1. Liberal Immigration LawsProvided cheap labor for industrial growthIncreasing population means an increase in demand forproduct, increasing production, and increasing job positions.Irish and Chinese immigrant built the railroads for low pay andextremely dangerous conditions.

2. The Old Immigrants-1600-1850Where they came from: Northern and WesternEuropeBritain, Ireland,Germany and ScandinaviaWhy they Came: Escape religious persecution Political conflict in homecountry such as revolutions Jobs and new economicopportunities Irish came as a result ofmassive potato famine inIreland 3. The New ImmigrantsWhere they Came From:Southern and Eastern Europe, AsiaItaly,Russia, Poland, Japan and ChinaWhy they came: Better economic opportunities Political freedom Jews from Russia sought religiousfreedomWhere they came in: Ellis Island: Most European immigrantsentered through the immigration centerat Ellis Island in New York City Angel Island: Most Asian immigrantscame in on the West Coast through AngelIsland in California. 4. Americans Reaction AgainstImmigration AMERICAN REACTION AGAINST IMMIGRATION Know-Nothing Party: the partys members worked during the 1850s to limit voting strength ofimmigrants, keep Catholics from public office, and require a lengthy residence before citizenship.Also known as the American Party Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882: Some native-born Americans labeled immigration from Asia ayellow peril. Under pressure from California, Congress passed this act sharply limiting Chineseimmigration. Gentlemens Agreement: In 1907 President Roosevelt reached an informal agreement withJapan under which that nation nearly halted the emigration of its people to the US. The Japanesewho were allowed to emigrate had to meet very specific standards. Literacy Tests: 1917 Congress enacted a law barring any immigrant who could not read or write. Emergency Quota Act of 1921: This law sharply limited the number of immigrants to the US eachyear to 350,000. National Origins Act of 1924: This law further reduced immigration from the countries of the NewImmigrants and in favor of those from northern and western Europe.Copied from Regents review book: Briggs,Bonnie-Anne. United States History and Government. 2008 ed.Catherine Fish Peterson. Boston: Pearson Prentice Hall, 2008.