Changing Demographics (a mel ting pot society)

1. IMMIGRATION: THE GILDED AGE Changing Demographics(a mel ting pot society)

3. WHY? • Immigrants came to American shores for many reasons. • To escape Famine • To gain land • To find religious or political freedom • Some Immigrants only intended to stay in America for a short time and then to return to their homes. They were known as “Birds of Passage”

4. WHY? • European • Escape religious persecution • Rising populations @ home • Between 1800 & 1900 the European population doubled • Too few Jobs • Reform • They typically came through Ellis Island

5. WHY? • Chinese & Japanese • They arrived on the West coast in smaller numbers than the European immigrants. • Came to get jobs with the American Railroad CO. • Came to find fortune : Gold Rush • The Japanese government allowed the Hawaiian government recruit in Japan for planters. • With the annexation of Hawaii in 1898 Japanese immigration to US increased. • They typically came through Angel Island

6. WHY? • The West Indies & Mexico • Came from Jamaica, Cuba, Puerto Rico, and other Islands. • Jobs were scarce and the US was experiencing an industrial upsurge. • Came from Mexico • Land drew immigrants north “National Reclamation Act” • Political & Social Upheaval in Mexico.

7. Old Immigrants1840 and 1880 • They were from Northern and Western Europe • mainly white, English speaking protestants • lots went to cities (especially Irish) but many went to country to farm – less visible • “The term Old Immigrant refers to someone who came to the United States from Northern or Western Europe (i.e. Britain, France, Germany or Scandinavia)”

8. Old Immigrants1840 and 1880 The old immigrants. . . • came from northern or western Europe • were Protestant • were literate and skilled • came over as families • were quick to assimilate • were experienced in the ways of democracy • had some money in their pockets • were tall and fair • England, Scotland, Sweden, Germany, Ireland, China, Japan and Mexico.

9. New Immigrants • “new” immigrants of Gilded Age were from Southern & Eastern Europe. • didn’t speak English • tended to congregate in cities in ethnic communities • not protestant • associated with countries that had history of non-democratic rulers

10. New Immigrants1880 and 1930 The new immigrants. . . • came from southern or eastern Europe • were not Protestant--were Catholic, Orthodox, Jewish • were illiterate and unskilled • came over as birds of passage • clannish and reluctant to assimilate • were radicals or autocrats • arrived impoverished • were short and dark • Italians, Polish, and Eastern European Jews

11. Ellis Island • It is located at the mouth of the Hudson River in New York Harbor. • Ellis Island was the location of the main entry facility for European immigrants entering the United States • An estimated 17 million immigrants passed through its noisy bustling facilities

12. Admittance • 20 % of immigrants at Ellis Island were detained for a day or more before being inspected. • The process of Immigrant Inspection was an ordeal that might take five hours or more • 1st: Physical Examination • Anyone with a disease, or serious health problem were sent home • Document check • Questioning to determine legal requirements • Prove that they had never been convicted of a felony • Demonstration an ability to work, • Show that they possessed money

13. Angel Island • Located in San Francisco Bay • The Immigration Station on the northeast corner of the island processed approximately one million Asian immigrants (primarily Chinese) • Between 1910 & 1940 about 50,000 Chinese immigrants entered the US through Angel Island

14. Admittance • Immigrants endured harsh questioning • A long detention period was required • Immigrants were forced to live in filthy ramshackle buildings while waiting to find out whether they would be admitted or rejected.

16. Sparks Wave of Nativismand/or Xenophobia

17. Immigration Restrictions • As immigration increases strong anti- immigrant feelings emerged particularly toward “New Immigrants” because they did not assimilate as quickly • Nativism: favoritism to American-born • Laundromats in San Francisco against Chinese • Xenophobia : fear of different races

18. The Rise of Nativism • Nativism gave rise to anti- immigrant groups and led to a demand for immigration restrictions. • “New Immigrants” caused an increase in nativism because they were very different from average Americans and did not assimilate quickly.

19. Nativist Laws

20. Nativist Laws • many union disliked foreigners for “taking their jobs” • as city life grew, filth and disease associated with city became associated with immigrant groups • Nativism found a foothold in the labor movement particularly in the West • The Asian immigrants were the hardest hit by the Nativist laws because native born workers feared that jobs would go to Chinese immigrants who would accept lower wages.

22. Nativist Laws • 1850: Foreign Miners Tax • placed tax on non-native born miners in CA gold rush • IE: Chinese, Japanese, German • 1882: Chinese Exclusion Act • It decreased Chinese immigration. The act prohibited Chinese from immigrating and/or becoming citizens (stirred by large number of Chinese in CA) • Ultimately it totally banned Chinese From America

23. Nativist Laws • 1908: Gentlemen’s Agreement • It decreased Japanese immigration. It was an agreement between U.S. and Japan to halt immigration of Japanese to U.S. – helped Japan who feared losing it’s “best and brightest” and U.S. who feared losing it’s “white” culture • 1924: Immigration Act Set immigration quotas of 3% based on immigration in 1890 (highly favored Northern and Western European immigrants

24. Efforts at assimilation

25. Efforts at assimilation • settlement houses – a community center for immigrants typically set up by middle class women, that provided help in finding work and a place to learn English (meant to help immigrants assimilate)

26. What do the shadows represent? • What Gilded age ideal do the men on the dock represent?

27. URBANIZATION

28. A result of immigration and the increased productivity of factory jobs Urbanization: The Result of rapid city growth as a result of the technological boom in the 19th century.

29. City Settlement • Most immigrants lived in Cities. • They were Cheap • Cities were convenient places to live • Offered unskilled laborers steady jobs in factories • BY 1910 immigrant families made up more than half the total population of the 18 major American cities.

30. Americanization Movement • Designed to assimilate people of various cultures into the dominant culture. • Sponsored by the United States Government • Schools and Voluntary associations provided assimilation programs • Teach English Language • Cooking • Social Etiquette

31. Migration • Job competition between blacks and white immigrants caused further racial tension • Rapid improvements in farm equipment meant fewer laborers were needed to work the land. • Many southern farmers who lost their jobs and had to move to cities were African Americans.

32. Urban Problems • Housing • Transportation • Water • Sanitation • Crime • Fire

33. Housing • Two housing options • Buy a house outside town and commute • Rent cramped rooms in boarding houses • As Urban population increased new housing was designed • Row Houses: single family dwellings that shared side walls with other similar houses therefore saving space and allowing more houses • Tenements: Multifamily urban dwellings

35. Transportation • Mass Transit: Transportation systems designed to move large numbers of people along fixed routes. • Cities struggled to repair old transit systems & build new ones to meet the demand of expanding populations • Water • Most homes in large cities seldom had indoor plumbing and residents had to collect water in pails from faucets on the street • Water quality improvement was vital to controlling diseases such as cholera & typhoid fever • Filtration was introduced in the 1870s and chlorination in 1908 • Sanitation • City growth caused an increase in sanitation problems • Horse manure piled up on the streets, sewage overflowed from gutters, factories released chemicals in the air • People dumped garbage on streets (no trash pick up) • By 1900 many cities had developed sewer lines and created sanitation departments.

37. Fire Cities were packed with wooden living structures Sever limited water supply Use of Kerosene and heaters posed fire hazards Most firefighters originally were volunteers and not always available when needed. First paid FDP was in 1853 CrimePickpockets and thieves thrived during urbanizationNY City organized the 1st full time Police Force 1844

38. Reformers • As problems in cities increased Social welfare reformers targeted relief for urban poverty

39. Settlement House Movement • Social Gospel movement • Preached salvation through service to the poor. • Settlement houses • They were founded in the late 1800s by social reformers. • They were largely run by middle-class, college-educated women • Provided educational, cultural and social services. • Provided classes in English, health, painting, and offered college extension courses. • They helped to cultivate social responsibility toward the urban poor.

40. Settlement House Movement • They were founded by • Charles Stover • Stanton Coit • Ellen Gates Starr • Lillian Wald • Robert A Wood • Jane Addams :One of the most influential members of the movement, she won a Nobel Peace Prize