1. Mr. A.A. Granado United States History
Immigration to the United States in the late 19th century

2. The United States is special in that most of its citizens are either immigrants or descendants of immigrants.
In the 19th century and the early 20th century a great many immigrants came to the United States seeking economic opportunities as well as religious political freedoms.

3. Old Immigrants - before 1880 New immigrants – between 1880 and 1924
The period in which the immigrants arrived made a difference. Like today, immigrants differed in the reasons why they migrated and the skills and habits they brought to America.
Old Immigrants - before 1880
New immigrants – between 1880 and 1924

4. The new immigrants were usually poor, uneducated, and for the most part they did not know any English. They travelled across the Atlantic in what was known as “steerage” which was the cheapest and least desirable method of ship transport, but they dreamed of making it to America.

5. “Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to be free”

6. After 1892, most immigrants arriving in the U. S
After 1892, most immigrants arriving in the U.S. had to go through Ellis Island, New York.
Here the immigrants were put through a series of examinations to see if they were healthy enough to enter the United States. Also they were screened so that undesirable elements, such as known criminals could be kept out. The process was nerve wracking. You could be sent back to Europe, and all would be lost

7. The new immigrants usually settled in the cities were jobs could be found. It was not easy for them. They were unskilled and unfamiliar with American food, customs etc…
Most Italians gravitated towards the cities. Many stayed in New York City or Chicago were they created neighborhoods that became places similar to their homes. These places became very crowded.
Most Germans and Scandinavians opted to move on to the farms of the Midwest. States like Minnesota and Wisconsin. Generally speaking they were better educated and a little wealthier than their fellow immigrants.

8. For the most part, the immigrants that lived in the cities ended up living in ghettos.

9. Most immigrants of this era wanted to become Americanized as soon as possible. Some changed their names to make it sound more American, Their children were often embarrassed by their parents foreign accents.
Of great importance to the immigrants was assimilation.
Virtually everyone wanted to lose their accents ,

10. Immigrants from Asia

11. Before 1848, there were very few Chinese in America
Before 1848, there were very few Chinese in America. After the Gold Rush of 1849 and the construction of the Transcontinental Railroad the number of Chinese migrating to the United States grew rapidly.

12. In 1868 the United States signed the treaty of Burlingame
In 1868 the United States signed the treaty of Burlingame. This treaty allowed for the free immigration of Chinese immigrants to America.
Most of the Chinese immigrants stayed in California. They had been “pulled” there by the lure of gold and by the high wages they could make by working on the building of the railroad. A Chinese worker in America could make 10 times in wages what they had earned in China. Most of their wages were sent home to support their wives and families who had stayed back home. After the railroad was completed, many of these workers moved to San Francisco and lived in what is known as China town. Many of their descendants still live there.

13. Like the New Immigrants from Europe, the Chinese faced many problems and had issues of their own, such as crime and corruption. In many Chinatowns, drugs, organized crime, and prostitution flourished. As a result, many Americans feared that the Chinese would corrupt and ruin the country. Laws were passed to keep the Chinese out.
Many individuals at that time feared that the Chinese threatened the “racial purity “of the country. They found the Chinese strange and very foreign. There was a great deal of prejudice against the Chinese immigrants. Laws that were passed then reflected this.
The case of PEOPLE VS. HALL is a good example. A white man killed a Chinese man, the three Chinese witnesses to the crime were ruled incompetent to be witnesses. Hall, the white man was set free.
The U.S. Naturalization Act of permitted whites and persons of African descent to become citizens of the U.S. Not the Chinese.
The Page Act of 1875 prohibited the migration of “undesirables “ from Asia to migrate to America.

14. The Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882.
The Chinese Exclusion Act was designed to stop the immigration of Chinese to America.
This laws placed a ban on all immigration from China to the United States of skilled or unskilled workers for a period of ten years. The act was to be periodically renewed. All Chinese already living in the United States would have to take out a special certificate to travel to China. Without it they could not return to the United States. Six years later, the law was changed so that if any Chinese person left the United States, they could never return. This act permanently separated many Chinese families.
In the Presidential Campaign of 1876, both candidates promised to introduce legislature that would stop Chinese immigration. Both candidates spoke about the danger of the “Yellow Peril.”

15. Japanese Americans

16. There were very few Japanese living in the U. S
There were very few Japanese living in the U.S. before the turn of the century.
Most of the early Japanese immigrants were men. They provided cheap labor . They were pushed into migration by war and changes in Japan, and pulled to the U.S. by the prospect of better wages and a better life. Like the Chinese, they could not become citizens of the United States.
In 1907 the U.S. and Japan concluded what was called a “Gentlemen’s Agreement” in which the Japanese government would stop any further immigration of Japanese to the United States. The exception would be the wives and children of the Japanese workers already in the U.S.

17. The “Picture Brides” The picture to the right displays several picture brides..
Unlike the Chinese, the Japanese could travel out of the United States, return to Japan, get married, and come back into the U.S.
Some individuals could not afford the trip, but they could afford to marry a Japanese girl and bring her to the U.S.
These people would exchange photographs and if they liked what they saw, they married by mail and the wife would arrive in a few weeks.
Most turned out to be happy marriages.

18. The rise of nativism
Nativism is the belief that native-born Americans were superior to others, and that immigrants and their strange, diverse cultural influences were undesirable and a danger to the values and way of life of Americans.
Many nativists found confirmation of their belief in the number of anarchists and socialists that arrived from Eastern and Southern Europe. These people did not feel, sound, or look “American”.

19. Many native born Americans saw immigrants as scum
Many native born Americans saw immigrants as scum. Not worthy of becoming Americans. Many anti-immigration societies arose and the Ku Klux Klan once again became powerful and influential, specially in the South.

20. Cubans arrive in the United States circa 1960s
In spite of all the bigotry and prejudice against immigrants, the dream is still alive. The United States is the number one destination of immigrants around the world. This is still the home of the brave and the land of the free.
In the early 1960s my parents sent my sister and me to the United States in a clandestine operation which came to be known as “Operation Peter Pan”.
These photos are some of the memories of those early days.

21. Starting in 1961 over 14,000 Cuban children, boys and girls were smuggled into the United States. My sister and I were two of these.
Some ended up with foster families
Others ended up in schools and orphanages

22. Mount St. Vincent’s 4159 Lowell Blvd, Denver Colorado

23. In this country, the story of the immigrant will always continue
In this country, the story of the immigrant will always continue. One generation after the other. There are differences, but there is so much in common. The story continues.