Immigration and Urbanization,
1877-1914
OBJECTIVE:
I CAN EXPLAIN WHY IMMIGRATION FROM
EUROPE, ASIA, MEXICO, AND THE
CARIBBEAN FORCED CITIES TO CONFRONT
OVERCROWDING.
Millions of Immigrants
 In the late 1800s and early
1900s, millions of
immigrants entered the
United States in search of
a better life. Some of these
immigrants sought to
escape difficult
conditions?
 Some of these immigrants
were only in the United
States temporarily. Why?
Immigrants in the late 1800s
Europeans
 From 1870 to 1920 twenty million
European immigrants came to
America. From where?
 Many of these Europeans left their
homeland to escape religious
persecution. Example?
 Population in Europe between 1800
and 1900 doubled leading to scarcity
of land for farming. Farmers were
forced to compete with laborers for
the few industrial jobs.
 This led Europeans to look for jobs,
freedom and independent lives in the
U.S. Why?
Chinese and Japanese?
 Between 1851 and 1883, about
300,000 Chinese arrived on the
West Coast. Why?
 Chinese helped build the nation’s
railroads, including the first
transcontinental line. When the
railroads were completed they
turned to farming, mining, and
domestic services.
 In 1884, the Japanese government
allowed Hawaiian planters to
recruit Japanese workers, starting
a Japanese emigration boom.
They then head to West Coast and
by 1920, more than 200,000 are
living there. Why West Coast?
The West Indies and Mexico
 Between 1880 and 1920,
about 260,000 immigrants
arrived in the eastern and
southeastern United States
from the West Indies. Why?
 Mexicans, too, immigrated to
the United States to find
work, as well as to flee
political turmoil. After 1910,
700,000 had arrived (7% of
the population of Mexico at
the time).
 The National Reclamation
Act? created farmland and
drew Mexican farmers.
Mexican Immigrants
A Difficult Journey
 No matter what parts of the
globe immigrants came from,
they faced many adjustments
to an alien and often
unfriendly culture.
 Almost all immigrants
traveled by steamship. The
trip across the Atlantic Ocean
from Europe took
approximately one week (7 to
10 days), while the Pacific
crossing from Asia took
nearly three weeks.
 Many immigrants traveled in
steerage, the cheapest
accommodations in a ship’s
cargo holds. Conditions?
Ellis Island
 From 1892 to 1924, Ellis Island
was the Chief immigration
processing station in New York
Harbor. Approximately 17
million immigrants passed
through this station?
 The processing of immigrants
on Ellis Island was an ordeal
that might take five hours or
more. It consisted of?
 Twenty percent of immigrants
were detained for a day or more
before being inspected.
However, only about 2 percent
of those where denied.
Immigrants arriving at Ellis Island
Immigrants waiting to be passed for
entry in the U.S.
Angel Island
 Asians-primarily Chinese-
arriving on the West Coast
gained admission at Angel
Island’s immigration
processing station in San
Francisco Bay.
 Between 1910 and 1940,
about 50,000 Chinese
immigrants entered the
United States through Angel
Island.
 Processing at Angel Island
was quite different than the
procedure at Ellis Island.
How?
Angel Island Immigration Station
Cooperation for Survival
 Once admitted to the country,
immigrants faced the
challenges of finding a place to
live, getting a job, and getting
along in daily life while trying
to understand an unfamiliar
language and culture.
 To better adjust to their new
surroundings, many
immigrants sought out people
who shared cultural values,
religion, and language. Ethnic
communities form?
 Friction began to develop
between “hyphenated”
Americans? and the native
born. Why?
The Rise of Nativism
 Many native-born Americans thought of
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their country as a melting pot? Many
new immigrants, however, did not wish
to give up their cultural identity.
Favoritism toward Native-born
Americans was referred to as Nativism.
Nativists believed that Anglo-Saxons?
were superior and did not object to
immigrants from Britain, Germany,
German countries and Scandinavian
countries. Why?
Many Protestant Americans object to
immigrants’ religion because many were
Catholic and Jews. Why?
In 1897, Congress passes literacy Bill?
for immigrants, but Cleveland Vetoes it.
However, in 1917, a similar bill passed
over Wilson’s veto.
Anti-Asian Sentiment
 Nativism also played a part
in the labor movement,
particularly in the west.
How?
 Labor groups exert political
pressure to restrict Asian
immigration
 In 1882, Chinese Exclusion
Act was passed. It banned
entry to all Chinese except
students, teachers,
merchants, tourists and
government officials. This
Act lasted until it was
repealed 1943.
The Gentlemen’s Agreement
 Nativist fears began to extend
to Japanese, and most Asians
in the early 1900s. San
Francisco segregates
Japanese schoolchildren.
 When Japan raised an angry
protest at this treatment of its
emigrants, President
Theodore Roosevelt worked
out a deal.
 The Gentlemen’s Agreement
of 1907-1908 limited
immigration of unskilled
workers to U.S. in exchange
for repeal of San Francisco
segregation order. Result?