Are immigrants taken advantage of like this
today? All groups or just certain groups? Why are
some immigrants treated differently/better than
others?
Describe immigration during the Gilded Age?
How does it compare to the previous time
period?
Immigration During the Gilded Era

Increase in immigrants
 Between 1880-1910 alone approximately
18 million immigrants came to America
Primarily from Europe (same as prior)
 Increase in the number from Asia
 Increase in the number from N & S
America

What change occured in regard to the
ethnicities of immigrants during the Gilded
Age?
The First Wave

Northern and Western
Europeans (same as
Old Immigrants)
 ~1820-1870

Germany, England and
Ireland*
Second Wave
Southern and
Eastern Europe
 Known as New
Immigrants

 1870-1920
Italy, Greece,
Russia, Croatia,
Slovakia
 China

What makes one group in the first wave &
all the groups in the second wave
“different” than “old stock” Americans?

Religion
 Roman Catholic
 Eastern /Greek Orthodox
 Jewish
Does this matter?
Other Immigration Factors

An immigrant – moving to a new country
 Pulled toward a new country because of
opportunities

An emigrant – moving away from their
existing country
 Pushed away from their home country
because of problems
Does the above matter?
Reasons to Immigrate (Pull Factors)
“The Golden Door”
 Money!!!!!!!!!!!

 Gold (1848-1855)
 Jobs
○ factories
○ railroads (1863-1869)
○ *for some land*
Most of the “new immigrants”
were _____________
Had to leave (were pushed out) because
of:
 Wars
 Discrimination
 Poverty
Reasons to Emigrate (Push Factors)
 Wars
 Discrimination
 Pogrom is a Russian word
meaning “to wreak havoc,
to demolish violently.”
 1881 – Russia’s attack on
Jews
 Poverty
 Potato famine (1845-
1852 in Ireland)
 Lack of land/jobs
What does this tell you about 19th
century immigrants?
Poor
Desperate
Uneducated/unskilled
Care about their
nationality & religions
 Young, men




Why does the above
matter?
 How will it impact how
these new Americans
are viewed?

What issues will the “old stock”
have with “new immigrants”?
What would this have looked like in the
Gilded Age?