Goal 5.01: Immigration & Urbanization 1870 - 1914

Introduction Immigration Immigrant Push Factor Pull Factor Old Immigrants New Immigrants Jews Traveling to America Ellis Island, NY Angel Island, CA Settlement of Immigrants Religious Pluralism Culture Shock Americanizing the Immigrants Schools Urbanization Reasons to Move to the City Problems with Urban Society Slums Tenements Division of American Society Women Jacob Riis Reform Movements Social Gospel Movement Settlement Houses Jane Addams Rise of Nativism Chinese Exclusion Act, 1882 Yellow Peril Gentleman’s Agreement, 1907 Political Machine Boss Tweed Tammany Hall Thomas Nast The Gilded Age Patronage Merit System James Garfield Stalwarts Charles Guiteau Chester A. Arthur, 1881 – 1885 Pendleton Act, 1883 Grover Cleveland, 1885-1889 & 1893-1897 Benjamin Harrison, 1889-1893 Conclusion Goal 5.01: Immigration & Urbanization1870 - 1914

5.01: NC Competency Goals • 5.01 Evaluate the influence of immigration and rapid industrialization on urban life.. Student Objectives By the end of this chapter, students will be able to: • Compare & contrast the different groups of people who immigrated to the United States - why they immigrated & the problems they experienced • Evaluate the impact of urbanization; • Analyze the effect of immigration & rapid industrialization on urban life; • Explain how immigrants contributed to American life; • Evaluate the role of local governments & determine the effects of political machines; • Analyze the effectiveness of legislation passed to decrease the amount of corruption in government

Introduction Immigration to the US increased during the late 1800s Immigrants helped make the United States the diverse society it is today The rapid growth of cities created new problems Poor living conditions, overcrowding, pollution… Political corruption on all levels of government will lead to reform Many of these reforms paved the way for how government is run today

Immigration • Movement of people from one country to another, permanently • Immigrant: Person who moves from one country to another, permanently • Between 1820-1920, over 33 million people immigrated to the USA • There are many reasons why someone might leave their homeland for another • Push Factor: Reasons that push someone to leave their homeland • Pull Factor: Reasons that pull someone to another country

Push Factors Irish: Failed potato crop & famine, cultural persecution by the English (1840s-1850s) Germans:Economic depression & political unrest (1840s-1850s) Scandinavians: Poverty, shortage of farmland (1870s-1900s) Italians: Poverty & shortage of farmland (1880s-1920s) Jews from E. Europe: Political oppression & religious persecution; poverty (1880s-1920s) Pull Factors Chance to have a better life Religious & political freedom More jobs with good pay Streets are paved with gold Everyone’s dreams come true in America Land Education Free from fear of violence Push & Pull Factors of the 1800s

European Immigrants • How Many: 20 million • Before 1890: • “Old Immigrants” • From North & West Europe • England, France… • After 1890: • “New Immigrants” • From South & East Europe • Balkans, Italy, Austria • Where Settled: • Most on the East Coast • Some to the Midwest

Asian Immigrants Chinese Japanese How Many: 200,000 by 1920 Treated poorly… Gentlemen’s Agreement: Japan voluntarily limited immigration to the USA Where Settled: West Coast (California) • How Many: 300,000 by 1890 • Work: • Transcontinental Railroad • Manual & unskilled labor • Chinese Exclusion Act: • Prohibited all Chinese laborers from entering the country for 10 years b/c of job competition • Where Settled: • West Coast

Mexican Immigrants • How Many: 200,000 by 1910 • National Reclamation Act: • Encouraged immigration to the West to open new farm land • Gets more people farming in the West • Where Settled: • Southwest • Arizona, Texas, New Mexico & S. California

Russian Jews The Jews were leaving Russia in large numbers due to religious & political persecution

Coming to America • Most immigrants traveled by steamship • From Europe: 1 week • From Asia: 3 weeks • Traveling conditions were very bad • Overcrowded, unsanitary, no air, lice, no toilets or running water, often kept in cargo holds

Welcomed by the Statue of Liberty, many immigrants felt relief & excitement, eager to begin their new lives “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”

Ellis Island, NY • Immigration inspection station on the East Coast • Processed most European immigrants • Processing could take hours, maybe a day or two • Physical Exam; Contagious = home • Documentation Check • Literacy Exam • Ability to Work • $25 & “Good Luck” • Processed 200,000 million immigrants • 1905: 11,000 processed per day

Angel Island, CA • Immigration station on the West Coast • Processed most Asian immigrants • Processing could take days or weeks • Immigrants kept in awful conditions • Filthy & worn down • Detainees rioted in 1919, protested the bad conditions & treatment they received • Harsh questioning & long detentions

Religious Pluralism Refers to the many different religions immigrants bring to the US Irish – Catholic Asian – Buddhist Russian – Jewish, Orthodox

! Culture Shock ! Confusion resulting from living in a culture different from your own Many immigrants suffered from this as many American customs were different than their own Immigrant customs were found to be strange, weird, scary or dangerous by American standards

Ethnic Communities • Immigrants with a common background living in the same neighborhood • Chinatown, Little Italy, the Irish… • Ethnic neighborhoods were the center of social life for immigrants • Acted as a support system, a place to talk in native language, discuss experiences, home, etc. • It was a cultural bond that helped immigrants survive • Some immigrants began hyphenating their nationalities… • Italian-American, Irish-American…

Americanizing the Immigrants • Once in the US, immigrants were expected to give up their own culture & Americanize • Theories on how to Americanize the Immigrants • Assimilation: Immigrants should quickly learn English & adopt American culture • Melting Pot Theory: Immigrants would gradually blend in with American culture & combine the best qualities of other cultures • Blend American & other cultures to create a new type of culture • Cultural Pluralism: Each culture should practice its own customs & respect each other • However, the fastest way to American immigrants was through their children…

Schools • Were the fastest way to Americanize immigrants • Children adjust to new things faster than adults • Lesson were taught in English, in turn, the children would go home & teach their parents • In order to make the children “more American”, teachers would change foreign sounding names to American sounding names

Urbanization • Definition: The rapid growth of cities • People moving to the cities at a very fast pace • In 1840, there were 131 cities in the US – by 1900, there were 1700 American cities • Causes: • 2nd Industrial Revolution • Immigration Reasons People Moved to the City • Employment for skilled & unskilled laborers • Farmers moved to the cities because their jobs had been replaced with machines • Excitement • Restaurants, theatres, libraries – very different from small town life

Problems in Urban Society • Due to the rapid growth of the city, naturally, problems arise • Overcrowding • Increase in crime & rise in gang activity • Movie: Gangs of New York • Poor water quality & sanitation • Raw sewage dumped into river, streams & lakes that provided drinking water (YUCK!!)

Living Conditions • Many immigrants found themselves living in slums • Slums: Poor neighborhoods made up of tenement houses • Tenement Houses: Low income housing for immigrants • Poorly constructed, no sanitation, not kept up, very bad conditions, often 4-5 families in 1 tenement • Sometimes called railroad flats • Row Houses: Rows of tenement houses built close together

The Great Chicago Fire of 1871 • Burned for 29 hrs. • 300 dead • 3 sq. miles destroyed • 17,500 bldgs. destroyed • 100,000 left homeless • 1874: Sprinkler system invented

Division of American Society • Americans began to divide into classes based on wealth & social standing • Could tell what class you were by where you lived • Upper Class: People who made great fortunes, such as monopolists • Lived in large mansions with servants, collected art, held lavish parties, etc. • Carnegie, Rockefeller, Vanderbilt… • Lived in the city • Middle Class: Modest income & comfortable living situations • Teachers, managers, shop-keepers etc. • Conservative, politely mannered & patriotic • Lived on the outskirts of the city (suburb) • Working Class: Paid poor wages & lived in the slums • Immigrants, unskilled laborers • Often, the entire family had to work to pay expenses • Lived outside city, near rail yards & other “undesirable” places Working Class Middle Class Wealthy Class

Women • The role of women differed between the classes • Upper class women often planned parties & fell into traditional roles • Middle class women took part in civic activities, like their wealthy counterpart, but some worked as teachers • Working class women had to work to help the family survive • Worked in mills & factories; helped on farm & still did “women’s work” when they came home at night!

Jacob Riis • Wrote How the Other Half Lives • Focused on life in a working class neighborhood & family • Exposed problems in lower class areas, such as housing & pay

Reform Movements • People wanted to help those less fortunate • Many people felt they had a social obligation to help the poor • Many organizations will be created to help immigrants & working class families • Social Gospel Movement:Promised religious salvation by serving the poor • If you help the poor, you will go to heaven • Built churches in ethnic neighborhoods

Settlement Houses • Privately run neighborhood centers that provided services to the poor • Education, English classes, day/child care, health care etc. • Promoted culture, education etc… • Established in the slums & ethnic communities • Jane Addamsestablished Chicago’s Hull House in 1889 to assist the large immigrant population • Very successful • Offered a variety of courses from English & Civics, sewing & other skills to basic city survival tips

IMMIGRANT.--Can I come in?UNCLE SAM.--I 'spose you can; there's no law to keep you out.

Rise of Nativism • Not everyone is happy to help immigrants & the poor • Nativists favored native-born white Americans • Feared large number of immigrants would ruin the United States • Wanted immigrants to pass literacy exams to gain the right to vote • President Cleveland said “voting is based on opportunity, not ability” • However, no change for African Americans & women… • Supported & lobbied for legislation that would restrict immigration from the “wrong countries” • Wrong Countries were stagnant – Latin America, Asia, Slavic … • Right Counties were successful – Germany, Scandinavian…

Chinese Exclusion Act, 1882 • Asian immigrants were the most noticeable different • So duh, they are discriminated against the most • Banned all Chinese laborers for 10 years • Supported by labor unions • Renewed every 10 years until WWII

The Yellow Peril • In 1905, the Japanese defeated the Russians in the Russo-Japanese war • This scared the US to death – the fact that a little tiny county could defeat a very large country • Excessive fear of Japanese brought on by the Russo-Japanese War • Japanese were not allowed to own land, attend the same schools as other children etc. • This treatment angered those in Japan • The Gentleman’s Agreement:Japan voluntarily limited immigration to the US

Goal 5.01: Immigration & Urbanization 1870 - 1914