Ch. 15 life at the turn of the 20 th century

1. Ch. 15 life at the turn of the 20th century CH. 15-1 NEW IMMIGRANTS AMERICAN HISTORY

2. CHANGING PATTERNS OF IMMIGRATION • The USA is a nation of immigrants • Native Americans are the only people that did not come from somewhere else • THE OLD IMMIGRANTS • 1800-1880-- >10,000,000 immigrants • These people were known as the old immigrants • Most came from Northern & Western Europe

3. United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Germany, Sweden, Norway, China • Reasons: political turmoil, economic opportunity, religious freedom • THE NEW IMMIGRANTS • 1880-1910—18,000,000 new immigrants • Southern and Eastern Europe • Czech, Greek, Hungarian, Italian, Polish, Russian, Slovak

4. These immigrants were not Protestant Christians • Roman Catholic, Orthodox Christian, Jew • Also Arabs, Armenian, and French Canadians • Smaller numbers from East Asia • Japanese immigrants were beginning to appear • 1885—Japanese work on sugar plantations in Hawaii • 1904—10,000 Japanese lived in the USA • 1910—1 in 12 Americans had been born in a foreign country

5. COMING TO AMERICA • DESIRE FOR A BETTER LIFE • John F. Kennedy—Irish American—elected in 1961 –wrote a book “A Nation of Immigrants” • “There were probably as many reasons for coming to America as there were people who came.” • THE JOURNEY TO AMERICA • The decision to come involved the entire family

6. The father or eldest son would usually come first • The family would pool their resources to buy his passage on a ship • After arriving, the person would work, save his money, buy prepaid tickets and send them back for other family members • Getting to the departure point was an adventure • Train, wagon, or foot • Might have to wait weeks for a ship to leave

7. US Immigration Law 1893 • Get approval from steamship company • Provide identifying information • Have at least $30 in cash • Indicate if they had been to prison, a poorhouse, or mental institution • Immigrants needed to pass a medical exam • Immigrants were then vaccinated, disinfected and then allowed on board

8. ELLIS ISLAND • US Government opened an immigration station in 1892 @ Ellis Island in New York harbor • Open until 1954 (62 years)—112 million immigrants passed through this station • Immigrants had to pass inspection before being allowed to enter the USA • Inspectors examined 1st or 2nd class passengers aboard ship • All others had to pass through Ellis Island • Inspection process took about 5 hours

9. ANGEL ISLAND • 1910—newcomers in the west processed at an island in San Francisco bay • Mainly Chinese—were detained for weeks or months waiting for decision about whether they could stay • BUILDING URBAN COMMUNITIES • Most immigrants settled in crowded cities

10. Cities became a patchwork of ethnic clusters (p. 492) • Churches and synagogues created to practice religious faith • BENEVOLENT SOCIETIES—aid organizations to help immigrants • Members would contribute money each month and then could receive financial help if they were too sick to work

11. NATIVISTS RESPOND • Immigrant labor kept factories running and helped build cities • Native-born Americans saw immigrants as a threat to society • Some thought newcomers were too different to fit in • Others blamed immigrants for crime, poverty, violence • Immigrants accepted lower wages for their work

12. LIMITING CHINESE IMMIGRATION • Many people tolerated Chinese workers but did not welcome them • 1873-the economy worsens • Americans blame Chinese immigrants for taking away jobs • Late 1870s-a group of unemployed workers organized the Workingmen’s Party of California • Oppose Chinese immigration

13. Leader was Denis Kearney (Irish immigrant) • 1879—California adopted a new state constitution that prohibited Chinese workers from holding state jobs • Local communities could ban Chinese from their cities or restrict them to certain districts • CHINESE EXCLUSION ACT OF 1882—banned Chinese immigration for 10 years • 1892—law was renewed • 1902—Chinese immigration banned indefinitely

14. LIMITING JAPANESE IMMIGRATION • 1906—San Francisco school board segregated its schools • Japanese and white students would attend separate schools • Japanese government complained to President Theodore Roosevelt • GENTLEMEN’S AGREEMENT • USA & Japan • Japan agreed not to sent unskilled workers to the USA and America would not segregate schools

15. DETERRING OTHER IMMIGRANTS • Many nativists called for immigrants to pass a literacy test • The test would be used to keep as many immigrants out as possible • 1917—Congress pass THE LITERACY TEST ACT over President Woodrow Wilson’s veto • AMERICANIZATION • Some Americans wanted immigrants to assimilate into society

16. Schools and voluntary organizations taught immigrants English literacy skills and subjects needed for citizenship such as American History and Government • THE END