At the beginning of the 1800s many people from Europe began to immigrate to the
United states running from crop failure, land and job shortages, famine, and rising taxes. Many
also came to the US because it was seen as a land of opportunity where you could practise
whatever religion you want. Many more came for the political power and other freedoms that are
only experienced in the US. In fact the belief that the US was the land of god was so strong that
between 1870 and 1900 almost 12 million immigrants arrived in the US. Most of the immigrants
came from Germany, England, and Ireland with some Chinese immigrating to the US entail
federal government stopped their immigration with the Chinese exclusion act.
Immigrants came to the US through a few distinct ports. Those from Europe mostly
came through ports on the east Coast while those from Asia mostly entered the US through the
west. But more than 70% of immigrants entered the US through New York City. At first the
mainstream of immigrants were coming from the north and west parts of europe, where the
more wealthy states tend to be. These immigrants tended to be better off than their counterparts
and were more wealthy men looking to find land and business in America that couldn't be found
in europe. But then a second stream of immigrants joined the first stream, people from the
southern and eastern european states. These immigrants tended to be very poor and came to
America seeking the opportunity that is promised to all here. While the first wave of immigrants
had been annoying for many nativists, they still didn’t create the job competition that was seen
when the second wave of immigrants began to come to the US. This second wave created great
amounts of competition for low wage paying jobs. The new immigrants were willing to work for
less pay and longer hours then the nativists which drove many Americans out of their jobs. This
problem led to many anti immigration laws and much hatred and racism towards immigrants.
Chinese immigration started in 1849 with the California gold rush persuading many
Chinese immigrants to come to the US. Just like the immigrants from south and east europe
these immigrants were typically poor and created competition for low wage jobs. Chinese
immigrants were hated by the nativists and here treated basically like slaves. When the
construction of the transcontinental railroad proposed the west to central team’s workforce was
mainly made up of Chinese immigrants. Throughout the railroads construction many immigrants
were killed because of the harsh conditions and the harsh treatment from their overseers. Once
the railroad was complete the hate for Chinese immigrants only got stronger entail finally in
1882 the Chinese exclusion act was passed by congress preventing the immigration of Chinese
to the US.
Many immigrants when they found their way to the US ended up staying in the port city
that they landed in because they couldn't afford to travel anywhere else. Often right when the
immigrants got off of the ship they had been traveling on for months they would immediately be
offered a job as long as they promised to not be a part of a labor union and they would vote
however their boss told them to vote. This led to a lot of rigged elections in cities that were
controlled by the rich, and another reason for nationalist to hate immigrants. While the poorer
immigrants stayed where they were, the ones who had some money to spare such as the ones
from northern and western europe could move into the midwest where there was an abundance
of land for sale and they could become landowners and farmers. This practice was more
popular before the industrial revolution turned farming into a large industry scheme rather than
the average small day-to-day famer, making it unprofitable for small farmers towards the turn of
the century.
Once the immigrants had settled, they looked for work. There were never enough jobs,
and employers often took advantage of the immigrant’s ignorance. The men were generally paid
less than other workers, and women less than men. Social tensions were also very tense for
immigrants. Often stereotyped and discriminated against, many immigrants suffered verbal and
physical abuse in and out of the workplace. The immigrants also helped transform American
society and culture, diversifying the nation into what it is today.
Immigrants also contributed to the industrial revolution and the Gilded age by adding
their manpower to factories. Through there help the economy was able to boom through the
competition that was created in the workplace.
Imigration was a huge factor in American history that helped us be the superpower that
we are in the world today.