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Chapter 25. The Great Wave on Immigration. Not like the brazen giant of Greek fame, With conquering limbs astride from land to land; Here at our sea-washed, sunset gates shall stand A mighty woman with a torch, whose flame Is the imprisoned lightning, and her name
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Chapter 25 The Great Wave on Immigration
Not like the brazen giant of Greek fame, With conquering limbs astride from land to land; Here at our sea-washed, sunset gates shall stand A mighty woman with a torch, whose flame Is the imprisoned lightning, and her name Mother of Exiles. From her beacon-hand Glows world-wide welcome; her mild eyes command The air-bridged harbor that twin cities frame. "Keep ancient lands, your storied pomp!" cries she With silent lips. "Give me your tired, your poor, Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, The wretched refuse of your teeming shore. Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me, I lift my lamp beside the golden door!" Emma Lazarus 1880, An American Jew. Poem written after she had visited a boatload of Jewish Immigrants
“The Huddled Masses” Improvement on transportation makes it easier for people to move around because it was faster, safer, and less expensive Between 1880-1920: more than 23 million immigrants came to U.S. By 1920: 1/3 of U.S. population was born outside of the U.S.
How they came Before 1880’s- most from northern Europe By 1890- most from southern and eastern Europe 1849- arrival of Chinese immigrants After 1880- Asian Jews, Catholics, Greek, Russian Orthodox, Buddhists, Confucianists: Increased U.S. religious diversity
Italian Immigrantswhy they came Escape poverty- too many people for too small an area, poor eroded land. Trip across ocean- crowded bottom deck (steerage)
ELLIS ISLAND“The Island of Tears” Most European Immigrants came to America through Ellis Island in New York Harbor
Italians in America Padrone- a work agent, helped to find unskilled construction jobs for new arrivals ½ of new arrivals sailed back to Italy
“Little Italy” Italians crowded together in little apartments, no privacy, but could be a lot of fun at times. Helped them feel at home to live with other people with the same background
Family closeness: • Some children not sent to school for fear they’d learn English and pull away from the family • All hands needed to help earn money Result: Many stayed stuck in low paying jobs
Most Italian immigrants where poor and uneducated therefore many looked down on them. Most where more law-abiding then the average American, but some turned to crime to survive
Jewish Immigrants from Eastern Europe Many from Russia which had many anti-Jewish laws Pogroms- raids against Jewish villages, burning, looting, and killing. Went on for over 30 years
Terror for Jews in Europe Between 1881- 1924, 2.4 million immigrate to the U.S.
Jewish Life in America Like all immigrates, Jewish immigrants settled mostly in one area. In these areas, they set up schools, newspapers, synagogues and businesses. They did everything they could to keep their children in school.
Because Jewish immigrants valued education, they were able to move from manual labor jobs to professional occupations. Some speculate that their success made others jealous perhaps leading to the resentment seen toward Jews throughout history.
Chinese Immigrants • 1846- Many Chinese immigrants arrived in the U.S. during the Gold Rush. • 1882- Exclusion Act: no more Chinese immigration and no longer eligible for citizenship • 1906- earthquake and fire in San Francisco destroys birth records Now Chinese can claim they are already citizens…..which allows them to bring over wives and children from China! “Paper relatives”
Angel Island Immigration station- Processed mostly Asian immigrants. Usually stay on the island was 3-4 weeks, but could spend months even years! In order to get off island, required to answer detailed questions, answers where compared to “family” witnesses, if the answer didn’t match, then officials could depot the newcomer.
Chinese life in the U.S. Jobs in China Town: laundries, restaurants, stores, newspapers, herbal medicines Most early immigrants where men which resulted in a decline in population
Mexican Immigrants Come across the border in order to avoid the violence from the Mexican Civil War ( lasted 10 years) They crossed the border without passports
Walk or railroad? • Either way will do because they were welcomed by employers because they need workers who would: • Work for less • Work harder • Expand the RR • Work on farms and ranches It is all about money….for the whites!
Move it Moving from place to place were new crops need harvested
What happens to the kids with all this moving around? They have no school, they just work …. All the time
Harvest time is over, now what? Mexicans moved to outskirts of the nearest towns and lived in barrios They could help each other because they shared a common church, culture and traditions