Immigration
In the Late 1800’s
What Does It Mean to be American?
Please jot down a short answer in your notebook.
Buzzfeed’s “What’s AMERICAN”
Causes of New Immigration (Late 1800’s-1924)
● Steamships for transportation
● Emigration laws relaxed
● Persecution, famine, genocide, and poor economy in native
lands
New Immigrants
● Immigrants mainly from southern and eastern Europe
○ Including Italy, Poland, and Russia
Ellis Island
● Inspection station for incoming immigrants
● Underwent a physical exam & questioning
Angel Island
● Immigration station in San Francisco Bay
● Mainly Chinese immigrants
● U.S. officials hoped to deport as many people as possible
Urbanization
● Most immigrants settled in cities along the East Coast
● The growth of cities as a result of increase factory jobs and
workers was called urbanization
Ethnic Neighborhoods
● Immigrants looked to people from their home country for
guidance
● Led to the development of ethnic neighborhoods
○ Little Italy, Chinatown, Southie
Assimilation
● The process of blending into society
In your notebook:
If immigrants blend into previously existing American society, is
the United States truly a “melting pot”?
Length Requirement: 2-3 sentences
Section Two: Life in the City
Urbanization
Remember! Urbanization refers to the growth of cities
In Your Notebook...
Why might immigrants have chosen to settle in cities?
List 3 possible answers, please.
Positive Changes in City Life
In the late 1800s,
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Skyscrapers built
Electric elevator invented
Electric streetcars
Cable cars and trolleys
Which two inventions learned about during class would have
made these changes possible?
Negative Aspects of City Life
● Crime, violence, disease, pollution, and fire
● Health hazards:
○ Disease, pollution, waste disposal, sewage disposal
contaminated drinking water
● Alcohol contributed to crime
● Native born Americans blamed immigrants for the increase
in problems
Tenements
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Run-down overcrowded apartment houses
No running water
Sewage flowed through open gutters
Trash built up in between tenements
Slums
● A neighborhood filled with
tenements
Section Three: Urban Politics
Reaction to Problems
In order to address urbanization problems, political machines
developed.
Political Machines
● An illegal gang who influences voting to control a local
government
● Provided services for votes (power)
Advantages of Political Machines
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Jobs
Cash
Food
Built parks, sewers, orphanages, schools, and road
Disadvantages of Political Machines
● Bribes
● Extortion
● Threats
In Your Notebook...
Why would immigrants be drawn to political machines?
Tammany Hall
● Most famous political machine
● Led by William Marcy Tweed
● Stole enormous amounts of money from New York City
Section Four: Reactions to Immigration
Americanization
● Many workers wanted to assimilate into American culture in
order to obtain work
● Factories offered English language and citizenship classes
Nativism
● Movement that sought to eliminate foreign influence and
favored native-born Americans
● The policy of protecting the interests of native-born or
established inhabitants against those of immigrants
Nativist Fears
● Nativists feared that immigrants would steal their jobs
● Non-whites faced a deeper prejudice
The Government Reacts
● In 1882, Congress begins to pass laws to restrict immigration
○ Placed taxes on new immigrants
○ Banned specific groups such as criminals and the
mentally ill
Chinese Exclusion Act
● Asians faced some of the worst discrimination
● Led to the Chinese Exclusion Act
○ Banned Chinese immigration for 10 years
Racism and Prejudice in America
● Chinese workers in the West received lower pay and faced
violence from white workers
● Mexicans and African Americans forced to work until they
have paid off debts (essentially slavery)