IMMIGRANTS IN
AMERICA
1865-1915
Millions of immigrants moved to the United States in
the late 1800’s & early 1900’s.
“OLD IMMIGRANTS”


Most immigrants
before 1890:
Protestants from
Northern Europe
U.S. culture at that
time reflected the
traditions and beliefs
of northern Europe.
“NEW IMMIGRANTS”
Southern and Eastern Europeans
 Jews
 Catholics
 Unskilled
 Settled in cities

WHY?
Push
Factors
Pull Factors
PUSH FACTORS

Things that cause people to want to leave a
country, or push them out.

Religious Persecution, War, Poor/unstable economy.
PULL FACTORS

Things that attract people to move to a place, or
pulls them in.

Land, Employment, Religious or Political Freedom.
PULL FACTORS (CONT’D)
Homestead Act of 1862- Made Western farmland
inexpensive.
 R.R.’s offered assistance with fares. They needed
customers in the West who would buy their
goods.
 Many Norwegians and Germans settled the new,
 Western territories to farm.

WHO WERE THEY?

The crowded steerage deck
usually contained a diverse
group of people. Many were
poor farmers whose fathers’
or grandfathers’ land had
been divided so often that
the plots were no longer
large enough to support even
single families.
WHO WERE THEY? (CONT’D)

Others were
schoolmasters unable to
find work or artisans
looking for greater
opportunities. Many were
young men and women
willing to risk traveling to
an unknown land in hopes
of finding a brighter
future.
THE TRIP
Think Titanic.
 Many traveled in poor conditions  “steerage”
Many people became sick because of tight
living quarters. Disease spread easily.

ARRIVAL
Ellis Island in the East (New York City)- This is
where most people from Europe arrived.
 Angel Island in the West (San Francisco)- This
is were most people from Asia arrived.

ELLIS ISLAND

*In 1890, Congress
designated low-laying,
three- acre Ellis Island in
Upper New York Bay as an
immigration station. By
the end of 1910, six million
immigrants had come
through Ellis Island.
IMMIGRATION STATIONS

Once immigrants arrived in the U.S., they went
through immigration stations, such as Ellis
Island in New York Harbor. Government workers
questioned them about where they planned to
work & live. Doctors also examined them to
make sure they didn’t have any diseases. Almost
all European immigrants were allowed to enter
the U.S. initially.
WAITING

*Long lines of immigrants
were tagged according to
what language they spoke
and marked with chalk
according to the medical
ailments they suspected of
having and they waited for
the inspectors to decide their
fate.

With the huge numbers
of immigrants,
inspectors had just 2
minutes to complete the
process and many
immigrants had their
last names changed by
the inspectors because
they didn’t have the
time or patience to
struggle with the
foreign spellings.
 Only
one third of the immigrants
who came to the United States
through Ellis Island stayed in New
York City. Most scattered across the
country.
 Immigrants were given tags to pin to
their hats or coats. The tags showed
railroad conductors what lines the
immigrants were traveling and what
connections to make to reach their
destinations.
New immigrants arriving at Ellis Island. At Ellis they
were "processed" before they were allowed to continue
their journey to find a new home.
Where Did They Settle?
CITIES
 The
arrival of large numbers of
immigrants radically changed the face
of the nation’s cities.
 Before the Civil War, cities were
compact.
 Between 1865 and 1900 the percentage
of Americans living in the cities
doubled.
 Cities grew upward. Prior to the Civil
War, buildings were built only to five
stories.
CITIES CONT.

“Noise, traffic jams, slums, air pollution,
and sanitation and health problems
became commonplace. Mass transit, in the
form of trolleys, cable cars, and subways,
was built, and skyscrapers began to
dominate city skylines. New communities,
known as suburbs, began to be built just
beyond the city. Commuters, those who
lived in the suburbs and traveled in and
out of the city for work, began to increase
in number”.
memory.loc.gov
URBAN LIVING CONDITIONS




Immigrants often lived in buildings
abandoned by middle-class residents and
converted into multifamily units.
These tenements soon became identified
as “slums”.
Many families would cram into spaces
only meant for a few.
Many immigrants tended to settle with
others from the same country creating the
ethnic neighborhoods and sections that
can still be found in many big cities today.
TENEMENT HOUSING
Tenement housing in New York City.
IN THE TENEMENTS

*
“FIVE CENTS A SPOT” ROOMS
Many immigrants had
no home and slept in 5
cents a spot rooms
where people paid for a
small space to spend the
night.
 Can you imagine
sleeping crowded
against strangers?

WHAT WAS IT LIKE FOR THEM HERE?

Some native-born
Americans feared and
resented the new
immigrants. Their
languages, religions,
and customs seemed
strange. They also
competed for jobs.
Desperate for jobs,
immigrants often
accepted lower wages
and worse working
conditions.
LEGITIMATE VS. IMPOSTERS
Conflicts between old
and new immigrant
groups common.
 Earlier groups
considered themselves to
be legitimate U.S.
citizens.
 Established groups
viewed new immigrants
imposters or trespassers.

EXCLUDED FROM THE “MELTING POT”

“Melting Pot”: immigrants assimilated
into culture through education and
acculturation.

Many immigrant groups maintained
their ethnic identity.

Does not correspond with reality of
U.S. experience.


Melting pot did not take into account
immigrants and ethnic groups who did
not easily blend into the culture.
Asians, African Americans, Native
Americans, and others were excluded
from this process of fusion and
amalgamation.
LAWS AGAINST IMMIGRATION

1882 Congress passed Chinese Exclusion Act
Almost all Chinese immigrants were kept out of
America.
 Did not allow for naturalization of Chinese residents.
 Limited civil rights for the Chinese already living in
U.S.

1921 & 1924 Congress passed laws that lowered
the number of Europeans & Asians
 All immigrants faced prejudice upon arrival

IMMIGRANTS HELPED THE U.S. BECOME ONE OF THE
RICHEST AND FASTEST-GROWING COUNTRIES IN THE
WORLD. THEY BUILT RAILROADS, DUG MINES, AND
WORKED IN FACTORIES. THE SUCCESS OF AMERICA
AS A WORLD SUPERPOWER RESTS ON THEIR HARD
WORK.
What’s on Your Mind?
You are an immigrant who is moving to America in the year
1900. Imagine if Facebook were around at that time (silly
concept, I know, but we’ll just pretend for today). Of course
updating your status about your move is important so that
you keep family and friends updated. Be sure to include:
•Your name,
•Where you’re moving to and from (remember the map),
•Why you are moving (think of push and/or pull factors).
•Any emotions: Sad? Happy? Nervous? Do you even want to
move?
Why or why not?