Coming to america

1. Coming to america Immigration

2. Why immigrants came • In the late 19th century, Europeans flooded American cities in search of work and homes • “PULL” FACTORS • Freedom • Economic • Opportunity • Cultural Ties • Jobs • “PUSH” FACTORS • Oppression • Poverty • War • Religious/ • Ethnic • Persecution

3. Continued… • America is a country founded by immigrants • Push factors are those reasons people are being pushed away from their country • Pull factors are the things that are drawing them to a new country • Immigrants saw the U.S. as a land of unbounded opportunity • They fled oppressive regimes in Europe and Asia to live in a democratic society

4. Shifting patterns • Before 1880, most immigrants to America came from Northern Europe (Britain, Ireland, Germany), were Protestant or Irish Catholic, and spoke English • 1880-1920 – Railroads and large ocean-going steamships made the voyage to America more possible for many Europeans. • Most of these “New Immigrants” came from Southern and Eastern Europe (Poland, Italy, Greece, Russia) • Most were not Protestant • Most spoke little or no English

5. The immigrant experience • Steerage • An open room below the water line • Often had a single bag of possessions • Could assemble on the ship’s deck on clear days for fresh air and sunshine • Processed on Ellis Island in New York Harbor

6. Continued… • Initial Hardships • Most settled in cities (many stayed in N.Y.) • Usually poor • Dressed differently • Unfamiliar with American customs • Lived in crowded tenement buildings • Worked at unskilled jobs for low wages • Faced hostility and discrimination • Though America was not always what they hoped for, they appreciated the new opportunities for themselves and their children

7. Continued… • Ethnic Ghettos • To cope with problems, immigrants usually settled with relatives or others of same nationality • These ethnic neighborhoods became know as ghettos • Retained language and customs • Attended their own churches and synagogues • Newspapers in their own language • Isolated them from mainstream American life and made it harder for them to adapt

8. The process of americanization • Most immigrants were too busy working and caring for families to learn language or new culture (some adults attended night school) • It was left to their children to learn English and become “Americanized” (dress, speech, etc.) • Immigrant children became assimilated • America was seen as a “melting pot” in which immigrants were melted down and reshaped (public schools helped this process) • Often “Americanization” created conflict between parents and their children

9. The rise of nativism • Hostility toward immigrants mounted as numbers increased • Nativists (those born or native the the U.S.) wanted restrictions on immigration • Believed that other races were inferior (especially non-whites) • Feared that “New Immigrants” could never be fully absorbed into American society • Argued that they took jobs from Americans because they worked for lower wages

10. Early restrictions on immigration • Chinese Exclusion Act (1882) • 1st federal law to restrict immigration • Reflected American prejudices against Asians • Chinese workers were blamed for unemployment and decline in wages in California • Temporarily banned Chinese immigrant workers • Placed new requirements on Chinese already here • State and federal courts were denied the ability to grant citizenship to Chinese residents (American leaders carefully negotiated with Chinese gov’t. to enforce the ban)