The Hopes of Immigrants

Why People Migrated

• Mostly men coming alone and lonely

• Almost all came by way of steerage, many died or became ill

(Need These in Notes)

Scandinavians/ Germans/ Irish

• Scandinavians:– Pulled by cheap land prices in America– Poverty in Scandinavia pushed– Settled in regions that felt familiar: Midwestern

Minnesota and Wisconsin (lakes, forests, cold winters)

• Germans:– Largest immigrant group in early

1800s– Strongly influenced culture

(Christmas Tree, kindergarten, hamburger)

– Moved to Midwest: Milwaukee, Wisconsin had large German population

– Some settled in New Braunfels and Fredericksburg, Texas

– Many were artisan bakers, butchers, carpenters, printers, shoemakers, tailors

– Many were very successful –Bausch & Lomb

– Jewish Germans opened stores -Rothschild

• Irish:– Pushed out of Ireland by

Potato Famine & Protestant British Rule

– Lived mostly in large cities– Many did the dangerous

Work that no one else wanted, “an Irishman buried under every railroad tie”

US Cities Face Overcrowding

• People begin flocking to cities in hopes of making a better life

• Cities populations grew very quickly• Not enough housing existed, landlords built up

and filled every spare space.– Consequences: not enough sunlight, fresh air,

police, firemen, sewers, water…

Nativists and Know-Nothings

• Native-born Americans feared that new immigrants were too foreign to learn American ways, or would outnumber native-born Americans

• Immigrants face prejudice, anger, and discrimination

• “Know-Nothings” vow not to vote for any Catholics or foreign-born people

Conflicts• Many Differences in religion, social class, and political

beliefs brought in by the many immigrants begin to effect the nation by:– Discrimination– Anti-Immigration Sentiments– Overcrowding– Crime– Disease– Fire

• The Changing American Way of Life leads to…– Increase in Educated Population– Improved financial ability to purchase and participate in

the fine arts

Your Task• Lately, we have been reading about immigration and experiences that families have

gone through. Now it is your turn to step into the shoes of an immigrant and experience what it was like. Each individual is to pick a region or country where an immigrant family has come from (Mexico, Europe, Russia, Asia, etc.), along with a

year the family left. Then put together a scrapbook of a fictitious immigrant family's journey to America based on research done in class. The scrapbook will consist of

four total journal entries, including one on why the family left the native land, one on the journey and arrival to the United States, and one or two tracking their new life. In

addition, please include at least four pictures that aid in the telling of the story of your fictitious family member. The scrapbook will be prepared in Power Point. Please

include information on the following points:

1. What caused the family to leave their country (poverty, famine, etc.).2. What their journey was, including mode of transportation, troubles they may have encountered, and how long it took.3. Where they moved to in the U.S. and what their home life was like (lived in tenement or house, wealthy or poor, etc.).4. What jobs they would likely have held in the U.S. If kids worked too, then include this information.5. Any other information that may make it clear what immigration to the U.S. was like for the family.

-Save your powerpoint to YOUR drive. (O) THEN, email to me at rcamarillo@judsonisd.org SAVE FIRST!