Immigration in the Pre-Civil War Period

Coming to America…..but WHY?!?!

Because of the Industrial Revolution, there were not enough jobs for all of the people seeking them

Extremely poor, they immigrated to America in hopes of a better life

First Wave: The British

The British From 1831-1840, 600,ooo+ Immigrated to the United States

Came for two primary reasons:1. Political2. Economic Became a powerful influence after awhile-

antislavery views, supported public education, and farmed

Second Wave: The Germans

Cincinnati especially has a strong German-influence

44% of Total Population in 1870 was German

Germans

Third Wave: The Scots and IrishThe Irish Potato Famine

•Also known as the Great Famine or Great Hunger

•Period of mass starvation and disease

•This created a need for a change

Over 1 Million people died in 7 long years

Irish and the Scots

Immigration at a Glance

Year# of Immigrants

1831-1840

599,125

1841-1850

1,713,251

1851-1860

2,598,214

1861-1870

2,314,824

1871-1880

2,812,191

1881-1890

5,246,613

What is a Nativist?Someone who believes that foreign-born people

pose a threat and should not be allowed to enter country

Irish Catholics, East European Jews, Italians, Chinese, and Japanese

Relations

Were the first targets of nativists

Were segregated and looked down upon because of the way they speak, look, and especially because they were Catholic

Irish Relations

Genealogy: The study and tracing of lines of descent or development.

After dividing into 3 Separate Groups, refer to the ‘Name’ Guide

Answer the following questions on the back of your notes:

Genealogy Activity!

1. Before looking for your surname, what group of immigrants do you think that you belong to, if any, from this compiled list?

2. If you can locate your name, what nation would your name have been from? If you can not find your name at all on the lists, do one of two things: A: “Google” your name on a smart phone or friend’s phone and find information there. B: Just pick any name from the lists.

3. What does your name stand for? What is it’s meaning? If you can not find the meaning, look it up!

4. What struggles, if any, would your group of immigrants have in coming to this nation?

5. Please write a brief paragraph on your feelings of your findings. Ex: Did you learn something from all of this?