1. Immigration Objective: Why are immigrants coming to the US and what is their experience like (arrival & once here)

2. Where do they come from? Old immigrants – (before Civil War)
Great Britain & N. Europe
New Immigrants – late 1800’s, early 1900’s
S. & E. Europe
Different culture, religion
No English
Stayed in cities

4. Ellis Island ELLIS ISLAND Immigration reception center Physical exams
Diseases – Quarantine, Deportation

5. Asian Immigration CHINA – mid 1800’s population 430 million JAPAN –
Unemployment, poverty, famine
Most settled in Western cities
Laborers, servants, skilled trades
JAPAN –
economic & empire building caused hardships
Angel Island – California
Process West Coast immigrants
Could take months

6. Ethnic Cities Most new immigrants settled in arrival cities
Communities’ est., by people from homeland
Ghettos – area dominated by racial or ethnic groups
Common language and culture
Adjusting to America easier with marketable skills or money
Many immigrants returned to homelands
“Birds of passage” never planned to stay

8. Nativism Extreme dislike, Hostility towards immigrants by native born
Desire to limit immigration
Why?
Took jobs
Refused to be Americanized
Catholics would give power to church
City problems caused by immigrants

9. Nativism ANTI-IMMIGRATION LAWS The Chinese exclusion Act
1882 – New laws to slow immigration
Banned convicts, paupers, and mentally disabled
50 cent tax for each newcomer
The Chinese exclusion Act
Barred Chinese immigration -10 yr
Chinese in US could not become citizens
Chinese protested and sued in federal court but lost
Act renewed in 1892, permanent in 1902
Law finally repealed in 1943 (need help in WWII)