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Published byAsher Stone Modified over 8 years ago
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The New Immigrants
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Who came to America? Between 1800 – 1880 over 10 million immigrants came to America – Old Immigrants: many were Protestants from Northwestern Europe – English, German, French, Irish Between 1890- 1910 more than 12 million immigrants came to America – New Immigrants: came from Southern or Eastern Europe – 70% of them were Czech, Greek, Hungarian, Italian, Polish, Russian, Slavic – The majority of these immigrants settled in America’s cities
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Push and Pull Factors Push Factors: Immigrants were pushed out of their homelands to escape – religious and political persecution – poverty Pull Factors: Immigrants were drawn to America by: – Economic opportunities – Freedom
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The Journey Many immigrants were informed by railroad and steam ship companies of employment opportunities, some were over exaggerated. Most passengers traveled in steerage – These accommodations were below decks, they were cramped, no privacy and little ventilation – Titanic Movie Scene of Steerage Titanic Movie Scene of Steerage
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Arriving in America Immigrants arriving in America entered through immigration stations – Ellis Island- New York Harbor – Angel Island- San Francisco Bay Discuss the processes that took place at Ellis Island as discussed in your online activity.
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Life in America Although life was better in America for most immigrants they still endured many challenges – Lived in crowded cities – Took low paying and dangerous jobs; construction, mining, and sweatshops – Poor housing – Crowded neighborhoods and slums
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Many began to settle in ethnic neighborhoods in order to help make the transition to America more bearable – How might this help the new immigrants?
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Americanization Many immigrants became part of the process of Americanization or assimilation – This process forced immigrants to become part of the American mainstream – Parents wanted to hold on to their cultural ties while children often adopted American cultural practices
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The Nativist Response Many native born Americans felt threatened at this time: – The thought the immigrants were too different to fit in – Some blamed immigrants for social problems such as crime, poverty, and violence – Believed that immigrants worked for too cheaply lowing wages for all – Labor unions began demanding restrictions on immigration for these reasons.
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Chinese Exclusion Act – As a response to rising unemployment in the west nativists began blaming the Chinese for their problems – 1882- Congress passed the Chinese Exclusion Act Denied citizenship to people born in China and prohibited the immigration of Chinese Laborers – Chinese still came to America, some were held at Angle Island for months
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