Mr. White’s US History 1

After we finish this section, we should be able to answer the following questions:• Why did immigrants come to the U.S. and

what did they face on the way?• What new challenges did cities face, and

how did they deal with them?• How did local and national political

corruption lead to calls for reform?

Part I – Immigrants to the United States came for a variety of reasons and faced distinct challenges in the journey,

including U.S. restrictions on immigration

European immigration before this period was mostly from northern and western Europe – England, France, Scandinavia, Germans

As this period began, more immigrants started coming from southern and eastern Europe – Italy, Greece, Jews, Polish, Russians, other Slavic peoples• Pogroms forced Jews out of areas in eastern

Europe• Many people escaped overpopulation and land

scarcity• Also much revolution occurring in these areas

An increasing number of immigrants began to come from East Asia – Chinese and Japanese

The 1848 California Gold Rush opened up many opportunities for people

Many Chinese participated in the construction of the American intercontinental railroad

The U.S. had also added Hawaii to American territory, and this opened up the country to Japanese immigration

Immigration from the West Indies and Mexico also added to American immigration

West Indians migrated to the U.S. because of land scarcity and poverty in their home islands – U.S. had many industrial jobs

Mexicans also immigrated to the U.S. with the promise of plentiful land

Immigrants faced many distinct challenges on their journey to the United States• Ocean-going journeys had extremely difficult

conditions on board – unsanitary, cramped, diseased• At Ellis Island, immigrants had to pass through a

complicated entry process, though most were admitted

• At Angel Island, the entry process was much more difficult

• Immigrants often banded together when they arrived to provide mutual cooperation

Many in the United States responded to the increase in immigration

Nativism was a response to immigration• Nativism involved racism against certain types

of “undesirable” immigrants – southern and eastern Europeans, Jews, Catholics

Several times, Congress worked to pass legislation to make literacy tests part of immigration

Anti-Asian sentiment grew in the United States, especially in the western states

In California, many Chinese and Japanese were competing for jobs with others

The Chinese Exclusion Act banned entry into the U.S. for most Chinese

The Gentleman’s Agreement between U.S. President Teddy Roosevelt and Japan agreed to restrict some types of Japanese immigration, if the U.S. agreed to not segregate Japanese in the U.S.

Part II – The rapid growth of cities resulted in new problems and solutions for city governments.

As the century moved on, cities began to grow for many different reasons• Immigration from foreign countries – most

immigrants settled in ethnic neighborhoods in cities

• Migration from rural areas – loss of farming jobs forced many people to look for city jobs

• The Great Migration – free black southerners moved north looking for jobs and equality

As they grew, cities faced more problems that they hadn’t faced before• Housing – many people lived in substandard

housing (cramped, unhealthy, bad sanitation) Cities established building and ventilation codes to

prevent this• Transportation – Greater numbers of people

meant more congestion, traveling great distances Cities began to build mass transit systems

Water – many people lacked access to clean water• Cities began to introduce filtration and

chlorination systems Sanitation – lots of garbage and other

waste piling up• Cities developed sewer lines and sanitation

departments

Crime – more crime with an influx of people• Many cities paid for salaried police departments

Fire – fire became a constant threat in cities• Wooden dwellings, water delivery problems,

open flame lighting and heating• Cities developed salaried fire companies; new,

flammable building materials made cities safer

Reformers who saw these city problems tried to solve city issues

The Settlement House Movement worked to help city dwellers• Provided education and recreation• Also provided food and clothing to needy

Part III – Local and national political corruption led to calls for reform to a corrupt political system.

In many cities, political machines designed to wield political power began to develop• These political machines were organized under

political bosses, like Boss Tweed of New York City Political bosses won much support by

providing political services to citizens – citizens voted for them in return

They also controlled access to city jobs through their political influence

Many political bosses were skilled at working with and helping immigrant populations

However, many political bosses also became corrupt• Some resorted to election fraud to get elected –

intimidated or bribed voters, sometimes used the names of dead people to vote

• Many used graft to enrich themselves – overinflate costs for government jobs (construction, services, etc.), then take the kickback

Men like Boss Tweed of Tammany Hall were convicted and imprisoned for corruption

To combat this rising corruption, many reformers tried to end the political rings

Many proposed oversight of civil service jobs – people wouldn’t be selected based on political connections, but on qualification

However, with the loss of political jobs, political machines now turned to big business for support

Now get ready for your post-assessment!

Which of these was NOT a motivation for an immigrant to come to America?A. To escape religious persecutionB. To find an occupation or landC. To escape overpopulationD. To experience multiculturalism and

diversity

Which of these hazards would an immigrant most likely face on his/her journey?A. A difficult ocean journeyB. British privateersC. Confederate slave-catchersD. Viking raiders

An immigrant who went through Ellis Island would most likely not have come fromA. AsiaB. Eastern EuropeC. Western EuropeD. Northern Europe

 

Many growing cities developed ______ systems to alleviate transportation challenges. 

A.Wagon trainB.TaxiC.Mass transitD.Aviation

Conditions in many city neighborhoods in the late 19th century could best be described as________________________.A. beautifulB. picturesqueC. unsanitaryD. scarce

“Boss” Tweed was in charge of A. Tammany HallB. Carnegie HallC. Independence HallD. Convention Hall