Francisco Bay Overcrowded Poorly ventilated Filthy conditions Lousy conditions! Men and women, including husbands and wives, were separated and not allowed to see or communicate with each other again until they were admitted to the country.
Immigrants were processed over a longer period of time: weeks or months vs. days on Ellis Island
Urbanization – Growth of the Cities!
Most immigrants tended to settle in the city of their arrival (i.e. - land in Ellis Island, stay in New York…) Ethnic neighborhoods develop – people in the neighborhood share a common language, food, history, etc…(i.e. – Little Italy, Little Greece, Chinatown, etc
Where Did Immigrants Settle? Only 2% of Immigrants went to the South – why?Only 2% of Immigrants went to the South – why?
(European) Immigrant Work Unskilled jobs Low paying – even children had to work Long hours Factory work – tedious, tiring, dangerous So many people needed jobs – you could be replaced very easily – don’t even think about calling in sick!
Asian Immigrants (Chinese especially) Viewed with suspicion and subject to hostility because the culture was so different! Kept to themselves with other Chinese immigrants
Jobs for Chinese Immigrants On the railroad (Transcontinental Railroad in particular) Agriculture Mining Fishing Food Prep. Laundry
A Chinese Laundry
Fong See and Family
Restrictions on Immigration and Modern-Day Immigration
Why Restrict Immigration? Poor Economy in US War Racism Overpopulation All these issues lead to official restrictions on US Immigration
All due to a rise in... Nativism – the policy of protecting the interests of native-born or established inhabitants against those of immigrants.
Limiting Immigration – key terms How do you limit the amount of immigrants coming into a country? Exclusions – preventing a group from immigrating Quotas – a limit placed on the number allowed to immigrate
Chinese Exclusion Act Racism and the loss of jobs fuels Anti-Chinese sentiment in California. In response to California labor unions, the U.S. government bans all Chinese laborers from entering the country in 1882! This and other Chinese restriction laws remain in effect until 1965!
Compare to... The Gentleman’s Agreement In California, Asian students attended segregated schools. Japan protests, so… T. Roosevelt made a compromise with Japanese officials.
Most notably… Gentleman’s Agreement According to the Gentleman’s Agreement – America promised not to segregate Japanese students and Japan promised not to send Japanese workers to America
Example of a Quota Immigration Act of 1924Immigration Act of 1924 – limited the number of immigrants from each country. Restricted immigration to 2% of each individual country’s total based on the 1890 US Census. –IE. There were 200,000 Italian immigrants in the US in Only 4,000 Italians were allowed entry each year.
Do These Quotas and Exclusions Apply to Other Groups? Hmmmmmmmmm...
What about Mexico? PROMOTEDStarting in 1902 immigration from Mexico was PROMOTED for jobs in the farming and mining industries of the Southwest how does that differ from today?…how does that differ from today?
Modern-Day Immigration Photos
Reentering El Paso from Ciudad Juarez, Mexico
Border of Nogales, AZ and Nogales, Mexico
Nogales – Border Fence on Left
Barb Wire
Nogales – Border Fence at End of Road
Why is it there?
What about Refugees? A person who has been forced to leave their country in order to escape war, persecution, or natural disaster. They are seeking asylum (protection) Syrian Refugees heading into Europe
God Grew Tired of Us A documentary that follows the “Lost Boys” who fled the country of Sudan during a brutal civil war that began in They were given asylum in various countries including the US. The film is from 2007