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OLD vs. NEW IMMIGRATION. Coming To America. AMERICA Written by Neil Diamond
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Coming To America AMERICA Written by Neil Diamond FarWe've been traveling farWithout a homeBut not without a starFreeOnly want to be freeWe huddle closeHang on to a dreamOn the boats and on the planesThey're coming to AmericaNever looking back againThey're coming to AmericaHome, don't it seem so far awayOh, we're traveling light todayIn the eye of the stormIn the eye of the stormHome, to a new and a shiny placeMake our bed, and we'll say our graceFreedom's light burning warmFreedom's light burning warmEverywhere around the worldThey're coming to AmericaEvery time that flag's unfurledThey're coming to AmericaGot a dream to take them thereThey're coming to AmericaGot a dream they've come to shareThey're coming to AmericaThey're coming to AmericaThey're coming to AmericaThey're coming to AmericaThey're coming to AmericaToday, today, today, today, todayMy country 'tis of theeTodaySweet land of libertyTodayOf thee I singTodayOf thee I singToday
Old Immigrants – before 1865 • Came for Political, Economic and Social Factors • Before the Civil War America had an open immigration policy. • Anyone could come here with no restrictions. • Immigrants at this time were considered the "OLD IMMIGRANTS.“
Old Immigrants : 1607-1850s • Came from NW Europe • Mostly English and German • Some French & Dutch • These immigrants were light skinned and had light eyes and hair • Protestant Religion
Immigration After 1865 • After the Civil War, which ended in 1865, Americans began to want to restrict immigration. • Groups called nativists formed to oppose immigration. The Ku Klux Klanand the Know Nothingswere nativists groups. • Nativist: a group of people who favored native-born Americans over immigrants.
NATIVISM in USA Anti-Immigrant Sentiment • Competition for JOBS • Cheap Labor • Fear injection of Immigrant values, ideas, politics into “American” culture
GANGS OF NEW YORK • Old Immigrant “Natives” (English, German, Dutch) • vs. • Immigrant Irish
Immigration from 1890 – 1920 • A look at the statistics shows that immigration continued to increase tremendously in the late 1800s. • By the 1900's, it began to drop. • The 1921 Emergency Quota Act(also known as the National Origins Act) further restricted immigration. • The immigrants most affected were different from the Old Immigrants and were called NEW IMMIGRANTS.
New Immigrants1860s – 1920s • Came from Eastern & Southern Europe. • These immigrants were Russians, Polish, Italians, Irish, (Chinese out W.) • Jews from Poland and Russia • Their religions were different from the Old Immigrants (Catholic and Jewish). • They were typically darker in color with darker hair and eyes.
Ellis Island, New York Bay (Across from Manhattan & next to the Statue of Liberty) Immigrant Life in America
West Coast Immigration • Angel Island (In San Francisco Bay near Oakland)
Immigrant Occupations • Mine Workers, Cigar Factory workers in 1927
Immigration Act of 1924 • “National Origins Act” (“Quota Act”) • Greatly reduced the number of immigrants to the USA • Unfairly targeted E. European immigrants (Polish, Slavic, Russian)
Typical Immigrant Occupations • Italian & Polish men = building trades • Eastern European men = mines & steel mills • French Canadians = New England textile mills • Jewish men & women & Italian women= garment industry • Greeks & Chinese = opened businesses like laundries & restaurants • All careers required long hours & hard labor. (They often worked 15 hour days in adverse conditions to pay for family necessities.)