Chapter 15 | Section 2

Immigrants moved to America because it offered freedom of religion and opportunity. They were fleeing crop failures, shortages of land and jobs, rising taxes, famine, and religions or political persecution. In the 1880s, a wave of pograms, violent massacres of Jews, occurred in Russia.

Immigrants who could not afford cabins traveled in steerage a large open area beneath the ships deck. Steerage conditions were very poor. There were limited toilet facilities, no privacy, and bad food. More than 70% of immigrants came through New York City, the Golden Door to the United States. In 1892, the federal government opened Ellis Island in New York City by the Statue of Liberty. The Statue of Liberty, erected in 1886, is a national symbol representing refuge and hope. It was a gift from France. Emma Lazarus wrote The New Colossus, a poem displayed on the pedestal of the Statue of Liberty. There were several other port cities from which immigrants entered the United States. Many Europeans came through Boston, Philidelphia, and Baltimore (East Coast). Asians entered through San Francisco or Seattle (West Coast). Information about the number and origins of the nations immigrants is not precise. A third of immigrants were birds of passage young, single men who worked for years or months, then returned home. Mexican immigrants were not counted until 1907. OLD IMMIGRANTS Between 1865 to 1890, an estimated 10 million immigrants arrived From northern, western, and central Europe Protestant Christians Catholics, Jews, and orthodox Christians Cuturally similar to original American settlers Culturally different from original American settlers NEW IMMIGRANTS Between 1890 and 1920, around 10 million immigrants arrived From southern and eastern Europe and the Middle East

In 1891, the federal government created the Office of Superintendent of Immigration to determine who could enter the United States. A quarantine is a time of isolation to provent the spread of disease. In 1892, the federal government required all new immigrants to undergo a physical examination. Those who were found to have a contagious disease faced quarantine or were deported. *The textbook says 1892, but in my notes I wrote 1893? In the book, The Making of an Insurgent, Fiorello La Guardia said, It was harrowing to see families separated. Criminals often hung around ports with fake offers of lodgings and jobs, stealing money and baggage from the unwary. Many newly arrived immigrants chose to live in ghettos, areas in which one ethnic or racial group

Reina Hoshino

Chapter 15 | Section 2
dominated. They felt comfortable with the familiar language and traditions. In 1904, Emily Dinwiddie wrote a joyful description of Philadelphias Little Italy, despite the horrendous conditions and poverty, However, some ghettos formed when ethnic groups isolated themselves due to threats from whites. Other ghettos resulted from restrictive covenants. Restrictive covenants were agreements among homeowners not to sell real estate to certain ethnic groups such as African Americans, Mexicans, Asian Americans, and Jews. In the mid-1800s, thousands of Chinese workers were hired to help build the transcontinental railroad, completed in 1896. Chinese immigrants had to work for their companies until they had payed the cost of their passage and upkeep. After their debts were paid, many began mining, farming, fishing, factory work, food preparation, or laundering. American laborers disliked Chinese immigrants. They thought that because the Chinese accepted low wages, they would affect the rates of pa of all workers. Other groups claimed that Asians were physically and mentally inferior to white Americans. A coolie is an unskilled laborer. Chinese immigrants wore queues long ponytails. In 1882, Congress passed the Chinese Exclusion Act in response to the demands of laborers. The act prohibited Chinese labors from entering the country. However, it did not prevent the entry of those who had previously lived in the United States. It was not repealed until 1943. In 1910, the federal government built an immigration center on Angel Island in San Francisco Bay. Immigrants had to undergo a medical examination and Chinese newcomers had to prove that they should not be excluded. By 1820, around 200,000 Japanese immigrants arrived in America through West Coast ports. In 1906, the school board in San Francisco ruled that all Chinese, Japanese, and Korean children should attend a separate school. The Japanese government was angered, so President Theodore Roosevelt made an informal compromise, the Gentlemans Agreement, with Japanese officials in 1907 to end San Franciscos school policy and stop issuing passports to laborers. California passed the Webb Alien Land Law in 1913, banning alien (noncitizen) Asians from owning farmland.

In 1902, Congress passed the Newlands National Reclamation Act to promote the irrigation of southwestern lands. Over the next decade, irrigation turned millions of acres of desert into fertile farmland in Texas, Arizona, New Mexico, and California. Due to the new farmland, new jobs opened up. Employers hired Mexican laborers for their skills and willingness to take difficult jobs at low wages. New opportunities pulled Mexican workers to America. The 1910 Mexican Revolution and civil war pushed them to leave Mexico. The Immigration Restriction Act of 1921 caused labor shortages, drawing more Mexicans across the border. By 1925, Los Angeles had the largest Spanish-speaking population of any North American City outside of Mexico.

Reina Hoshino