1. GROWING IMMIGRATION

2. Where did they come from?
The Americas
Asia
Northern Europe (before the Civil War)
English, Scots, Irish, Germans, Scandinavians

3. Where did they come from?
Southern Europe, Eastern Europe (After the Civil War)
E. European Jews/Southern Italians/Greeks Slavic peoples (Poles, Slovaks, Czechs, Croats, Serbs, Ukrainians, Russians, Armenians)

5. Why did they leave? Overpopulation Lack of jobs Government tyranny
Crop failures
Land shortages
Rising taxes and famine
Escaping religious/political persecution

6. How did they get here? Steamships made of iron and steel
2-3 weeks to 1 week by 1900
Operated on a schedule like railroads
Created “birds of passage”-single male worker who came for a short time, earn money, and return home

7. Steamships
Most immigrants traveled in Steerage (large open area beneath ship’s deck)
Cheap fares
Limited toilet facilities,
no privacy, poor food

10. In 1886 greeted by Statue of Liberty in NY harbor

12. ELLIS ISLAND “Gate to America” or “Golden Door”
70% of European immigrants arrived in NYC
Processed through within hours or days

13. ELLIS ISLAND “Gate to America” or “Golden Door”
In 1892 an immigration center opened at Ellis Island in NY harbor
Immigrants were given medical check-up and a series of questions

19. Sometimes immigrants were “quarantined” (isolated to prevent the spread of disease)
Some were even deported due to serious diseases

20. Name?
Occupation?
Who paid your fare?
Can you read or write?
How much money do you have?
Have you been to prison or in a poorhouse?
Where are you going?
Do you have a job already?

21. Many immigrants received new names
Buchenroth=Roth
Stefanopoulous= Stevens

22. Angel Island San Francisco Horrible conditions
Processed through within weeks or months.

23. Angel Island Designed to enforce Chinese Exclusion Act
Prohibited immigration of Chinese workers for 10 yrs.
Prevented Chinese living in US from becoming citizens
Thought they were taking jobs of whites

28. Asian Immigrants Exclusion Act created labor shortages
Hired more workers from Japan, Korea, & Philippines

29. Asian Immigrants
Segregated Asian children in schools - TR ended this in 1906
Gentlemen’s Agreement – Japan agreed not to allow workers into US. US agreed to let families of Japanese living in US to immigrate

30. Mexican Immigrants Farmers needed cheap labor
(TX, NM, AZ, CA)
High wages attracted Mexican workers
Treated as inferior, low wages, & segregated schools

31. French Canadian Immigrants
Many were Catholics from Quebec
Settled in New England & Great Lakes
Took jobs in textile mills & logging camps

34. Jobs for Immigrants Mines, mills, and factories
Friends and relatives helped each other

35. Where did immigrants settle?
Most lived with friends and relatives in established communities
Many stay in port city neighborhoods called Ghettos
Areas dominated by one ethnic or racial group

36. Where did immigrants settle?
Only 2% went to the south

37. Immigrant Ghettos
Filled w/ tenements – low cost apartments, designed to hold many families
Very poor living conditions
Rats, Open Sewers, Disease, & Fire

40. City Growth Increase city pop. = creation of suburbs
Suburb – residential communities surrounding the cities

41. Rise of Political Bosses
Political Machine – unofficial city org. that kept a party / group in power.
Headed by a single leader / “Boss”

42. Rise of Political Bosses
Why does no one stop the Political boss?
City government grows powerful to provide for people’s (immigrants) needs
Fire protection, transportation, etc
Exchange of favors
Politicians offer jobs, contracts to immigrants for their support (votes)
They helped poor people when gov’t or industry would not

43. Rise of Political Bosses
Most Famous - William “Boss” Tweed
Ran Tammany Hall - Democratic Party in NYC
Brought down by Political Cartoonist – Thomas Nast