Unit VI – A Growing America

Chapter 20Section 1 – New Wave of

Immigration

The Impact of Immigrants on the United States Video- 4:21 Question: Why do you think the United

States had stricter immigration regulations for Asian Immigrants?

Answers vary; The United States had a history of predominantly European Settlers, and so Asian immigrants may have seemed unfamiliar to Americans during the first major waves of immigration.

Immigrants – 1:06

The Statue of Liberty: A Symbol of Friendship and Freedom (04:27)The Statue of Liberty: A Symbol of Friendship and Freedom (04:27)

A New Wave of Immigration

The Big IdeaA new wave of immigration in the late 1800s brought large

numbers of immigrants to the United States.

Main Ideas• U.S. immigration patterns changed during the late 1800s

as new immigrants arrived from Europe, Asia, and Mexico.• Immigrants worked hard to adjust to life in the United

States.• Some Americans opposed immigration and worked to

restrict it.

Old Immigrants• Arrived before 1880s• Mostly from Britain,

Germany, Ireland, and Scandinavia

• Mostly Protestants, but some Roman Catholics

• Many were skilled workers.• Some settled in rural areas

and became farmers.

Main Idea 1: U.S. immigration patterns changed during the late 1800s as new immigrants arrived

from Europe, Asia, and Mexico.New Immigrants

• Came after 1880• From southern and eastern

Europe; included Czechs, Greeks, Hungarians, Italians, Poles, Russians, and Slovaks

• Diverse cultures and religious backgrounds.

• Wanted job opportunities in cities

New Immigrants – A Nation of Immigrants

1800-1880- more that 10 million immigrants- “Old Immigrants”- from Northern and Western Europe.

1880-1910- some 18 million immigrants- “New Comers”- from Southern and Eastern Europe, including Catholics, Orthodox and Jewish faiths.

Severe immigration laws limited East Asia. 1910- one out of every seven Americans was

foreign born.

19th-Century Immigration 19th-Century Immigration (04:16)(04:16)

Irish Potato Famine and Immigration to America – 1:36

Changing Patterns of Immigration

What areas of Europe did old immigrants come from ?

Some people imagined that their lives in the United States would be ideal Once they arrived, how do you think their opinion might have changed?

What kind of character would people need to face the hardships of immigration?

Journey to AmericaImmigrants faced a difficult journey, usually traveling in steerage, the area below the ship’s deck.

New arrivals had to go to immigration processing centersimmigration processing centers run by state and local governments.

OfficialsOfficials in processing centers interviewed immigrants to determine whether to let them enter the country.

Some immigrants were kept at processing centers for weeks or months while officials investigated their families. DetainedDetained

East Coast• Ellis Island in New

York Harbor was the busiest East Coast center.

• Opened in 1892• Millions of immigrants

came through its center over the next 40 years.

• Less than 2% of arrivals were denied entrance into the country.

West Coast• Angel Island near

San Francisco• Opened in 1910• Entrance for

many Chinese immigrants

• By law, only Chinese whose fathers were U.S. citizens were allowed into the country.

Immigration CentersSouth

• El Paso, Texas had the main processing center for immigrants from Mexico.

• Most settled in the Southwest.

• Found work in construction, steel mills, mines, and on large commercial farms

Ellis Island

Angel Island

Main Idea 2: Immigrants worked hard to

adjust to life in the United States.

Many immigrants moved into neighborhoods with others from the same country. GhettoGhetto

They could hear their own language, eat familiar foods, and keep their customs.

Business ownersBusiness owners often helped new arrivals by offering credit and loans.

Some communities formed benevolent societiesbenevolent societies to help immigrants in cases of sickness, unemployment, or death.

Many immigrants lived in tenementstenements—poorly built, overcrowded apartments.

Immigrant Workers

Many immigrants were farmers in their homelandsfarmers in their homelands, but had to find jobs in cities in the United States.

Had to take low-paying, unskilled jobslow-paying, unskilled jobs in garment or steel factories and construction

Some worked long hours for little pay in small shops or mills called sweatshopssweatshops.

Immigrants with appropriate skillsImmigrants with appropriate skills sometimes found work in a wide range of occupations.

Others saved, shared, or borrowed money to open Others saved, shared, or borrowed money to open small businessessmall businesses.

Some Mexican immigrantsMexican immigrants worked on large commercial farms in Arizona, Texas, and California.

Adjusting to a New Life

Tell why people might want to move into neighborhoods with others from the same country?

How might loaning money to immigrants have helped the economy?

What kinds of businesses did immigrants open?

Adjusting to a New Life

How do the Asian Americans pictured on page 640 on the right appear different from those on the left?

Why do you think new immigrants often opened the same types of businesses as earlier immigrants from the same country had opened?

How might you feel about your job if you worked as a thread trimmer in a shirtwaist factory?

Main Idea 3: Some Americans opposed immigration and

worked to restrict it.

Anti-immigrantAnti-immigrant feelings grew with increases in immigration.

Some unions feared immigrants would take away jobs.immigrants would take away jobs. Americans called nativistsnativists held racial and ethnic racial and ethnic

prejudicesprejudices. Thought new immigrants would not learn American customs, which

might harm American society Some were violent toward immigrants. Some nativists advocated laws limiting immigration.

Congress passed the Chinese Exclusion Act in 1882.Chinese Exclusion Act in 1882. Later laws were passed restricting convicts, restricting convicts,

immigrants with certain diseases, and those likely immigrants with certain diseases, and those likely to need public assistanceto need public assistance from entering the country.

Coming to America Reasons to immigrate- Political, Economic and ReligiousPolitical, Economic and Religious Ellis IslandEllis Island, New York Harbor- in 62 years over 12 million

came through Angel IslandAngel Island, San Francisco Bay- newcomers from Asia. Hardships in America- crowded tenements, low paying

unskilled jobs, ghettos. Ethnic neighborhoodsEthnic neighborhoods tried to keep their cultures alive and

build communities. Prejudice-

Nativists-Nativists- American Natives who blamed immigrants for increases in crime and poverty. Stealing American jobs.

Chinese Exclusion Act- 1882-Chinese Exclusion Act- 1882- banned Chineses immigration for 10 years.

Some Nativists wanted literacy testsliteracy tests to determine the ability to read. This Act was approved over President Wilson’s veto.

Opposition to Immigration During which time period was

there great industrial growth in the United States?

In what ways did the new wave of immigrants contribute to the development of America?