Immigrationand the

1
Immigration and the Melting Pot (1890-1920)

• U.S. History

2
Immigration

• Reasons for Immigration push/pull factors
• Religious Freedom Jews in Eastern
  Europe/Pogroms
• Employment/Better Wages
• Political Freedom Russians

3
Immigration

• Who came to the United States?
• Mid 1800s British/Irish (NW Europe)
• Late 1800s Italians, Russian Jews, Greeks,
  Slavs, Armenians, Japanese, Chinese, etc.
• VAST differences in groups that came customs,
  language, religion, etc.

4
Immigration

• How did they get here?
• Large steamships carried immigrants to the United
  States
• Took roughly one week to get to the U.S. from
  Europe, three weeks from Asia
• Three classes on the steamships carrying
  immigrants
• First class
• Second class
• Steerage lower class, smelly conditions,
  cheaper ticket (30)
• Played cards, sang songs, or rehearsed answers
  for the inspection questions with each other
• Learned language constantly

5
Immigration

• What happened when an immigrant got to the United
  States?
• Most went through a large naturalization center
• New York Ellis Island
• San Francisco Angel Island
• Some went to smaller cities or ports Savannah,
  Boston, Seattle
• Had to be tested for diseases dont spread
  unwanted diseases to rest of U.S.
• Had to have documents from other countries
• Had to be mentally fit intelligence tests

6
Immigration

• Response to immigrants from mainstream U.S.
  society
• Nativism favored native-born Americans
• Had problems with ethnic groups stagnant and
  downtrodden
• Had problems with religion Catholics in a
  Protestant Nation?
• Chinese Exclusion Act Chinese workers arent
  allowed entry from 1882 to 1943only teachers,
  students, tourists, etc.

7
Immigration

• What did most immigrants do when they got here?
• Looked for work closest place was in cities
• Many families lived in extremely cramped
  conditions in the city called tenements
• Unsanitary, no electricity, etc.

8
Immigration

• Reforms for immigrants
• Many reform movements begin to pop up as a result
  of the plight of immigrants
• Settlement Houses similar to a YMCA
• Famous settlement house Hull House in Chicago
  (Jane Addams)