Challenges of Urbanization

Challenges of Immigration & Challenges of Immigration & UrbanizationUrbanization

What issues did many new immigrants & city dwellers face at the turn of the century?

Immigration to the US• Millions immigrate through the “golden door”

Europeans

• 20 million immigrate from 1870-1920

• Most now coming from Ireland, Eastern & Southern Europe, looking for land & work

Chinese & Japanese

• About 500,000 immigrate from 1870-1920

• Chinese: escaping political turmoil

• Japanese: higher wages in US

Mexicans

• About 700,000 immigrate from 1870-1920

• Most looking for work – US encourages them to do field work

• List the top four immigrant groups (with %) on page 255.

On the East coast immigrants went through…

Ellis Island, NY

Ellis Island

1) Medical Examination: check for contagious or debilitating diseases

2) Examination of legal documents: make sure they have no criminal record, have some money, and want to work

•Once immigrants arrived they went through the following process:

•Whole process took about 5-6 hours, 17,000 pass through per day.

•About 20% detained for a day & 2% rejected

On the west coast immigrants went through…

Angel Island

Immigration Station

barracks

Angel Island

• 1882:Congress passed the Chinese Exclusion Act banning the entry of all Chinese except students, teachers, merchants & tourists

• Angel Island was largely set up to stop illegal Chinese immigrants

• Potential immigrants were given medical exams & quarantined if anything was suspicious

•Immigrants questioned harshly and held for extended periods up to 2 yrs

Backlash to immigration

• Backlash against immigrants on East coast, esp. against Jews, Poles, Italians, and Irish, most lived in poor enclaves together

• On the West coast there was a great deal of anti-Asian sentiment

• Only “Anglo-Saxon” protestants seen as true Americans

• Nativist organizations form that want to restrict immigration (get rid of the “wrong” type of immigrant)

Rebirth of the KKK

•Ku Klux Klan, which started as anti-black gains momentum due to immigration backlash

Americanization Movement

• Most immigrants move into city areas (cheap & easy)

• Plan to assimilate people into the dominant “American” culture

• Despite the movement, many ethnic communities spring up (keep own languages & customs)

Challenges of Urbanization• Lack of housing in cities, row housing or share housing• Lack of clean water & sanitation (causing disease)• Increase in fires (no electricity – using candles)• Gangs control parts of city - rampant crime

Gangs of New York1. How were many immigrants treated when they

came to America?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ns-qtoxnAS8

1. Explain how cities like New York were lawless?

2. What are overall conditions like in the city?

3. Describe ways the “gangs” make money? Is it brutal?

Social Gospel Movement

• Preached salvation by helping the poor

• Reformers establish settlement housing

• Most well known: Hull House in Chicago founded by Jane Addams