The Hopes of Immigrants
Why People Migrated
• Mostly men coming
alone and lonely
• Almost all came by
way of steerage, many
died or became ill
(Need These in Notes)
Scandinavians/ Germans/ Irish
• Scandinavians:
– Pulled by cheap land prices in America
– Poverty in Scandinavia pushed
– Settled in regions that felt familiar: Midwestern
Minnesota and
Wisconsin (lakes,
forests, cold winters)
• Germans:
– Largest immigrant group in early
1800s
– Strongly influenced culture
(Christmas Tree, kindergarten,
hamburger)
– Moved to Midwest: Milwaukee,
Wisconsin had large German
population
– Some settled in New Braunfels and
Fredericksburg, Texas
– Many were artisan bakers, butchers,
carpenters, printers, shoemakers,
tailors
– Many were very successful –Bausch
& Lomb
– Jewish Germans opened stores Rothschild
• Irish:
– Pushed out of Ireland by
Potato Famine &
Protestant British Rule
– Lived mostly in large cities
– Many did the dangerous
Work that no one else
wanted, “an Irishman
buried under every
railroad tie”
US Cities Face Overcrowding
• People begin flocking to cities in hopes of
making a better life
• Cities populations grew very quickly
• Not enough housing existed, landlords built up
and filled every spare space.
– Consequences: not enough sunlight, fresh air,
police, firemen, sewers, water…
Nativists and Know-Nothings
• Native-born Americans feared
that new immigrants were too foreign to learn
American ways, or would outnumber nativeborn Americans
• Immigrants face prejudice, anger, and
discrimination
• “Know-Nothings” vow not to vote for any
Catholics or foreign-born people
Conflicts
• Many Differences in religion, social class, and
political beliefs brought in by the many immigrants
begin to effect the nation by:
–
–
–
–
–
–
Discrimination
Anti-Immigration Sentiments
Overcrowding
Crime
Disease
Fire
• The Changing American Way of Life leads to…
– Increase in Educated Population
– Improved financial ability to purchase and participate
in the fine arts
Your Task
•
Lately, we have been reading about immigration and experiences that families have gone
through. Now it is your turn to step into the shoes of an immigrant and experience what it
was like. Each individual is to pick a region or country where an immigrant family has come
from (Mexico, Europe, Russia, Asia, etc.), along with a year the family left. Then put together
a scrapbook of a fictitious immigrant family's journey to America based on research done
in class. The scrapbook will consist of four total journal entries, including one on why the
family left the native land, one on the journey and arrival to the United States, and one or
two tracking their new life. In addition, please include at least four pictures that aid in the
telling of the story of your fictitious family member. The scrapbook will be prepared in
Power Point. Please include information on the following points:
1. What caused the family to leave their country (poverty, famine, etc.).
2. What their journey was, including mode of transportation, troubles they may have encountered, and how long it
took.
3. Where they moved to in the U.S. and what their home life was like (lived in tenement or house, wealthy or
poor, etc.).
4. What jobs they would likely have held in the U.S. If kids worked too, then include this information.
5. Any other information that may make it clear what immigration to the U.S. was like for the family.
-Save your powerpoint to YOUR drive. (O) THEN, email to me at rcamarillo@judsonisd.org
SAVE FIRST!