IMMIGRATION

Ellis Island

• Located in New York harbor

• 17 million from 1892 to 1924

• 20% detained, 2% sent home

• Processing:

– Medical Examination

– Never been convicted of a felony

– Able to work

– Have some money ($25 after 1909)

Angel Island

• Located in San Francisco Bay

• Primarily Asian immigrants

• 50,000 Chinese between 1910-1940

• Conditions far worse:

– Longer detention time in filthy facilities

Ellis Island

Angel Island

https://maps.google.com/

WHO?

20 million Europeans between

1870 and 1920

300,000 Chinese between

1851 and 1883

200,000 Japanese between

1884 and 1920

WHY?

HYPOTHESIZE: Why did so many people

choose to leave their homelands and come to

America?

PUSH vs. PULLPUSH factors:

1. Religious Persecution

2. War weary

3. Population increase

4. No Work

5. Oppression

6. Famine and Starvation

PULL factors:

1. Religious Freedom

2. Fairly Peaceful

3. Vast amounts of Land

4. Jobs “plentiful”

5. Opportunity

6. “Bread basket of the

World”

OLD vs. NEW

OLD Immigrants came from:

OLD vs. NEW

NEW immigrants came from:

OLD vs. NEWOLD immigrants:

1. Northern and Western

Europe

2. Spoke English

3. Skilled tradesmen

4. Protestant or

Irish/German Catholic

NEW Immigrants:

1. Southern and Eastern

Europe

2. Did not speak English

3. Many poor and

Illiterate

4. Greek Orthodox,

Roman Catholic,

Jewish

NATIVISM

• Nativism: Favoritism towards native-born

Americans.

– Anti-Catholic attacks

– Colleges, Businesses, Social clubs = NO JEWISH

• “MELTING POT” ���� mixture of people of

different backgrounds who blend together by

abandoning their native language and customs.

– Many NEW immigrants were unwilling to do this.

LEGISLATION

• Chinese Exclusion Act: Banned entry to all

Chinese except students, teachers,

merchants, tourists, and government

officials.

• Gentlemen’s Agreement: Japan Limits

emigration of unskilled workers to U.S. in

exchange for the repeal of the San Francisco

segregation order.

Primary Source

• Read the account and answer the following

questions…

1. Expectations vs. Reality

2. Were expectations met? Why or why not?

3. How does this help us to explain why Mark

Twain termed this age the “Gilded Age”?