IMMIGRATION

Where did immigrants come from?

Where did Immigrants enter the U.S. ?

Ellis Island• Located in New York

Harbor. • Entry point for

European immigrants. • Over 12 million

people enter through Ellis Island

Angel Island

• Located in San Francisco Bay.

• Entry point for many Asian Immigrants.

• Many were held here for extended periods of time.

Mexico & Canada

Process of entering the U.S.

  Had to be tested for diseases and physically fit

  Had to have documents from other country

  Had to be mentally fit

  Had to be ready for life in the U.S.

Reasons for emigration

Push factors: Reasons why people chose to leave their country.•Religious persecution•Political persecution•Bad economy/poverty•War•Discrimination

Reasons for immigrating into the U.S.

Pull factors: Reasons why people chose to come to America

•Political freedom

•Religious freedom

•Work/jobs

•Land/housing

•Education

Destination/places where they settled

•Most immigrants settled near the port of entry (Ex: New York, San Francisco) •If diseased they were quarantined •Settled in large cities •Only 2 Percent went South •Earned about $5-$10 a week for up to 80 hour work weeks

Treatment/reception by other Americans

• Most Immigrants were treated very poorly when they arrived.

• 1st wave immigrants (Italians, Irish & German) are treated better then 2nd wave (Jews, Polish & Asians)

• Americans feared immigrants would take their jobs away.

Opportunities for and success of Immigrants

Now What?

Employment

Dry Cleaners News Stands Grocery Stores Machine Shops Garment factory

Living conditions Tenements

Apartments in city Houses in the slums Poor living

conditions

Education

Children got education after coming to America

Parents and elders got no education

Political Representation

o The Italians had the most political representation of all the groups

o Polish and Jewish immigrants had little political representation

o Asians had no representation

Assimilation? If so, to what degree?

• Immigrants tried to hang onto some of their traditions & customs but most “melted” into American society.

• Becoming “American” was seen as the quickest path to success

Legal vs. illegal immigrants

• There were very few illegal immigrants during the early 1900's as Mexicans and Canadians were not counted as immigrants

• Most of the immigrants that came to America at that time came through legally

Laws restricting immigration

• Chinese exclusionary Act: Excluded Chinese immigrants from coming into the U.S.

•In 1892 an act passed by Congress provided for the examination of immigrants and the excluding of convicts, people suffering from diseases, and people liable to public charges