Goal 5 Part 3
Immigration
Why come to America?
Escaping religious, economic and religious
persecution
1870-1920 = 20 million European immigrants
America – land of opportunity

Immigration Patterns
Before 1890 (Old Immigrants)
came from WESTERN and NORTHERN
Europe
 After 1890 (New Immigrants)
came from SOUTHERN and EASTERN Europe

Immigrants = “birds of passage”
U.S. (New Immigrants)– “open arms!!!”
Why?
Changing Patterns of Immigration
The old immigrants

10 million immigrants came
between 1800 and 1900. Known as
the old immigrants, they came
from Northern and
The new immigrants

 Most
came from
Southern and Eastern
Europe.
Western Europe.




From 1880 to 1910, a new wave brought
18 million people to America.
Most were Protestant Christians,
and their cultures were similar to
the original settlers.

They came to have a voice in their
government, to escape political
turmoil, for religious freedom, or
fleeing poverty and starvation.
They were Roman Catholics, Orthodox
Christians and Jews. Arabs,
Armenians, and French Canadians
came as well.

Smaller numbers came from East Asia.
Severe immigration laws reduced
Chinese immigration, but 90,000 people
of Chinese descent lived in the U.S. by
1900. Japanese immigrants arrived by
way of Hawaii.

The makeup of the American
population had changed. By 1910 about
1 in 12 Americans were foreign-born.
Most immigrants came for
economic opportunity, attracted to
the open farm land in the United
States.
Chinese immigrants had been
lured by the gold rush and jobs
building railroads.
Immigration stations
Ellis Island *GOLDEN DOOR
Chief immigration station
from 1892-1924)
inspection station at
New York Harbor (East Coast)
(Europeans) / 1
2 million European immigrants
Barn-like structure
**Northeast and Midwest America – experienced the
FASTEST growth due to
immigration!
 Angel Island-San Francisco
Asians, primarily Chinese,
West Coast

Ellis Island (Golden Door) Inspection
Station
ANGEL
ISLAND-SAN
FRANCISCO
Melting Pot
- “Melting Pot”-assimilation
describes America as a mixture of culture and people
who blended together-soup!
Cultural Pluralism- you integrate without losing
culture and beliefs-salad bowl!
Side effect = NATIVISM (introduced by KnowNothing Party)
 Nativism - anti-immigrant feeling
 Religion– differences in religion caused “nativism”
to be an issue more than anything else!
U.S BEGINS TO THINK ABOUT RESTRICTIONS!!!!

Immigration Restriction





*Prescott Hall (1894) – founded the Immigration
Restriction League
points out the “Right” and “Wrong” countries
Right – Britain, Germany, Scandinavian,
(progressive/energetic –can help American
economy)
Wrong – Any Latin country (stagnant –cannot help
American economy)
REMEMBER-Social Darwinismapplies to people as well as
businesses-individuals should
succeed through their own efforts!
Chinese Exclusion Act (1882)
Gentlemen’s Agreement (1907-1908)

Chinese Exclusion Act (1882)-

FIRST major federal law LIMITING immigration
to the U.S.
banned all entry of the Chinese except students,
teachers, doctors

Main reasoning?
 Gentlemen’s Agreement (1907-1908) –
Story: Japanese students were in segregated
schools in California
 Agreement: Japanese government limited
immigration into America IF Japan and U.S
could agree to lift segregated schools!!!!
Chinese Exclusion Act
Urbanization
Urbanization - the growth of cities
 Why would immigrants settle in the cities?
-cheapest place to live
-offered jobs to
unskilled workers
*Side effect of urbanization:
leads to
URBAN PROBLEMS!!!!

Other Urban Problems
(SIDE EFFECT OF URBANIZATION)




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Transportation – fixed by “mass transit”
systems (Subway, Trolley)
Water – chlorination filters
Sanitation – developed sewer lines and
sanitation departments
Crime – police forces
Fire – fire departments
Housing problems

How the Other Half Lives
BY: Jacob
Riis
- points out the multifamily urban-dwelling
lifestyle (tenements) / (overcrowded and
unsanitary)
Tenements –
overcrowding and unsanitary
urban housing (NO EDUCATION)
T.Q. Where was the source of the GREATEST
number of immigrants to the United States in early
1900?
a.
Southern and Eastern Europe
b.
Northern and Western Europe
c.
Mexico and California
d.
China and Japan
Urban Problems
Social Welfare Reformer

Settlement Houses

led mostly by **JANE ADAMS**
(HULL HOUSE) (most famous)
Settlement Houses - community centers that assisted
“poor immigrants” / provided educational, cultural, and
social expectancies to fit into American society.
(ASSIMILATION/AMERICANIZTION)
 *Difference between Tenement and Settlement
House???

Jane Adams’ Hull House, Chicago Illinois
 Know Nothing Party -The
party’s members worked during
the late 1850s to limit the voting
strength of immigrants, keep
Catholics out of public office, and
require lengthy residence before
citizenship
 Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882Under pressure from , which had
already barred Chinese from
owning property or working at
certain jobs, Congress passed this
law sharply limiting Chinese
immigration.
 “Gentlemen’s Agreement”- In
1907 President Roosevelt reached
an informal agreement with under
which that nation-Japan- halted
emigration of its people to the US
.
 Literacy Tests-In 1917 Congress
enacted a law barring any immigrant
who could not read or write
 Emergency Quota Act of 1921This law sharply limited the number
of immigrants to the each year to
about 350,000.
 National Origins Quota Act of
1924-This law further reduced
immigration and biased it in favor of
those immigrants from northern and
western .
 National Origins Act of 1929-This
act further limited immigration to
150,000 people a year.
Scenes from Gangs
of NY
Nativists
and the
“Know Nothing
Party”
Anti-Immigrant!
Anti-Catholic
Politics in the Gilded Age
Goal 5 Part 4
What is the Gilded Age?
CORRUPTION

Coined by Mark Twain
Timeframe: 1870s-1890s that mocks the “greed”
and “self-indulgence” of American people.
PROBLEM: Rapid urbanization under inefficient
government

The Political Machine
Political machine: an organized group that
controlled the activities of a political party in a city
• Offered services to voters and businesses in
exchange for political and financial support
(MAJOR CORRUPTION!!!!)
• Leader: Political Boss

Reasons for success:
Controlled business licenses & jobs
*Fixed urban problems (examples?)
Made people happy!
Immigrants and the Political Machine
Why would immigrants SUPPORT Political
Machines?

Political machines and bosses provide
“ANSWERS” to immigrants questions and
concerns!

A.
B.

Helped with the “naturalization” process (attaining full
citizenship)
Helps with finding JOBS
Each new immigrant represented another voter. This
attracted the attention of political machines, like Boss
Tweed -head of New York City’s Tammany Hall.
Graft/Corruption
Graft: illegal use of political
influence for personal gain (political machines)
Bribes, corruption, extortion, fraud!
 Most Famous:
 TWEED RING SCANDAL


corrupted Democratic political machine
Boss Tweed, became head / boss of
Tammany Hall, New York’s political Machine

Story: Overcharge the construction of a
New York Courthouse ($13 million) when it
officially cost only ($3 million) - $10 million goes
to the machine and workers

“The way to have power is to take it.”
- Boss Tweed
“Tammany Tiger Loose”
- Thomas Nast
Patronage is “REPLACED” by Civil
Service (REFORM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!)

Patronage: giving of government jobs to people
who helped a candidate get elected
(CORRUPTION)



Example: Andrew Jackson’s Spoils System
Solution: move into a “merit” system of hiring
Remember: Patronage / Spoils System / Graft = all the
same!
Civil Service: (government administration) giving
government jobs based on being the most
qualified, merit system
Civil Service = good / based on merit
Patronage = bad / based on corruption
**Pendleton Civil Service Act (1883)**
(1) Replaced patronage with civil service
(2) Destroyed the Spoils System!
(3) Federal jobs are given through a merit system, and
performance based testing!
(*) STRONGEST legislation that attempted to fix the Gilded
Age (corruption)
Reforming Elections
Getting average citizens more “directly” involved in politics
4 actions to get the average citizen more involved in politics
(1) Initiative – a bill generated by the “people”
(2) Referendum – a “vote” on the bill, or initiative
(3) Recall – people had the right to “remove” a
government official out of office to face another
election
(4) Primary-voters select candidates instead of
party bosses
(5) 17th Amendment – Direct election of Senators
OVERALL PURPOSE: REFORM! / fixing
corruption / Reforming elections got the
“average citizen” more involved in politics
What is considered the STRONGEST
attempt by the federal government to
clean up the state government in the late
1800s?
a.
b.
c.
d.
By outlawing political bosses and political
machines
By eliminating campaign contributions and
graft
By passing the Sherman Anti-Trust Act
By passing the Pendleton Civil Service Act