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Immigration

Immigration. American Studies Barth / Cadorette Barnea / Knowles. Are you an immigrant or have you emigrated?. Immigrant – a person who comes IN to a new country for an extended period of time; possibly making it their new home

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Immigration

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  1. Immigration American Studies Barth / Cadorette Barnea / Knowles

  2. Are you an immigrant or have you emigrated? • Immigrant – a person who comes IN to a new country for an extended period of time; possibly making it their new home • Emigrant – a person who has EXITED their home country in order to become part of a new country

  3. Why did people come to America? “Land of Opportunity” Religious freedom Promise of a better life “Birds of passage” Poverty, famine, land shortages, competition for industrial jobs at home Desire for fortunes in gold Jobs – railroads, industries (Heritage Discovery Center) Push-Pull Theory of Immigration

  4. European Immigrants • 1870-1920 – 20 million European immigrants arrived in the U.S. • Prior to 1890, most came from western and northern Europe (Great Britain, Ireland, Germany) • This was the FIRST WAVE of immigration • This group was considered OLD immigrants • The Chinese were also immigrating at this time • After 1890, most came from southern and eastern Europe (Italy, Austria-Hungary, Russia) • This was the SECOND wave of immigrants • This group was considered NEW immigrants • The Japanese were also immigrating at this time. • 1905-1914 – one million immigrants were arriving yearly (Public Broadcasting System – PBS)

  5. PUSH – PULL Factors • PUSH from Europe: • Religious intolerance • Rising population (doubled to 432 million between 1800-1900) • lack of industrial jobs

  6. PULL FACTORS 1848 California Gold Rush lured Asian workers (Ambrose) • 1851-1883 – about 200,000 Chinese immigrants arrived • Building railroads: Transcontinental Railroad (completed in 1869), connecting the eastern and western United States • Recruited to work in Hawaii as planters’ – sugar cane, pineapple (Japanese Immigrants) • Annexation of Hawaii in 1898 further encouraged Japanese immigration • GOLD!!! • LAND!!! (Santa Clarita Valley History of Photographs) By 1920, 200,000 Japanese immigrants lived on the West Coast

  7. West Indies and Mexican Immigrants 1880-1920 – 260,000 immigrants arrive from West Indies (Jamaica, Cuba, Puerto Rico) • PUSH from Mexico: • jobs • escape political turmoil • PULL to America: • The National Reclamation Act (1902) improved irrigation methods in U.S. - created more work opportunities (Republican Voices) Annexation of Texas (due to Mexican War and Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo 1848) automatically made Mexican Americans residents (Latin American Studies) One million Mexicans farm workers over the next 20 years arrived in the United States

  8. Immigrant Restrictions • Nativism: Belief that the NATIVE BORN culture was SUPERIOR. • American Protective Association (1887) launched anti-Catholic attacks • Colleges, businesses, social clubs, employers refused services to immigrants • Immigration Restriction League (1894) campaigned to keep out “undesirable” classes • Chinese Exclusion Act (1882) banned entry to all Chinese except students, teachers, merchants, tourists, and government officials • Gentlemen’s Agreement (1907-1908) Japan’s government agreed to limit emigration to the U.S. (Latin American Studies)

  9. More Restrictions 1920s – Immigration Quota acts 1940s – 1950s – Acts allowing refugees to enter 1965 – Quotas with a “cap”, skilled and relatives preference 1986 – Employees targeted, amnesty 1996 – Border Patrol, fence, “expedited removal” 2001 – Patriot Act – Homeland security controls immigration 2005 – REAL ID Act – Restrict Asylees, Driver’s license restrictions, enforcement

  10. Life for Immigrants • Difficult journey – stormy, uncomfortable, frightening trip by sea, between one and three weeks • Ellis Island (primarily Europeans) and Angel Island (primarily Asian) inspection stations – physical exam, documents, questionnaires, literacy tests • Culture shock – confused or frustrated by traditions not familiar to a person • Finding a place to live, getting a job, alien language and customs (Wright Assoc.) (Rootsweb) New ethnic communities helped immigrants socially, financially, medically, religiously and educationally

  11. Immigration Definitions Refugee: A person who seeks protection in the US on grounds that they fear persecution. Refugee “status” applied while outside the US. Asylee: A person who seeks protection in the US on grounds that they fear persecution. Come to the US FIRST then apply. Amnesty: Permission to stay in the US legally. (pardon or forgiveness) Ethnic neighborhoods: an area with distinct cultural characteristics Tenements: City dwellings Assimilation: process where minority groups gradually adapt to the dominant customs Alien: Nationals of another country living in the United States.

  12. Ellis Island “The Golden Door” (both photos fromEllis Island)

  13. Angel Island (all three photos from the National Park Service)

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