1. The New Immigrants

2. Difficult Journey to a New Land
Most immigrants traveled by steam ship
Europe to America over the Atlantic took 1 week
Asia to American over the Pacific took 3 weeks
Most traveled in steerage (cheapest accommodations)
Not all immigrants survived the journey
Treatment upon arrival was not always welcoming

3. Ellis Island Immigrant entry point in New York Harbor
Inspection to enter the country
-- 20% of immigrants held at inspection for 1-2days
--2% not allowed to enter the country
Inspection included physical exam, government questioning, and proof that you had a min of $25 (after 1909)
17 million immigrants would come through from

4. Immigrant entry point in San Francisco Bay
Angel Island
Immigrant entry point in San Francisco Bay
50,000 Chinese immigrants entered the country here between 1910 and 1940
Immigrants withstood harsh questioning and lengthy detainment in dirty/unsafe buildings during this process

5. How to Survive in the New World
Once in America immigrants were faced with the task of finding a place to live, a job, and fitting in to an unfamiliar culture.
Many immigrants began to think of them selves as “hyphenated” Americans while others did not want to adapt
Native born Americans began to think of the country as a melting pot, or mixture of people from different cultures and races blending together

6. Immigration Restrictions
There were many different reactions, both positive and negative to the influx of immigrants.
Nativism: overt favoritism toward native-born Americans. This would lead to many anti-immigration groups
Chinese Exclusion Act: Banned all Chinese immigrants except teachers, students, merchants, and government officials (repealed 1949)
Gentleman's Agreement: President Roosevelt and Japanese government agree to limit unskilled worker emigration to U.S. in return for the repeal of segregation in San Francisco