Chapter 15
Immigrants
And
Urbanization
• From the end of the Civil War until the
beginning of the 20th Century, the size of US
cities increased rapidly; this is known as
urban growth.
• In the West, new towns grew out of nothing as
RR and settlements took hold.
• In the East, established cities grew in
population due to industrialization and the
jobs it created.
• Millions of immigrants came to the U.S. during
the 19th and 20th Centuries in search of a
better life.
• Some hoped to escape famine, land
shortages, or religious/political persecution.
• Others only sought to temporarily earn money
and return to their homelands.
• Immigrants came from Europe, China, Japan, West
Indies, and Mexico.
• Europeans arrived at the East coast:
Before 1890-came from Northern and Western Europe
After 1890- came from Southern and Eastern Europe
• Chinese and Japanese arrived at the West coast in
small numbers, which were limited by the gov’t.
• Most immigrants traveled via steamship to
the U.S.
• The journey could take several weeks.
• Many immigrants were put into crowded, filthy
quarters and hoped to survive the passage
without sickness/disease.
• Upon arrival, many immigrants faced the
possibility of being sent back home.
• When arriving at the East coast, immigrants
landed at Ellis Island in NY Harbor.
– Ellis Island was opened in 1892 as a reception
center for the many new immigrants coming to
the US
• The process could take 5+ hours.
• Immigrants had to pass a physical exam,
interview with a gov’t inspector, and prove
their mental abilities.
• Those arriving at the West coast entered at
Angel Island in San Francisco Bay.
• Immigrants (mostly Chinese) faced harsher
questioning and a long stay in bad conditions.
• Once admitted to the country immigrants
faced the obstacles of finding a place to live,
finding work, and learning the language.
• Many found people of common origins and
formed communities together.
• They often kept the culture of their home
country alive by building cultural stores,
churches, and other groups.
• Native-born Americans tended to think of the
U.S. as a melting pot-mixture of people and
cultures who blended together and
abandoned native ways for American ways.
• This encouraged the ideas of nativism-favoring
native-born citizens over immigrants.
• Nativists believed certain races were inferior and
objected to their religious and social beliefs.
• The American Protective Association restricted the
rights of Catholics and Jews.
• The Immigration Restriction League influenced
Congress to require a literacy test for immigrants.
• Congress also passed the Chinese Exclusion
Act in 1882 to ban Chinese immigration. It
stayed in effect until 1943.
• Only students, teachers, merchants, tourists,
and gov’t officials were allowed.
•
Looking Backward
• During the 19th and 20th Centuries
industrialization would lead to urbanizationrapid growth of cities, especially in the
Northeast and Midwest.
• Because of immigration, the Americanization
movement was created to assimilate people
of different cultures into the dominant
culture.
• This movement was sponsored by gov’t officials,
schools, and volunteer groups who taught about
citizenship, English, History, social etiquette, and
American culture.
• As populations increased, so did the problems faced
by city gov’ts:
• Housing (tenement homes)
• Transportation (mass transit-electric trolleys)
• Water
• Sanitation
• Crime
• Fires
• All of these problems led to the Social Gospel
Movement which encouraged helping the urban
poor.
• Some reformers built settlement houses or
community centers.
– Jane Addams opened the Hull House in Chicago. It not only
helped the urban poor, but served as a launching pad for
investigations into the political, economic, and social
conditions in the city.
• These centers provided assistance for the poor and
educated people about urban problems.
JANE ADDAMS