Immigration

The Promised Land• As the United States expanded West, more

and more people came to America.– Most were seeking freedom and opportunities

Old Immigrants• These “Old Immigrants” were:– Protestants – Northern and Western Europe– Skilled Labor (blacksmith, carpenter)– Farmers– Assimilated easily

• 1840s Irish and Germans began to arrive– Initial discrimination, but eventually blended into

American society

New Immigrants• These New Immigrants were:– Catholic or Jewish– Southern and Eastern European• Italy, Greece, Poland, Hungary, Russia

– Unskilled laborers and poor– Lived in cities

• Many native-born Americans felt threatened

Reasons to Move to America

Push Factors• Reasons to leave

their homes– Famine– Wars– Religious Persecution– Farming Problems

Pull Factors• Reasons to come to

a new place– Hope of opportunity– Land (Homestead

Act!!)– Friends and Family– Religious and

Political Freedom

Most Important Reason• JOBS!!– New Industries needed cheap

workers

A Long, Difficult Journey

• Could only bring a few items– Usually just clothes, maybe a photo…

• Dangerous Journey Across Atlantic– Poor had to ride in bottom of boat– Crowded and dirty– Illness, Disease and Death• Sea sickness

• Finally, America!!

Ellis Island• Port that immigrants had to go through to get

into the U.S.– New York Harbor– Usually people coming from Europe and Africa

• Officials decide if you can stay – Healthy– Show that you had money, a skill, or sponsor

Angel Island• Chinese and Japanese immigrants came to

Angel Island.– Off coast of San Francisco, California– Came for same reasons as Europeans

• Immigration was slowed by:– Gentlemen’s Agreement with Japan– Chinese Exclusion Act

The Great Migration of African-Americans

• Leaving racial violence, poverty, and political oppression

• Settled in the cities of the North and West– Chicago, New York, St. Louis, etc.

Nativism

• Anti-immigration feelings• Ethnocentric (Feeling your race or ethnicity is

superior to all others) • Dislike for immigrants and people unlike the

majority • “Native-born Americans are better” • Xenophobia – Fear of foreigners

Anti-Asian

• Extremely Different Look: physically, hair, dress • Chinese Exclusion Act (1882) – Banned all entry of Chinese except: students,

teachers, merchants, tourists, and government officials

• 1902 – banned all Chinese immigration until 1943 • Asians had segregated schools • 1907-1908 – Gentlemen’s Agreement – Limits Japanese immigration

Nativism Ideas • “Right” countries

– Britain, Germany, Scandinavia • “Wrong” countries

– Slav (Central and Eastern Europe, North and Central Asia) • Russia, Ukraine, etc.

– Latin – Asian

• Natives – Anglo-Saxon and Protestant

• New Immigrants – Jewish – Catholic – Slav– Asian

What was life like for these immigrants?

Immigrant’s Life• Long, hard hours– 6-7 days a week– 12 or more hours/day– no vacation, sick leave, unemployment or compensation

• Dangerous conditions– 1882—675 workers killed in accidents per week (that’s

35,000 people killed at work)

• Low wages– Women earned an average of $267 in 1899– Andrew Carnegie made $23 million

Living Conditions• Unsanitary Cities– Lots of disease

• Crowded living conditions– Tenement apartments, row houses

Cities were Unsafe!

• Poor water quality• Industrial waste• No trash pick-up or sewage• Dangerous – Fires!

JACOB RIIS: HOW THE OTHER HALF LIVES

Jacob Riis: How the Other Half Lives

• In the late 19th century, progressive journalist Jacob Riis photographed urban life in order to build support for social reform. Riis also wrote descriptions of his subjects that, to some, sound condescending and stereotypical.

• You will read the excerpts from his book, written in 1890 and answer the guiding questions in your notes

Guiding Questions

Complete the sentences

• Sourcing: – Who wrote this? What type of document is this?– The author’s purpose in writing this was…– I think the sort of people who read this were…– I do/don’t (choose one) trust this document because…

• Contextualization– I already know that at this time…– From this document I would guess that people at this time…– This document might not give me the whole picture because…

• Close Reading – The author is trying to convince the readers that…– The author tries to convince the readers by using the words…

Discussion

• What are his attitudes towards poverty?• What are his attitudes towards these immigrants?• Jacob Riis was someone who thought he was

helping the immigrants and supporting them. How could he think that if he wrote stuff like this?

• What does this say about his audience? What were their values and beliefs?

• What do these photographs and excerpts tell you about life in cities at the turn of the century?

VTS: Visual Thinking Strategy

• As we look at the following photos we will discuss the answers to the following questions:– What’s going on?– How do you know?– What else can we find?

What’s going on?How do you know?What else can we find?

What’s going on?How do you know?What else can we find?

What’s going on?How do you know?What else can we find?

What’s going on?How do you know?What else can we find?

What’s going on?How do you know?What else can we find?