1. The New Immigrants

2. I. The Immigrants

3. Immigration By 1900 – about one million per year
Made possible by new technologies
Europeans migrating all over the world
Fleeing poverty
Fleeing persecution
Seeking opportunity

4. Immigrants as a percent of the US population
By % of the US population was foreign born
By 1900, over 1/3 of the US population was either an immigrant or child of an immigrant

5. “Old Immigrants” – pre-Civil War
Before 1860
From Northern & Western Europe
Usually Protestant
Constitutional democracies
A lot like the first European settlers
Assimilation was relatively easy
Settled all over the United States

6. “New Immigrants” – post-Civil War
After the Civil War
From Southern & Eastern Europe
Catholics, Jews, Eastern Orthodox
1896 – the first year the majority of immigrants were “new.”

8. “New” immigrants settled in eastern cities
1890 – Immigrant/child of immigrant
¼ of Philadelphia
⅓ of Boston
⅓ of Chicago
4/5 of New York City
Self-segregated neighborhoods

9. The typical immigrant Unmarried young man Arrived in the USA alone
Sent for his family after he settled
Often migrated back to homeland
“Bird of Passage”
“Common laborer”
No specific skill

10. Women and children Also arrived in large numbers
Worked a variety of jobs
Faced same hardships as men

11. II. The Nativists

12. Nativists: Americans who disliked immigrants
Nativists believed that immigrants ◆ tended to commit crimes ◆ corrupted their “Protestant nation” ◆ were poorly educated ◆ were willing to work for less ◆ came from “inferior civilizations.” ◆ were radicals and revolutionaries ◆ were allied to the political machines

13. The Chinese Exclusion Act, 1882
An Act to execute certain treaty stipulations relating to Chinese.
A federal law that barred most Chinese immigrants from entering the United States.
The first significant restriction on free immigration in U.S. history.

14. Others were barred from entering the USA
Prostitutes and convicted felons
“Lunatics” & those likely to become a “public charge.”
Contract laborers

15. Nativism grows as immigration increases
President William McKinley assassinated ◆ Leon Czolgosz – World War I – The Red Scare 1924 – The Immigration Act of 1924 ◆ Johnson-Reed Act ◆ Sets a national origins quota (2%) ◆ Completely excludes Asians