UNIT 44B,D & E

Immigration & Urbanization

Reasons for Immigration

How did immigration in the late 1800’s impact the American Population? The US population increased from 23.2 million in

1850 to 76.2 million in 1901 16.2 million of this growth was from immigration An additional 8.8 million immigrated to the US

between 1901 and 1910

Reasons for Immigration

Push factors—conditions that drive people to leave their homes.

Examples: Scarce land Political Persecution Religious Persecution Revolutions Poverty

Reasons for Immigration

Pull Factors--Conditions that attract people to a new area.

Examples: Promise of freedom (religious and political) Hope for a better opportunities Jobs Land Adventure “Streets paved with gold”

Reasons for Immigration

     Old Immigrants:

    Immigrants to the US between 1815 and the 1880’s

Immigrated from northern and western Europe

The British Isles, Germany, Scandinavia

  Mostly English speaking

High levels of literacy and occupational skills

Mostly Protestant (except for Irish and German Catholic immigrants)

  Blended easily into a mostly rural US society

Reasons for Immigration

New Immigrants   Immigrants to the US between the 1880’s and 1915 Immigrated from southern and eastern Europe Italy, Greece, Croats, Slovaks, Poles, and Russians Chinese in the west Typically poor and illiterate peasants unaccustomed

to democracy Largely Catholic, Greek Orthodox, Russian Orthodox,

and Jewish Most crowded into poor ethnic neighborhoods in

major cities

Reasons for Immigration

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5rredHTyKaQ&feature=related

Arrivals Coming from Europe land at Ellis Island http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s8bPDdNRoxc&feat

ure=related Coming from China (Asian countries) land at Angel

Island http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5434XKSxRyY&feat

ure=related

Reasons for Immigration

Coming to Americahttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cRTHdC7k

4uY&feature=related

Reasons for Immigration

Coming to America one family member came to America then sent money

home to bring the others over 1900 to 1910, almost 95 percent of the immigrants

arriving at Ellis Island were joining either family or friends

three types of accommodations on the ships that brought immigrants to America: first class, second class and steerage.

Reasons for Immigration

Only steerage passengers were processed at Ellis Island.

First- and second-class passengers were quickly and courteously "inspected" onboard the ship before being transferred to New York.

Reasons for Immigration

Steerage crowded, dismally dark, Unsanitary foul-smelling, Death rate 10% per voyage

Reasons for Immigration

Medical exams Passengers were inspected for possible contagious diseases

cholera, plague, smallpox, typhoid fever, yellow fever, scarlet fever, measles and diphtheria

In 1905, 800,000 steerage passengers were examined at Ellis Island

Interpreters directed immigrants to stair case doctor stood at the top of the stairs watching for signs of

lameness, heavy breathing that might indicate a heart condition or "bewildered gazes" that might be symptomatic of a mental condition. 

examined the immigrant's face, hair, neck and hands. The doctor marked the immigrant for further medical inspection

two out of every 10 or 11 immigrants who passed, had large white letter scrawled on their backs

Reasons for Immigration

Medical Exams

Reasons for Immigration

The next group of doctors were the dreaded "eye men." They were looking for symptoms of trachoma, an eye disease that caused blindness and even death. (This disease was the reason for more than half of the medical detentions and its discovery meant certain deportation.) 

If an immigrant had diseases proscribed by the immigration laws, or were too ill or feeble-minded to earn a living, they would be deported.

Sick children age 12 or older were sent back to Europe alone and were released in the port from which they had come.

Children younger than 12 had to be accompanied by a parent