Motivations
Immigrant groups had motivations
to venture to America. In Europe,
they had no say in the government
affairs, as it was run by the elite
class and nobles. Immigrants
wanted the chance to have both
political and religious freedom,
due to the inability for some
churches in Europe to tolerate
other types of faiths. Immigrants
also had the desire to acquire as
much land as possible, due to
much of the land in Europe being
controlled by the ruling class.
Many of those who wished to seek
new opportunities in America
were excited by the potential of
owning their own property.
Congregating in Cities
When immigrants came to America,
they often stuck by one another
when finding a place to dwell.
Eventually, ethnic neighborhoods
were formed from these large groups
of immigrants in one place. Each
type of immigrant had its own part
of town, especially in New York
City. For example, those of Italian
descent could primarily be found in
Little Italy, while Chinese people
lived in Chinatown. Conditions were
detrimental. Many families were
cramped into tight living conditions
without the aid of a sewage system
that eventually led to rampant spread
of disease.
Today, nearly every major city in the
United States has an area known as
Chinatown. Newly arrived immigrants
still settle in these areas, where they
feel more comfortable as they adjust
to life in America.
Discrimination
Some people opposed immigration to the
United States during the late 19th century.
Catholics were targeted by “Nativists”
who desecrated and ruined many Catholic
churches and places of worship. German
immigrants were not liked due to their
form of social structure, which involved
them speaking mainly in the German
language. The Nativists did not see the
point of immigrating if the new citizens
did not wish to learn the English language.
Immigrants sometimes discriminated
among themselves; the Irish attacked the
Chinese during the western construction of
railroads. Chinese immigration was
eventually restricted by the Chinese
Exclusion Act of 1882-10 year
moratorium on Chinese immigration.
Returning Home
Many immigrants came to America
with motives besides settling and
forming a new life. They came to
America to make enough money to
return home for a better life with their
families. Immigrants were
predominantly men, who left their
families behind for more plentiful
jobs in the United States. Immigrants
would be gone for one to two years
before returning to homes to start
over. There were cases where
opportunities were so vast in America
that the males would pay for the
passage of their entire families to
venture to the United States.
Mulberry Street Bend, 1889
5-Cent Lodgings
Immigrant Family Lodgings
”Bandits’ Roost”
Mullen’s Alley ”Gang”
ANDREW JOHNSON’S
IMPEACHMENT
RICH GET RICHER
POOR GET POORER
BRIBERY-Political Machines
CREDIT MOBILIER-inflated
Prices to RR’s while investors
Controlled both companies.
DAMAGED PRESIDENTIAL OFFICE
MISLED THE PUBLIC
INSPIRED POLITICAL REFORM
Political Machines
Patronage system
Political machines operated in the
late 19th century. It was a fixture in
American cities such as Chicago and
New York. They were usually
headed by a “boss,” who would have
the support of not only politicians
and business owners, but
immigrants. Immigrants saw earning
the boss’ support as a rite of passage
into America. The boss would help
them if, in exchange, they voted to
keep his political friends in power.
Some instances saw bosses use
nefarious tactics, such as loans to
immigrants as a bribe of sorts in
order to ensure that the immigrants
would vote for them.
The Irish were able to successfully use
the patronage system to gain more
power and influence in America.
PATRONAGE SYSTEM
**CORRUPTION
**POLITICAL FAVORS
“TO THE VICTOR, GO THE SPOILS”
ENDS WITH GARFIELD’S ASSASSINATION
STATES COULD
REGULATE RR’S
OVERTURNED AND SAID
ONLY CONGRESS CAN
REGULATE INTERSTATE
COMMERCE
RR COMPANIES
PROHIBIT MONOPOLIES
BANNED REBATES &
POOLING
UNSUCCESSFUL
“REASONABLE & JUST
RATES
HOLDING COMPANIES
JIM CROW LAWS
SEGREGATION CODES
PLESSY vs. FERGUSONSEPARATE BUT EQUAL WAS
CONSTITUTIONAL
LYNCHING, KKK
“SOLID SOUTH”
VOTED DEMOCRAT
AGAINST RECONSTRUCTION
BLACKS & VOTING
15TH AMENDMENT
RIGID RESIDENCY REQUIREMENTS
LITERACY TESTS
POLL TAXES
GRANDFATHER CLAUSES
George Washington Carver
The story of the Waco Horror begins with the discovery
of a body. Just about sundown near the town of Robinson,
twenty-one-year-old Ruby Fryer and her brother, fourteenyear-old George Fryer Jr., returned home from chopping
cotton on the family's two hundred acre farm. In the heavy
heat and quiet of the late afternoon. They noticed that their
mother, Lucy Fryer, was not in the house as usual. Just as
George was going out to look for her, Ruby peered through
the window and saw Lucy lying in a pool of blood in the
doorway of the seed house, about thirty steps away. A
neighbor, Chris Simon, had been away from home all day
and had just come back through the big gate at the main
road when he heard Ruby and George screaming and
crying over their mother's body. It was probably Simon who
ran for George Fryer Sr., who had been working in a
different part of the field from the children, about a mile from
the house.
Lucy Fryer lay in the doorway of the seed house. Her skull
had been bashed in at several points and her clothing was
disheveled. Dr. J. H. Maynard examined her and reported at
the trial that at least two of the six wounds on her head,
made with a heavy, blunt instrument, could have killed her.
Mobs often paraded their victim down
the main street, through black
neighborhoods, and in front of "colored
schools" that were in session. Jesse
Washington, seventeen years old, was
the chief suspect in the May 8, 1916 ,
murder of Lucy Fryer of Robinson ,
Texas , on whose farm he worked as a
laborer.
After the lynching, Washington 's corpse
was placed in a burlap bag and dragged
around City Hall Plaza, through the
main streets of Waco , and seven miles
to Robinson, where a large black
population resided. His charred corpse
was hung for public display in front of a
blacksmith shop.