Do Now:
"Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning
to breathe free, The wretched
refuse of your teeming shore.
Send these, the homeless,
tempest-tossed to me. I lift my
lamp beside the golden door!"
•What are the theme, tone, and
message of this poem?
•Why do people want to come to
America?
•To what extent do we still
believe this in the United States?
Immigrants and
Political Machines in the Gilded
Age
•analyze social issues affecting immigrants;
•describe the optimism of the many
immigrants who sought a better life in
America;
•analyze the causes and effects of changing
demographic patterns resulting from legal
and illegal immigration to the United States.
The Gilded Age: Immigrant life SE’s: 3C,3D:
Analyze
social issues affecting women, minorities, children, immigrants, urbanization,
the Social Gospel, and philanthropy of industrialist; Describe the optimism of
the many immigrants who sought a better life in America.
Art Work Analysis
•What was the center of the people's attention in it?
•Who were these people?
•How did they dress?
•Where did they come from?
•What languages did they probably speak?
•What religions did they probably practice?
•What would their socioeconomic status probably be in
their home countries?
•Why did they come to America?
•Around what time did they come?
•From where did they enter the United States?
•What their experience was like when they first arrived in
Check for Understanding - Why do
people immigrate?
 Push Factors: Reasons why migrants
leave their homelands.
 Pull Factors: Reasons why migrants
are attracted to certain areas.
Three Waves of U.S. Immigration
 First Wave (Old Immigrants) 1840-1860
 Second Wave (New Immigrants) 1880-1920
 Third Wave (Newest Immigrants) 1965-
Present
First Wave (Old) Immigrants
 Arrived: 1840-1860
 Origins: Ireland &
Germany
 Most were Catholic
 Push Factors: Potato
Famine, Religious &
Political Persecution
and Instability
 Pull Factors: Jobs in
northeastern factories
A Nativist Political Cartoon
Discrimination Against Asians
 Chinese laborers recruited
for railroad construction in
the West
 excluded from mining
 Chinese Exclusion Act
(1882): Prohibited Chinese &
Korean Immigration to U.S.
 Gentlemen’s Agreement
(1907): Japan would not
allow its citizens to migrate
to the U.S.
By Thomas Nast (1882)
Who were these people?
Second Wave (New) Immigrants
 Arrived 1880-1920
 Origins: Southern &
Eastern Europe
 Diverse Languages &
Religions (Catholic, Jewish,
& Eastern Orthodox)
 Push Factors: Religious
persecution, economic &
politicl instability
 Pull Factors: Jobs created
by industrialization
U.S. Government
Immigration Policy during the
Gilded Age
 “Open” Immigration Policy (1776-1920, with the
exception of Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882)
 For most of American history, the U.S.
maintained a policy of open immigration. This
meant that just about anyone was allowed to
come. This was mainly intended to provide the
U.S. with a large, cheap labor force. The
continuous flood of immigrants kept wages low.
Chinese Exclusion Act
(1882)
 White workers in the West were
angered that Chinese immigrants
often worked for lower wages. This,
combined with anti-Asian racism, led
states like California to lobby for
formal restrictions on Chinese
“coolie” labor. This was the first
major restriction on immigration to
the United States.
Guided Practice
 Based on your individual notes, with your
shoulder partner create a graphic organizer
(e.g., a Venn Diagram) to compare and
contrast the similarities and differences
between the Old Immigrants and New
Immigrants in terms of their national
origins, social and cultural characteristics,
time and reasons for immigration.
 On the back explain why the U.S.
government placed few restrictions on
immigration during the 1800's.
Second Wave Immigration 1880-1920: From
which region did the most new immigrants
come?
Check for Understaning
The Gilded Age: Impact of Immigrants on population.
In her poem “The New Colossus” inscribed on the base of the statue of
liberty, Emma Lazarus writes: "Give me your tired, your poor, Your huddled
masses yearning to breathe free, The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me. I lift my lamp beside the
golden door!" The idea expressed is one of welcoming and openness to
immigrants from all over the globe, a policy followed by the United States in
the late 1800’s, in an efforts to fuel the demand for unskilled workers created
by our rapid industrial growth during this time.
The Gilded Age: Immigrant Life: Ellis Island
Ellis Island = This was the entry point of most immigrants coming in
from Europe. All immigrants had to stop here before setting foot on
United States soil. Immigrants had their names changed. They had
medical examinations, failed, denied entry or quarantined. Once
approved, you would then be ferried to the City of New York.
The Gilded Age: Immigrant Life: Angel Island
The Gilded Age: Immigrant Life
Angel Island = This was the entry point of most immigrants coming in
from Asia. It was the equivalent to Ellis Island on the West Coast of the
United States. All immigrants had to stop here before setting foot on
United States soil. Once approved, you would be ferried onto San
Francisco, California.
The Gilded Age: Immigrant Life: Southwest
The Gilded Age: Immigrant Life
Southwest = This has always been the entry point for people from
Mexico, central and Latin American Countries. No specific port of entry
due to proximity and history.
Check for Understanding
 Have you ever gone to a party (or other places) and
discovered that you do not know a single person?
How did it make you feel?
 Do you trust people that do not look or think like
you do?
 Consider this - You and your family are moving to
Italy. How do you feel about it? Predict the issues
you will face when you get there.
The Gilded Age: Reaction of Immigrants coming
to America.
Immigration prior to 1890 =
Most worked as laborers, were
skilled and mostly AngloSaxon. Many settled the
West. Those from northern
Europe settled in eastern
cities.
New immigrants after 1890=
there was an influx of
immigrants from Eastern
Europe who came with different
languages and cultures. They
suffered discrimination.
The Gilded Age: Impact of Immigrants on population.
Immigration to the United States:
1. expanded population of eastern
cities due to large immigrant
populations that sought work in
cities and factories (late 19th and
early 20th centuries.
2. Growth of the Pacific Coast due
to immigration from Asia. (Chinese)
3. Changing population of the
Southwest (Texas to California) due
to the influx of immigrants from
Mexico and Central America.
4. Expansion of the farm population
of the Southwest over time as
agriculture developed and depended
on immigrant and migrant labor.
The Gilded Age: Impact of Immigrants on population.
Treatment of minorities = Most minorities were denied civil rights.
Child Labor = Industry preference for minimally paid child labor led to
laws against the use of children in factories and jobs.
Growth of Cities = Problems of overcrowding, inadequate
infrastructure, crime, pollution, disease, education, and efficient local
government were created.
The Gilded Age: Nativism becomes an issue.
Nativism = Anti-Immigrant feelings. This becomes an issue as
immigrants begin coming to America. Immigrants were treated with
suspicion, disrespect, discrimination, up to and including hatred. It
was believed that they would destroy the way of American life in the
United States with their way of thinking and culture.
Nativism
 Nativism: Anti-Immigrant Feelings
 The Know Nothings: Anti-
Immigrant Group in the 1850s…
mainly targeted Irish & Germans
 Anti-Chinese discrimination &
violence in the 1880s
 The Ku Klux Klan: In the 1920s,
northern faction mainly targeted
immigrants (mainly Catholics &
Jews)
 The Quota Acts were clear
examples of Nativist legislation.
Open Ended Response
 What type of impact did immigrants
have on the populations of the United
States?
 What type of discrimination would
immigrants have faced during the
Gilded Age as a result of Nativism?
Check for Understanding
 How would the New Immigrants have adjusted to
the new life in America?
 Predict - Who could be actually "nice" and "helpful"
to the New Immigrants when they first arrived in
those port of entry cities?
 What kind of help and services the New
Immigrants would really need when they first
arrived?
Gilded Age: Political Machines
Role of the Political Boss
William Marcy Tweed
The “City Boss” (typically the mayor)
controlled jobs, business licenses, and
influenced the court system.
He was the leader of the machine.
Remember, a machine is not necessary
made out of iron and steel. It can be
someone or group of people that can
make things happen through their
influence. (social, political, or economic.)
Boss Tweed ran NYC
Gilded Age: Political Machines
Targets of political Machines, who did they try to get to
join them?
Immigrants = They were
urban, lower-class people
were natural allies of the
political machines.
Gilded Age: Political Machines
What did the political machines offer those that were
considered natural allies of the political machines?
1.
2.
3.
4.
Food
Jobs
Housing
Naturalization
Process
5. Better standard of
living
6. Protection
Gilded Age: Political Machines
What did the Political machines get in return for helping
immigrants?
1. Loyalty
2. Vote(s)
3. Allegiance
4. Political Power
5. Longevity
6. Cheap Labor
Name: ____________________________
U.S. History
Date: ___________________
Political
Teacher
Period: ____________
What
immigrants
got?
Machine Thinking Map/Web
What political
machines got?
Can a political machine work in today’s society?
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
Gilded Age: Political Machines
Graft = any type of illegal
and unethical use of political
influence for personal gain.
Kickbacks = illegal payments
for services
Gilded Age: Political Machines
Who exposed the political machines in New York City?
Thomas Nast =
cartoonist for New York Times and
Harper’s Weekly. His cartoons
revealed corruption of Tweed. This
made Tweed angry.
He did a cartoon about Tweed.
Tweed was convicted and jailed.
Tweed escaped to Spain. But was
captured with the use of a Nast
cartoon.
Tweed was imprisoned again in the
U. S. and died in 1878.
Gilded Age: Political Machines
What cartoon techniques did Thomas Nast use?
Famous cartoon that got Boss Tweed arrested in Spain and
brought back to America and put in jail again. Worked well
because most of his supporters couldn’t read. “He did it”.
Independent Practice
Based on your individual notes
and use some of the techniques
you have learned from Thomas
Nast’s cartoons, with your
shoulder partner create a
political cartoon to depict a
scandal that you know of and
think is significant.
Closure!
• IN YOUR JOURNAL PLEASE DO THE
FOLLOWING:
• Prediction: Now predict
what needs to be done to
solve the problems created
by the political machines.