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clarence-wilson
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A historical look at who and why has entered the U.S. over
the past 200 years
1700-1776: 450,000 immigrants from Western Europe
Colonial and Revolutionary period – English, Scottish, Germans. • 50% of immigrants before 1776 were
indentured servants• Need for continuous labor, so turned to
Africans circa 1700
No formal restrictions on immigration – encouraged and needed
3 month boat trip – very harsh conditions
From the 1840’s through the Civil War: 10 million immigrants
Reasons: increase in population in Europe, wars/revolutions, commercial farms were pushing small farmers off their land
Need for labor in America, especially with the railroads being built
Irish – huge potato famine. Settled in many of the American slums, worked in factories
Chinese began coming to work on the western railroads and in gold mines
earned 1/3 of a white man’s salary 1840’s – Know-Nothing Party – secret
societies to protect America from foreigners
1880’s though World War I: 15 million Immigrants
Eastern & Southern European – Russians, Jews, Poles, Italians, Greeks
Left for economic reasons and religious persecution
Settled in Urban Ghettos Faced extreme Nativism Method of travel: Steam Ship – most on
the lower decks with no windows, little light
2 Major Problems• Cultural Differences between this group and
previous immigrants Kept wages down - would work for practically
nothing• Concentrated in certain areas together to
keep culture alive Retained their languages and old identities
1914-1950 End of WWI halts mass immigration
to US 1922 Cable Act – if an American
female marries an immigrant, she loses her U.S. citizenship
1950-present At first – Asia when exclusion acts
were lifted Recently, huge increase in
immigrants from Middle East, Mexico, and Central America