UNIT 6: IMMIGRATION,
PROGRESSIVISM, AND
IMPERIALISM
The New Immigrants

Main Idea – Immigration reached a new high in the
late 19th and early 20th centuries. Most immigrants
during this time period came from Southern and
Eastern Europe as well as Asia. These immigrants
often faced hardships and hostility from native-born
Americans.
Through the golden door
•
Background: Millions of
immigrants entered the U.S. in
the late 19th and early 20th
centuries
•
•
“push” factors (reasons to
leave their homeland) =
famine, land shortages,
religious or political persecution
“pull” factors (reason to come
to the U.S. ) = economic
opportunity, freedom from
persecution
Old Immigrants
•
Immigrants who came to the
U.S. prior to 1871, usually
from countries in Northern
and Western Europe
•
•
Ex: Great Britain, Ireland,
Germany, Norway, Sweden
Many worked on canals or
railroads, or in textile mills in
the North and Midwest
New Immigrants
•
Immigrants who came to the
U.S. from 1871 to 1921,
usually from countries in
Southern and Eastern Europe
•
•
•
Ex: Italy, Greece, Poland,
Russia, Austria-Hungary
Many worked in textile or
steel mills, or in coal mines in
the Northeast
Many worked in clothing
industry in New York City
Asian immigration
•
Smaller numbers of
immigrants from China and
Japan came to the West
coast of the U.S. between
1851-1883
•
•
Ex: China, Japan
Many Chinese immigrants
helped to build the
Transcontinental Railroad
Entering the United States
Ellis Island
Angel Island
Ellis Island

Immigration center in New
York harbor (1892-1924)


Located near the Statue of
Liberty = first view of U.S. for
many immigrants
Immigrants had to pass
inspection to gain entry to the
U.S.



Inspection = physical exam,
legal/document inspection,
proof of no criminal record,
proof of ability to work
Significance – 17 million
immigrants entered the U.S.
through Ellis Island
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5rredHTyKaQ
Angel Island
•
Immigration center in San
Francisco (1910-1940)
•
•
Inspection process was
more difficult than at Ellis
Island
Significance – 50,000
Chinese immigrants
entered U.S. through Angle
Island
Assimilation
•
Most immigrants settled in urban
ethnic neighborhoods = areas
with people of the same
ethnicity, culture, religion, and
language
•
•
Made assimilation into American
society easier
Most immigrants worked hard to
learn English, adopt American
customs, and become American
citizens
•
Public schools = essential in the
process of assimilating children of
immigrants
Melting Pot

A mixture of people
of different cultures
and races who
blended together by
abandoning their
native languages and
customs
Nativism
•
Favoritism of native-born
Americans combined with antiimmigrant feelings
•
•
•
Fear that immigrants would take
jobs for lower pay than
American workers
Resentment that many immigrants
did not give up their unique
cultural identities
Prejudice based on religious,
cultural, and racial differences
Immigration Restriction Legislation
•
•
Chinese Exclusion Act of
1882 – 10 year ban on all
Chinese immigration
Immigration Restriction Act
of 1921 – aimed at
severely restricting the
immigration totals of
Southern and Eastern
European immigrants
Stop and Think!

How did immigrants cope after arriving in America?

What troubles did they face?
Three-Sentence Wrap-Up



Summarize what we have talked about in three
sentences or less.
Partner up. Read summaries and refine.
Turn in.
Progressive Era
1890-1920
Main Idea
Political, economic, and social change in late 19th
century America led to broad progressive reforms.
What is meant by “Gilded Age”

In American history, the Gilded
Age refers to substantial
growth in population in the
United States and extravagant
displays of wealth and excess
of America's upper-class
during the post-Civil War and
post-Reconstruction era, in the
late 19th century (18651901). The wealth polarization
derived primarily from
industrial and population
expansion.
Urbanization in the Gilded Age
 Centers
for manufacturing and transportation –
created industrial jobs
 Harsh conditions for laborers in slums and
tenements
 Need for better public services
 Sewage
and water systems were improved
 Public transportation systems were improved

Trolley, streetcar, and subways (NYC) were developed

Cities grew rapidly
throughout the late
19th century as a result
of industrial growth
 Ex:
Chicago
(meatpacking), Detroit
(automobile),
Cleveland
(automobile),
Pittsburgh (steel), and
New York (textiles)
Labor supply in cities increased- due to immigration and
migration from rural farms
Problems at the Turn of the Century




Politically: Political Machines
Business practices: trusts, monopolies
Working conditions: child labor, low pay, long hours
Other stuff: drugs, gangs, drinking, women still can’t
vote
The Progressive Movement



Progressivism: movement to improve American life in
politics, society and the workplace.
Progressives were optimistic and forward looking
and accepted the changes industrialization brought
forth
Wanted to limit the power of big business, improve
democracy and strengthen social justices
Working Conditions

Working conditions for laborers in factories
 dangerous,
low wages, long
hours, no job security, no
benefits
 child labor common,
discrimination against women

Dominance of big businesses and
corporations

Government not being responsive to the
needs of the people

SIGNIFICANCE – these issues led to the
Progressive Movement
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U2M9i1Wy6IU
Bumper Sticker

You are to create a bumper sticker that reflects the
problems the Gilded Age.





Must be historically accurate.
Must be faithful to the historical record of the period, but can be
based on contemporary models.
May not be offensive in nature.
Must be the approximate size of an actual bumper sticker.
Examples: “Manifest Destiny Happens”
“Proud Parent of a Factory Worker”
Goals of Progressive Reformers
 Government
controlled
by the people
 Guarantee economic
opportunities through
government regulation
 Eliminate social
injustices
Social Reform

Prohibition – the movement to
ban the of manufacture, sale,
and consumption of alcohol
Based on the belief that alcohol
consumption was undermining
American morality
 18th Amendment – prohibition of
alcohol went into effect
 Repealed by the 21st Amendment
in 1933
 Responses to: Bootlegging,
Speakeasies, Organized Crime
(Al Capone)

Women’s Suffrage

Women’s Suffrage – the
movement to give women the
right to vote
 National
American Woman
Suffrage Association (NAWSA)
 Benefited
from strong leadership
– Susan B. Anthony
 Encouraged women to enter the
workforce during World War One
 19th
Amendment – granted
women the right to vote
(suffrage)
Stop and think! What was the first
state to grant women the right to vote?

WYOMING!
Territory – 1869
 State – 1890


By 1919, a total of 15
states allowed women
to vote in all elections

In VA, women were still
not allowed to vote
Economic Reform

Background: During the
Gilded Age (late 1800s),
government took a “handsoff” approach to the
economy and did not get
involved in regulating
business = Laissez-faire
capitalism
 Big
businesses used power
to crush competition
Raking the Muck!

Muckrakers – journalists who wrote about the
corrupt side of business and public life in magazines
during the progressive era
 Ida
Tarbell – “History of the Standard Oil Company”
attacked Rockefeller
 Upton Sinclair – The Jungle – exposed horrible
conditions of the meatpacking industry in Chicago

Read excerpts from “The Jungle”
Trust Busting

Clayton Anti-Trust Act
– strengthened the
Sherman Anti-Trust Act
 Outlawed
trusts,
monopolies, and pricefixing

Exempted unions from
being prosecuted by
the Sherman Anti-Trust
Act
Political Reform

Local governments need to reform city
governments with major
problems that resulted
from increased
urbanization
 Commissioners and city
council managers – new
ways to govern cities
more efficiently in 250
cities in the U.S.


Political Machines


An illegal gang that
influences enough votes
to control a local
government.
Gained support by
trading favors for votes.

Bosses gave jobs, cash,
or food to supporters.
State Governments
Secret ballot – allowed voters to cast a vote without election
officials knowing who they voted for
 Initiative – a bill originated by the people rather than
lawmakers on the ballot
 Referendum – a vote by the people on a bill that began as
an initiative
 Recall – enabled voters to remove public officials from
elected positions by forcing them to face another election
before the end of their term
 Primary system – voters, rather than politicians, would
choose candidates for public office through a special
election

National Government
 President
Teddy Roosevelt’s progressive plan =
“Square Deal”
 Involved
trust-busting and conservation projects
 President
Woodrow Wilson’s progressive plan = “New
Freedom”
 Involved
financial reform, increased government regulation
of business

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uFlOLyMwnjU
Progressive Presidents

Theodore Roosevelt
 Became
President in 1901, after William McKinley’s
assassination
 Member of the Bull Moose Party
 Progressive
 Promised
political party
voters a “Square Deal”
 Government
big business
will ensure fairness for workers, consumers, and
 “Trustbuster”…broke
up many Monopolies and Trusts
 The first environmental President
Progressive Presidents

William Howard Taft
 Elected
President in 1908
 Supported safety standards for mines and railroads
 Supported the 16th Amendment:
 Federal
income taxes
 Disappointed
conservation
progressives in the areas of tariffs and
Progressive Presidents

Woodrow Wilson
 Elected
President in 1912
 Passed the Federal Reserve Act
 Established
 Established
 Tariff
the modern banking system
the Federal Trade Commission
reform
 Clayton
Antitrust Act:
 Strengthened
 “New
the Sherman Antitrust Act
Freedom”
 promoted
antitrust modification, tariff revision, and reform
in banking and currency matters.
Amendments of the Progressive Era
 16th
Amendment – established a federal income tax
 17th Amendment – direct election of senators
 The
people, not state legislatures, would vote on candidates
running for the U.S. Senate
 18th
Amendment – Prohibition on the manufacture,
sale, and consumption of alcohol
 19th Amendment – granted women the right to vote
(suffrage)
Jim Crow and Segregation
Main Idea: Discrimination and segregation against
African Americans intensified and took new forms in the
late 19th and early 20th centuries. African Americans
disagreed about how to respond to the developments.
African-Americans Fight Legal
Discrimination


Background – During Reconstruction, African Americans
faced violent opposition to their new constitutional
rights, especially voting rights.
Voting Restrictions – all Southern states passed voting
restrictions on African Americans
Literacy test – difficult reading test given to AfricanAmericans trying to register to vote
 Poll tax – an annual tax that had to be paid by AfricanAmericans before voting
 Grandfather clause – state laws that allowed people to
vote if their grandfather was eligible to vote in 1867


African Americans prevented from voting as a result
Jim Crow

Jim Crow Laws –
segregation laws passed
throughout the South to
separate white and black
people in public
 SIGNIFICANCE - applied
to schools, hospitals, parks,
and transportation systems
Vending machine in
Jackson, Tennessee
Separate But (Un)Equal

Plessy v. Ferguson (1896) –
U.S. Supreme Court ruled that
segregation of the races in
public accommodations was
legal and did not violate the
14th Amendment


Established “separate but
equal” doctrine – states could
maintain segregated facilities
for blacks and whites as long as
they provided equal service.
SIGNIFICANCE – segregation
was legal for almost 60 years
African-American Responses

“Great Migration” (early
20th century) –movement
of African-Americans
from the rural South to
Northern cities in search
of jobs and to escape
poverty and
discrimination in the South
 Racial
discrimination still
existed in the North and
sometimes resulted in
violence
African American Responses


Ida B. Wells – led an anti-lynching crusade and called
for the federal government to act to stop oppression of
African-Americans
Booker T. Washington – believed the way to equality
was through vocational education and economic success
Did not openly challenge segregation
 Founded the Tuskegee Institute in Alabama


W.E.B. Du Bois – believed that education was
meaningless without equality

Supported political equality for African-Americans by
helping to form the National Association for the
Advancement of Colored People (NAACP)
Imperialism: The Spanish-American War,
Acquiring New Lands
Imperialism
Imperialism – the policy in
which stronger nations
extend their economic,
political, or military control
over weaker territories
Reasons for Imperialism:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Access to natural resources such as rubber,
petroleum, etc…
Outlet for a country’s growing population
(send people to colonies)
Merchant ships and naval vessels needed
bases around the world to refuel (coal and
supplies)
Spread Christianity
Make the world like the West (Europe and
U.S.)
Markets
Reasons for Success
1.
2.
3.
Well-organized
governments
Powerful armies
and navies
Superior
technology
(medical and
military)
Types of Imperialism:



Colonies – Territory settled and ruled by people
from another land
Protectorates – Country with its own government
but under the control of an outside power (Egypt
was a protectorate of Great Britain)
Spheres of Influence – Areas in which an outside
power claims exclusive investment or trading
privileges (many European countries claimed
spheres of influence in China)
Stop and Think!


How did the U.S. abandon its traditional isolationist
policy?
How did the U.S. expand its influence in the world?
 Main Idea – The “global economy” caused the U.S. to
compete by expanding. The U.S. went to war with
Spain in order to help Cuba win its independence. As
a result, the U.S. gained new territories but had
conflicts in several territories.
Causes of Imperialism in U.S.
 Desire
for military and naval strength
 “Global economy” – growth in international trade – U.S. looking
for new markets for raw materials and for finished goods
 Belief in cultural superiority
Hawaii

The Hawaiian Islands had been economically
important to the U.S. for a century.
American merchants had stopped there on their way to
China and East India.
 In 1820, missionaries founded Christian schools and churches
and their children became sugar planters who sold crops to
U.S.
 By the mid -19th century, American owned sugar plantations
accounted for about ¾ of the island’s wealth



By 1900, foreigners and immigrant laborers outnumbered native
Hawaiians
In 1875, the US agreed to import Hawaiian sugar
duty-free


American planters in Hawaii called for the U.S. to
annex (take) the islands so they wouldn’t have to pay
the duty
U.S. built a naval base at Pearl Harbor in 1887


Business groups started a revolution and overthrew Queen Liliuokalani
and set up a government
August 12, 1898, Congress proclaimed Hawaii a US
territory

Became a state in 1959 (50th US state)
Cuba


By end of 19th Century, Spain only
had colonies of Philippines, Guam,
a few outposts in Africa, Cuba, and
Puerto Rico
The U.S. had an interest in Cuba



It was only 90 miles away from FL
coast
1854, President Pierce tried to buy
Cuba and Spain responded by saying
they’d rather see Cuba sink in the
ocean
Cubans rebel again Spain between
1868-1878 and Americans
sympathized with Cubans


Revolt wasn’t successful but they did
get Spain to abolish slavery
Americans begin investing in large
sugar cane plantations
Cuban Independence


U.S. sympathy grew as President William McKinley
took office in 1897.
In 1898, the NY Journal published a private letter
written by Enrique Dupuy de Lome, the Spanish
minister to the U.S. (The De Lome Letter)

Criticized McKinley, calling him weak- angered Americans
Cuba and the Spanish American War





Early in 1898, McKinley ordered
the U.S.S. Maine to Cuba to bring
home American citizens in danger
from the fighting and to protect
American property.
Feb. 15, 1898, the ship blew up
in the Havana harbor killing more
than 260 men.
No one knows why but American
newspapers claimed the Spanish
were to blame.
SIGNIFICANCE – U.S. declared war on
Spain
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PVtkZ6Sv
16M)
Spanish American War (1898)
 U.S.
navy defeated Spanish
navy in the Philippines (where
first battle took place)
 U.S. army defeated Spanish
army in Cuba
 San
Juan Hill – U.S. victory
that featured a cavalry
charge by Teddy Roosevelt’s
“Rough Riders”

Americans then moved on to Puerto Rico
on July 25
Treaty of Paris (1899)
 Cuba
received independence
from Spain
 U.S. got territories of
Philippines, Guam, and Puerto
Rico from Spain
 Spain got $20 million from
U.S.
 SIGNIFICANCE
world power
– U.S. major
ANNEXATION DEBATE
Expansionists argue in favor based upon
commercial reasons, naval concerns, the belief
that the U.S. would bring democratic
government to the Philippines, and that
European powers would be kept away
 Anti-Imperialist League formed in June 1898
argues that U.S. should not become imperial
power and annexation of Philippines would
violate American principles

CUBA




1899- Pres. McKinley
appoints Leonard Wood
as governor of Cuba
Changes are made such as
construction of schools and
a sanitation system
Dr. Carlos Finlay
discovered mosquitoes
cause yellow fever
Cubans want
independence

PLATT AMENDMENT
Limits Cuba’s right to
make treaties with other
countries
 Allowed U.S. to intervene
in Cuban affairs if
necessary
 Made Cuba to sell or
lease land for U.S. naval
or fueling stations
(Guantanamo Bay)
 Made Cuba a
protectorate

Influence in China


France, Germany, Britain, Japan and Russia had
established settlements along the coast
The U.S. began to fear that China would be carved
into colonies, shutting out American traders.

To protect American interests, U.S. Secretary Of State John
Hay issued the Open Door notes (Open Door Policy)

Letters addressed to the leaders of imperialist nations proposing that
they share their trading rights with the U.S.

Meaning no single nation would have a monopoly on trade with any
part of China
Panama

US needed a canal cutting across
Central America




Late 1800s a French company
tried to build a canal there but
gave up and the US bought its
claims
US helped Panama rebel against
Columbia in 1903 and bought the
land in the canal zone
Building the canal was hard



Reduce travel time for commercial and
military ships
Disease, and volcanic rock made it
difficult
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EGMBUzFyVl4
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ETgK3BkRm6A
Panama Canal
U.S.
paid Panama $10 million for the canal
zone, and leased land for $250,000 each
year for 99 years
U.S. paid Columbia $25 million for lost
territory
SIGNIFICANCE – canal was a success, but
it hurt U.S. relations with Latin American
countries
Influential “Imperial” Presidents
 Theodore “Teddy” Roosevelt
 “Big Stick Diplomacy” – use diplomacy when
possible but have a strong military to back up your
policies if needed
 Roosevelt Corollary – added to the Monroe
Doctrine, said that U.S. would be the police power
in the Western Hemisphere in dealing with Latin
American nations
 SIGNFICANCE – hurt relations between Latin
American countries and U.S.
• 1907- President Roosevelt sends 4 destroyers and
16 battleships on world cruise
• Roosevelt- “the Pacific was as much our home
waters as the Atlantic”
(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XMycfi_xkvA)
William Howard Taft
 “Dollar Diplomacy” – Taft urged
American banks and businesses to
invest in Latin America
 Promised business interests that the
U.S. would intervene if investments
were threatened
 SIGNIFICANCE – hurt relations
between Latin American countries and
U.S.