1. The Immigrant Experience Lesson starter: What problems might immigrants face when they arrived in the USA?

2. Today we will… Understand some of the problems facing immigrants to the USA Understand the type of welcome they received

3. 1. Ellis Island All immigrants arrived here to be ‘processed’ They waited for hours to be checked by a doctor Immigrants would be marked with chalk if they were ill or ‘feeble minded’ – those ones would be sent back After the medical inspection, pages of forms had to be completed to receive a ‘landing card’ This allowed you into New York

4. 2. Slum Housing Most immigrants settled in cities where work was New York, Boston, Pittsburgh and Chicago They could only afford the cheapest rents and slums started to develop Overcrowding, poor sanitation etc

5. 3. Communities Immigrants moved beside people of similar religion, nationality and culture Names such as ‘Little Italy’, ‘Little Germany’, ‘Irishtown’ and ‘Chinatown’ became common

6. 4. Politics Most immigrants had no idea about US politics Many did not even speak English This meant they were willing to vote for anyone who helped them Sometimes immigrants were bribed for their vote Some immigrants became politically powerful – the Irish in Boston for example (Kennedy family)

7. 5. WASPs White Anglo Saxon Protestants These people were descended from early immigrants to America Mainly from Northern Europe WASPs were the most powerful people in the USA They did not like the new immigrants that came during the 20th century They looked down upon new immigrants and discriminated against them

8. Examples of WASPs in film/TV… The Nichols in the OC

9. Charlotte York and Trey MacDougall, SATC

10. Van de Kamps, Desperate Housewives

11. The WASP term typically excludes Catholics, Jews, Slavs, Blacks, Hispanics, Native Americans, and Asians

12. 8 mark essay question Describe the experiences of many immigrants to the USA. (8 marks) Paragraph Plan 1 – introduction 2 – Ellis Island 3 – Slum Housing 4 Communities 5 – Politics 6 – Discrimination from WASPs 7 - Conclusion