nativism in the 1800s and 1900s. o during the colonial era and even after the united states gained...
TRANSCRIPT
Nativism in the 1800s and 1900s
O During the colonial era and even after the United States gained independence, Americans favored immigration.
O Until the 1870s, immigrants were welcomed.
O But over time, American views on immigration changed.
O Many Americans started to look at immigrants differently.
O Of course, Americans viewed immigration from different perspectives.
O Industrialists saw immigrants as a source of labor.
O Nativists and anti-immigrant groups such as the "Know Nothing“ Party were threatened by immigrants.
O Still other Americans wanted immigrants to assimilate.
O Ultimately, the government decided to put restrictions on immigration.
O Government restrictions ranged from the number of people who could enter the U.S from various regions to health screenings and literacy tests.
O The nativist movement was a movement that was against immigration and favored American-born citizens.
O Nativists feared immigrants for many reasons.
O The KKK was another group that did not support immigration.
O The KKK attacked Catholics and Jews who wanted to seek a better life in the United States.
O Of course, as government policies towards immigrants changed, immigrants had to get used to the new system, a system that required more from them, like passing examinations.
O Even more restrictive was The Chinese Exclusion Act which was passed on May 6, 1882.
O This Act was designed to prevent the Chinese from coming to the United States.
O In addition, a literacy test was established for all immigrants in 1917.
O If an immigrant could not pass the literacy test, he was not allowed to enter the U.S.
O Quotas were set for different ethnic groups entering the United States.
O The first quota act was passed in 1921 (The Quota Act of 1921).
O The second quota act was called The Immigration Act of 1924.
O The quota acts limited the amount of people entering the United Stated from particular regions.
O Still, there were many facilities set up to receive immigrants as soon they landed in America.
O Immigrants were detained in these facilities while they went through the screenings that were required of them.
O The most famous facility was Ellis Island in New York.
O Its doors were open for immigrants in 1892 and didn’t close its doors until 1954.
O If an immigrant had a disease, he was deported back to his homeland.
O Immigration officials feared that if an immigrant was ill, he would not be able to make a living and that would hurt the economy.
O The economic background check was to make sure that an immigrant would not be dependent on the government after entering the mainland.
O The “New Immigrants” from central and southern Europe faced new barriers to immigration.
O Chinese immigrants were often excluded from immigration.
O Yet ultimately, as new immigrants entered the United States, they contributed to the history and development of the nation.