Chapter 20

Floods of New ImmigrantsThe Journey to AmericaThe Immigrant ExperienceNativist Movement

Old Immigrants: Before 1865 Protestant, spoke English, blended in easily with

American society New Immigrants:

Mid-1880s: Eastern and Southern Europe; Catholics and Jews

Early 1900s: Mexico and East Asia, unfamiliar languages

Had difficulty blending into society “Push” factors for new immigration

Overcrowding, poverty, lack of jobs Escape from the persecution of ethnic minorities

“Pull” factors for new immigration Available jobs, affordable land

Ocean voyage: 12 days via the Atlantic, several weeks via the Pacific

Many traveled in steerage European immigrants landed at Ellis Island

(Statue of Liberty/New York Harbor) Asian immigrants landed at Angel Island in

San Francisco Bay Examiners at the government reception

centers recorded names (and at shortened or simplified the names)

Health exams given – People with contagious illnesses were refused permission to enter the US

Typically unskilled common laborers – low pay, poor conditions

women and children worked in sweatshops (garment industries)

Some wanted to preserve their own cultures, most wanted to assimilate to American culture

Language differences within the generations of immigrants Women had a hard time adjusting to their new freedoms Adjust to urban life since they came from rural communities Tried to re-create communities they left behind

Synagogues, houses of worship – priests and holy people were community leaders

Preserved some cultural heritage Published newspapers in native tongue, opened stores,

theaters, and organized social clubs

Resented immigrants since they would work for lower wages

Ethnic, religious and racial tensions heighten Blamed for crime, unemployment, and other problems Nativist movement: anti-immigration movement –

strengthens in the late 1800s: 1882 – Chinese Exclusion Act – prohibited Chinese

workers to enter the US for 10 years 1907 – “Gentleman’s Agreement” – Japan limits the

number of Japanese immigrants going to the US Immigration Act of 1917 – required immigrant to be

literate Grace Abbott and Julia Clifford Lathrop – Immigrants’

Protective League Growing industries provided with necessary workers Contributed their customs and cultures to American

way of life

1. Growth of Cities2. Cities in Crisis3. The Changing City

US changing from a rural towards an urban nation Immigrants make up 80% of city population – Jobs located

in the cities African Americans and women also move to the city for

jobs Kansas City – meatpacking Pittsburg – iron and steel New York and San Francisco – international trade

More city-dwellers = more housing needed: Poorest residents lived in tenements in the city slums

Middle-class (professionals, doctors, lawyers, ministers) lived in the suburbs = much better conditions than the urban slums

Wealthy lived lavish lifestyles, but were only a tiny fraction of the population

This age was known as the Gilded Age: A time of extravagant wealth on the outside, but terrible poverty underneath

Overcrowding in tenements = health and sanitation problems

Students begin to get screened for contagious diseases

City establishes public health clinics Poverty led to increased crime: Gangs Religious groups and organizations

(YMCA, YWCA) help as much as possible Settlement houses provided medical

care, playgrounds, nurseries, libraries, and some education: Hull House – Jane Addams

Urban growth led to new developments Building upwards instead of outwards with

the help of the safety elevator (Elisha Otis) William LeBaron Jenney – constructs the

world’s 1st skyscraper Woolworth Building (1913) – 55 stories,

known as Cathedral of Commerce Frederick Law Olmsted – designer of New

York’s Central Park Streetcars and paved streets revolutionize

methods of transportation within cities Steel Bridges allow divided portions of cities

and towns to become connected

1. Expanding Education2. A Nation of Readers3. Art, Music, and Literature

Expansion in the number of public high schools Majority of students were girls - boys stayed home and

worked African Americans: not given equal opportunities to

attend schools John Dewey - “progressive education” - relating

learning to students interests, problems, and concerns Morrill Act gives states large amounts of federal land

that they could sell to raise money for education Land-grant colleges: Colleges started due funds taken

from the sale of federal lands (Cornell, Stanford) Women’s colleges (Vassar, Smith, Wellesley, Bryn Mawr)

Booker T. Washington - Tuskegee Institute - trained teachers to provide a practical education for African Americans

Native Americans trained for jobs through Carlisle Indian Industrial School

Public libraries grow: Andrew Carnegie contributes millions of dollars to establish free public libraries

Advances in print media: Joseph Pulitzer: New York World William Randolph Hearst: New You Morning

Journal Yellow journalism attracts readers Magazines become popular (Atlantic

Monthly, Harper’s Magazine, Ladies’ Home Journal)

Literature sees the new styles: realism and regionalism

Americans begin to develop a distinct American style

American artists pursue realist themes Jazz and ragtime become popular types of music Middle-class workers enjoy increased leisure time

Spectator sports become popular (baseball) Football initiates as a college sport Basketball originates in US and spreads to other

countries Bicycles made safer with rubber wheels Vaudeville shows (dancing, singing, comedy, and

magic) become popular Thomas Edison’s moving pictures