A. The Great Migration Turn-of-the-Century Immigration to the United

States

Percent of Immigration by Region of Origin

Notes: - From 1880 to 1921, 23 million immigrants came to America - The typical immigrant was male, young, Catholic or Jewish, and spoke little or no English - Most were unskilled agricultural laborers with little money or education Answer the following questions: 1. What do the pie charts show? 2. Where did the largest group of immigrants come from in 1880? 3. Where did the largest group of immigrants come from in 1910? 4. What might account for this change?

B. Push and Pull Factors This image shows a large group of emigrants in Hamburg, Germany, on a steamship leaving for the U.S. around 1900.

Notes: Push Factors (Why people left where they were): - Industrial Revolution caused decline of agricultural based economies - Poor living conditions - natural disasters - to escape religious or political persecution Pull Factors (Why America was appealing): - People saw America as a land of opportunity and riches - American businesses sent representatives overseas in search of cheap labor - Steamship companies attracted customers by promising a better life in America Journal Entry: Using your notes and observations from the image above, begin your journal by describing why you want to leave your homeland and what you are feeling as you prepare to board the ship for America.

C. Journey Across the Atlantic These are immigrants crowded onto the steerage deck of the USS Permland

Notes: - The journey took 8-14 days aboard a steamship - There were 1st and 2nd class accommodations that were better, but “steerage” passengers lived in incredibly tight spaces with little privacy, few bathrooms, no sunlight, and little food

D. Arrival in America This is Ellis Island, the main processing point for newly arrived immigrants

Notes - Most immigrants entered the US through the immigration processing center at Ellis Island, located in the New York Harbor - Immigrants were excited to see their new homeland for the first time, and especially to see the Statue of Liberty - Ellis Island is where immigrants would be inspected, questioned, and given or denied entrance to the United States Journal: Using images C and D record what your thoughts and feelings might be during the voyage to America. What was the passage like? How did you feel when you saw Ellis Island for the first time?

E. Medical Inspections You see several male immigrants who have just arrived in the U.S. undergoing medical inspections on Ellis Island

Notes

• Most immigrants arrived at Ellis Island in New York. The processing was a humiliating and dehumanizing experience for many.

• With a huge number of immigrants arriving every day, the inspectors had just two minutes to complete each medical inspection and ask each immigrant 32 background questions. Newcomers found to have contagious diseases could be shipped back, and many immigrants had their last names changed by inspectors who didn’t have the time or patience to struggle with foreign spellings.

F. Legal Inspections People are waiting in rows in Registry Hall, where immigrants were tagged and made to wait for hours before processing.

Notes - Immigrants waited in long rows between iron railings before they went before an official to answer questions based on surveys they filled out while still on the ship - Thus usually only lasted 2-3 minutes, and the officials wanted to determine whether or not the person was likely to cause problems or be able to support himself Journal Using the notes and images from C and D, write in your journal about your experiences during Ellis Island. Make sure to describe the processing and inspections and how it made you feel.

G. Ethnic Enclaves This is a crowded street in an Italian neighborhood in New York City.

Notes - Many immigrants settled in urban areas such as New York City, Chicago, Boston, and Philadelphia - Most lived in close-knit ethnic neighborhoods with other immigrants from their homeland - Most enclaves were very crowded, but provided familiar customs, food, and language Journal Use the notes and image on this page to write your journal. Tell where you settled and describe your living conditions there. Include positive and negative aspects of where you chose to settle.

H. Living Conditions These are immigrants in a “five-cents-a-spot” lodging. It was illegal because of safety, but many immigrants used these, especially those without family.

Notes - Most immigrants lived in city tenement buildings, which were run-down, low-rent apartment buildings clustered together in the poorest parts of town - Most fires happened in tenement buildings, and diseases were rampant because of close living conditions Journal Using the picture above and your notes, write a journal entry about your living conditions and how you feel about it.

I. Working Conditions A young girl working in a textile factory

Notes - Most immigrants worked in industrial jobs because … 1. American industry was growing and in need of workers 2. most had been farm laborers and didn’t want to do that anymore 3. most were unskilled and did not have a trade to rely on for money - Immigrants were vulnerable and many worked under horrible conditions. - A family usually needed $16 a week to have a minimum standard of living, most immigrants brought home $1.25-$4 a week. - Many immigrant children had to work to help support the family and they brought home even less money - Most factories had poor ventilation and employees breathed in chemicals and smoke Journal Using the image and notes, describe your working conditions and the type of job you have.

J. Nativism This cartoon from January 11, 1983 shows the shadow of immigrant origins over five wealthy Americans who are “greeting” a newly arrived immigrant by showing their distaste for foreigners.

Notes - Nativism: the belief that immigrants posed a threat to native-born Americans and their way of life - Many Americans of northern and western European descent looked down on southern and eastern Europeans as an inferior race - Many Americans accused immigrants of stealing jobs away from “real” Americans - Nativists wanted to restrict the number of immigrants allowed into the U.S. In 1921, Congress passed the Dillingham Bill, which set quotas for the number of immigrants allowed in from each country. This ended the “open-door” policy for immigrants. Journal Describe native-born Americans’ reactions to you, and how that makes you feel.

K. Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882

What was it? In 1882, the U.S. closed the door on Chinese immigrants for 10 years. In 1892, it was extended another 10 years and in 1902, extended indefinitely Finally overturned in 1943

Why was it created? Nativism and racism laborers in the West feared losing their jobs to the Chinese immigrants who

would accept lower wages

L. LABOR UNREST

Looking back over the notes you took on Working Conditions, why might laborers eventually decide to protest or fight back against their employers? (What did they have to be unhappy about?) What options do you think these immigrants/laborers had if they were unhappy with their jobs and their working conditions? How could they change things? Notes - Labor Union: an organization of employees formed to bargain with the employer (for better working conditions, higher wages, etc.) - Workers responded to harsh conditions and business consolidation by forming labor unions.

M. American Federation of Labor (AFL)

Samuel Gompers

• Samuel Gompers formed the American Federation of Labor (AFL) in 1886 • Gompers used strikes and collective bargaining (negotiations between labor and

management) to win higher wages and shorter workweeks AFL

• Catered to the skilled worker • Represented workers in matters of national legislation • Maintained a national strike fund • Evangelized the cause of unionism

• Prevented disputes among the many craft unions • Mediated disputes between management and labor • Pushed for closed shops

1. How did Gompers and the AFL respond to working conditions they were unhappy with? 2. What type of union was the AFL? What type of laborers joined the AFL? Do you think women, immigrants, and African-Americans were likely to be members of the AFL? Why or why not?

N. Pullman Strike

• As demand for sleeping cars rose, Pullman built a large town to house the workers he needed

• Pullman created quality housing for his workers, but he tried to control many aspects of their lives. He also lowered wages, but refused to lower rent.

• As a result, his workers rebelled • The strike was led by Eugene Debs and his American Railway Union. The strike

turned violent and federal troops were called in to stop the strike

Pullman Street car (this is

what Pullman’s workers

made)

1. Why did workers at Pullman strike? 2. Who led the strike? 3. What was the outcome of the strike?

Eugene

Debs