1.5 The New Immigrants:
Through the “Golden Door”
Essential Questions:
What were the push and pull factors
that lead to an increased immigration
rate in America during the late 1800s
and early 1900s?
Who were the nativists and how did
they respond to immigration?
?Questions to Consider?
• What were the main reasons why so many people fled
to the United States in the late 1800s?
• Where were most immigrants from?
• Which group has, for years, been discriminated against
and hated leading to a constant movement?
• Why do so many people immigrate to the US today
(past and present)
• Do you think that they are right in their assumptions?
• Are they welcome typically? Why?
• Why do you think the immigrants of the late 1800s and
early 1900s are referred to as “New” immigrants?
• They were culturally different from most earlier
immigrants
Naturalization Test
• First – Take the Naturalization Test on your
own
• This is the same test that all immigrants in the
late 1800s had to take in order to pass
through Ellis or Angel Island and become a US
citizen.
• Would you pass today if you were an
immigrant?
• Finally, let’s look at the new Naturalization
Test that Immigrants have to pass today
America the Melting Pot
• What does referring to America as a melting
pot actually mean?
• We are a mixture of people of different races
and cultures blended together, sometimes by
the abandoning of native languages and
customs
Europeans on the East Coast
• Between 1870-1920 20 million Europeans
arrived in the US
• Before 1890, majority of immigrants came
from western and northern Europe, but after
most came from eastern and southern Europe
(culturally different “New” immigrants)
– In 1907 alone, about 1 million arrived from Italy,
Austria-Hungary, and Russia
Why the Migration?
• Most left to escape religious persecution
• Whole groups of Jews (Zionists) were driven out
of Russia where organized attacks were common
due to anti-Semitism
• Others left due to rising populations – why leave
because of this?
– 1800-1900 – Population in Europe doubled to nearly
400 million
– Comparison – How many people live in all of the US
today?
• 316 million
– Europe’s landmass account for only 3% of earth’s total
landmass
Chinese and Japanese on the West
Coast
• Between 1851-1883 about 300,000 Chinese
immigrants arrived on the West Coast
• Why?
– They came to seek fortune since hearing of gold being
discovered in 1848 – Sparking the 1849 California gold
rush (49ers)
– They later would build the RRs considering the fact
that few found their fortune
– When that was done, they turned to farming, other
mining, or domestic service
– To prevent more immigration of Chinese to the West
Coast – gov’t passed a congressional act in 1882 that
limited their immigration
Hawaii and Japan
• In 1884 – the Japanese gov’t allowed
Hawaiian planters to recruit Japanese workers
– Japanese immigration boom occurred
• 1898 – US annexes Hawaii
– Now that Hawaii is part of US, Japanese can
migrate to US mainland – another boom
• By 1920 more than 200,000 Japanese lived on
the West Coast
The West Indies
• Between 1880-1920 about 260,000 immigrants
arrived in the eastern and southern US from the
West Indies
– They came from Jamaica, Cuba, Puerto Rico, etc
– Why? - because jobs were scarce and the industrial
boom in US promised many jobs
Mexico
• Mexicans also immigrated to find work, and to
flee political turmoil
– In 1902 the National Reclamation Act, which
encouraged the irrigation of arid land, created
new farmland in the West drawing in Mexican
workers
– After 1910, political and social upheavals in
Mexico prompted even more immigration
– About 700,000 people – 7%of pop. in Mexico at
time, came to US over the next 20 years
???
Life in New Land
• By the 1870s almost all immigrants traveled by
steamship – imagine this for a second
– Traveling across the Atlantic from Europe took a week,
depending on weather
– Traveling from Asia took 3 weeks
– Most traveled in “steerage”
• Not allowed on the deck
• Cramped and crowded in tiny dark rooms unable to get fresh
air or exercise
• Bunks were louse-infested and they had to share toilettes –
disease spread rapidly – some died before they made it
• What do you
notice about
this picture?
Why would someone knowingly go
through this to get to America???
• Words from an Italian immigrant:
– America! . . . We were so near it seemed too much to
believe. Everyone stood silent - like a prayer . . . Then
we were entering the harbor. The land came so near
we could almost reach out and touch it . . . Everyone
was holding their breath. Me too . . . Some boats had
bands playing on their decks and all of them were
tooting their horns to us and leaving white trails in the
water behind them.
Rosa: The Life of an Italian Immigrant
There were Two Primary Processing
Checkpoints for All Immigrants
Ellis Island
• East Coast
• Mainly European Immigrants
Angel Island
• West Coast
• Mainly Asian Immigrants
Ellis Island for the East Coast
• Of course there was the initial excitement for
the immigrants, but soon the realization set in
that they were in a foreign country
• The most worrisome part was whether they
would actually be admitted into the US
– They had to pass an inspection at the immigration
stations, such as the one on Ellis Island in New
York Harbor
• 20% were detained for a day before even being
inspected
• Only 2% though were ever turned away
The Inspection Process
• Typically took around 5 hours
– First Step – Physical exam by a doctor
• Healthy were sent to next step
• Any who had contagious diseases or really sick were sent
back to their country
– Second Step – Government Inspection
• Checking of documents and questioning to determine if they
met the legal requirements
– Had to prove they had never been convicted of a felony
– Had to demonstrate they were able to work
– Had to show they had some money (at least $25 after 1909)
• From 1892-1924 nearly 17 mil immigrants passed
through Ellis Island
• Read through the citizenship test scores to gain
perspective on what immigrants were responsible
to do during inspection
Angel Island for the West Coast
• Angel Island was the main immigrant
processing station for the West Coast
– Primary immigrants were Chinese and Japanese
– Between 1910-1940 about 50,000 Chinese
entered the US through Angel Island
– Processing was very different – not in a good way
• Immigrants endured harsh questioning
• Long detention in filthy ramshackle buildings
Cultural Groups Stick Together
• Once admitted, most immigrants sought each
other out to create communities of the same
culture
– They would combine money to build synagogues,
churches, cemeteries, and social clubs
– They also published community newspapers in
their language
• Between 1880 and 1900, most immigrants
coming to the US settled in the cities – Why?
– Factory jobs were readily available
“Hyphenated” Americans
• Have you ever heard someone referred to as
“Mexican-American”, “Irish-American”, or any
other hyphenated American?
• Just as much as they stuck together, immigrants
also tried to establish an American identity
• But the Polish- and Italian- and ChineseAmericans experienced extreme friction from all
the “native-born” people in the US
• Why?
– They were unfamiliar with their culture – unfamiliarity
leads to fear and confusion – unease
– People see immigrants as a threat to the “American
way” of life
The Rise of Nativism
• One explanation as to why so many people
disliked the immigrants is nativism
• Nativism is overt favoritism toward nativeborn Americans
– This mentality gave rise to anti-immigrant groups,
and a rise in immigrant restrictions
– Many nativists believed the Anglo-Saxons, or
Germanic ancestors of the English, were superior
to other ethnic groups
– Therefore, some immigrants were “the right kind”
but they had to come from the right countries
Prescott F. Hall Describes the “Right”
Immigrants
• Prescott F. Hall was the founder of the
Immigration Restriction League (formed in 1894)
• He described a desirable immigrant as “British,
German, and Scandinavian stock, historically free,
energetic, progressive.”
• He and other nativists thought all problems were
caused by the “wrong” immigrants
– Those who were “Slav, Latin, and Asiatic race,
historically down-trodden . . . And stagnant.”
The Major Objection
• Of all the traits that make up a specific
culture, which trait do you think most nativists
objected to the most?
– RELIGION
• Many native-born were Protestant
• They thought the Roman Catholic and Jewish
immigrants would undermine the democratic
institutions established by the first Protestant
founders
• Now, what will this eventually lead to???
Nativists Take Action
• In 1887 the American Protective Association
was formed to launch vicious anti-Catholic
attacks
– In addition, they insisted that colleges, businesses,
and social clubs refuse to admit Jews
• In 1897 they influenced Congress to pass a bill
requiring a literacy test for immigrants
– Those who could not read 40 words in English or
their native tongue would be refused entry into
the US
– In essence, Nativists got Congress to pass laws
that restricted immigration in the US
Anti-Asian Sentiment
• In the West, the nativist movement took a
greater hold in business
– Native-born feared losing their jobs to immigrants
who would accept lower wages
• In 1873, during the mini-depression, the antiAsian sentiment increased in California
– Work was hard to find and the groups pressured
local governments to restrict Asian immigration
– The founder of the Workingmen’s Party, Denis
Kearney, gave speeches all over California in which
he would declare “The Chinese must go!”
The Chinese Exclusion Act
• In 1882, Congress slammed the door on
Chinese immigration for ten years by passing
the Chinese Exclusion Act
– Banned all entry to Chinese except for students,
teachers, merchants, tourists, and government
officials
• In 1892, Congress extended the law for
another ten years
• In 1902, Chinese immigration was restricted
indefinitely
– This law was not repealed until 1943
Hate is Transferred
• Soon the same Anti-Chinese movement would
transfer to the Japanese and other Asian
people in the early 1900s
• In 1906, the local board of education in San
Francisco segregated Japanese children
– put them in separate schools
– Japan raised an angry protest at this treatment of
its emigrants
The Gentlemen’s Agreement
• Due to the increasing tension between
California and Japan, Theodore Roosevelt
worked out a deal
• Gentlemen’s Agreement of 1907-1908
– Japan’s gov’t agreed to limit emigration of
unskilled workers to the US
– in exchange for the repeal of the San Francisco
segregation order
Answer the Essential Questions
What were the push and pull factors
that lead to an increased immigration
rate in America during the late 1800s
and early 1900s?
Who were the nativists and how did
they respond to immigration?