Immigration to America in the early 20th Century: Origins, Challenges, and Assimilation

1. What region in Europe was the source of the most immigrants to America at the turn of the 20th Century?

2. Who were the “new” immigrants? After 1890, most “new” immigrants were from Southern and Eastern Europe Before 1890, most immigrants were from Northern and Western Europe

3. Reasons for immigration: “Push” Factors Poverty Persecution Unemployment Famine Political Anti- Semitism Overpopulation

4. Reasons for immigration: “Pull” Factors Employment Steamboat Ads “Streets Paved with Gold” Religious Freedom Political Freedom

5. America as a land of opportunity and freedom

6. The Journey Titanic Journey: 3,000 miles, 2-3 weeks Steerage- 3rd class, below deck- cargo section of steamboat

7. “First-Class people, all the rich people, were way above. I’d look up at them, they were all dressed nice, and we were like a flock of sheep down below.” Paulina Caramando, Sicily

8. Fresh Air

9. The Statue of Liberty was a sign the immigrants had made it to America “Give me your tired ,your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free” Emma Lazarus, 1883

10. Ellis Island- primary processing station for European immigrants (1892-1954)— 1907 peak year with 11,747 in one day!

11. ID Tags

12. “Line inspection”- doctors observe immigrants for physical or mental “defects”

13. Check for trachoma, contagious eye disease

14. “Registry Room”- immigrants questioned about political beliefs, marital status, prospective employment, skills, etc.

15. 80% of immigrants through Ellis Island “admitted” to America

16. “New” immigrants (Slavs, Italians, Poles) contributed the primary labor force for America’s Industrial Revolution Textile Mills, Steel Mills, Coal Mines— low pay and dangerous conditions

17. “Nativist” Resistance (1880-1910) 8.4 million immigrants arrived 1,285,000 in 1907 Immigration Restriction League, American Protective Association fear immigrants would take jobs, prejudice based on religious and cultural differences

21. Eugenics- “well-born,” belief that through selective “breeding” humans could improve their condition- poverty, alcoholism, thievery, etc. were inherited traits (favored sterilization, euthanasia of “defected” babies, execution of “feeble minded”, no intermarriage, limitation of “new” immigrants) "The population of the United States will, on account of the great influx of blood from Southeastern Europe, rapidly become darker in pigmentation, smaller in stature, more given to crimes of larceny, kidnapping, assault, murder, rape and sex immorality. And the ratio of insanity in the population will rapidly increase." Charles Davenport, 1911 Eugenics Records Office

22. “Black Stork” Dr. Haiselden allowed children with “defects” to die– supported by some as humane

23. Advice Books

24. Every 7 ½ minutes a high grade person is born who will have ability to do creative work and be fit for leadership. About 4% of all Americans. Every 18 seconds a person is born who will never develop mentally beyond a normal 8 yr. old Every 50 seconds a person is put in jail. Very few normal persons go to jail. Every 16 seconds a person is born in U.S.

25. “Every 15 seconds $100 of your money goes for the case of persons with bad heredity such as the insane feeble minded criminals and other defectives”

26. Fitter Family Contests- measured beauty, intelligence, morality, mental health

27. What does this political cartoon suggest to solve the immigrant problem?

28. Congress Acts to “Protect” America from “inferior” peoples- “genetic suicide” Immigration Restriction Act of 1921 (Emergency Quota Act)- limit each nationality to 3% of census in 1910 Johnson-Reid Act 1924- limited each nationality to 2% of census in 1890 ***Both lows cut off most immigration to America for several decades

29. Huge influx of immigrants lead to the development of cities (urbanization): New York, Chicago, Detroit, Cleveland, Pittsburgh Factories provide jobs but workers often lived in poor conditions. Tenements- cheap housing in city multifamily dwellings

30. Slums associated with overcrowding and poor sanitation

36. Little Italy To cope in their new surroundings immigrants often settled in ethnic neighborhoods Chinatown

37. Rapid growth of cities caused housing shortages and need for new public services- sewage and water systems and public transportation N.Y. City 1st subway system

38. Richmond, Va. installs 1st electric streetcar/ trolley

39. Becoming American Immigrants began process of assimilation- “Melting Pot” Children learn English, American customs, citizenship. Public school served an essential role in assimilation. What does this process of assimilation resemble?

40. QUESTION: What if immigrants worked hard and learned English and still were poor? What social theory attempted to explain why many “new” immigrants lived in poor slums at the turn of the 20th? Social Darwinism- “survival of the fittest”

41. Jane Adams- opens settlement house in Chicago called Hull House. Outlet for charity work. Rejected blaming immigrants for being poor.

42. Hull House provided classes-- English, civics, cooking, dress making kindergarten, laundry, employment, day care, legal aid, health care

43. Charles Loring Brace- founded New York Children’s Aid Society alternative to slums- Young Men’s Christian Association (YMCA)

44. Brace- takes on issue of orphans Orphan Trains--- children taken from streets and sent to western farms, Christian families