EQ

There is an old saying among immigrants: “America beckons, but Americans repel.” How is this saying a true reflection of the immigrant experience in America during the Industrial Revolution?

Old Immigrants

• Came to the US before 1880

• Came from Northern and Western Europe

• White, Protestant, and literate (except the Irish and German Catholics)

• Familiar with democratic governments

• Permanent settlement

• Came for opportunities to work and own land.

New Immigrants

• Came to the US after 1880

• Came from Southern and Eastern Europe and China

• Mostly white, non-Protestant, and illiterate

• Unfamiliar with democratic governments

• Permanent and temporary settlements

• They come to the East Coast to escape famine, religious persecution, wars, overpopulation, and to find jobs and farms.

Voyage to America

• Passage often cost a life saving.

• Families could often only send one family member.

• Those who immigrated sent money back to their families.

• The poor came over in steerage.• For 1-3 weeks, they lived in the

ship’s cargo holds with little exercise or fresh air.

• They shared lice infested beds and toilets with other passengers.

• •

• Disease spread quickly and many died before reaching America.

• Those who could afford cabin class went in luxury in their own cabins.

Ellis Island and Angel Island

• Waited in long line to be inspected for contagious diseases.

• Tagged according to the language they spoke.

• Branded with chalk according to their medical ailments.

• Could be sent home if they did not pass "inspection" at Ellis Island and Angel Island.

• Health inspections were done to protect the health of American citizens.

Living in America

• Clustered together creating ethnic communities

• Struggled with learning to speak English

• Learned American customs and Industrial work rhythms were different

• Faced religious bigotry

• Invented or adapted traditions (St. Patrick’s Day Parade, Cinco de Mayo)

Nativism

• Prejudice against people not born in the US, not having Northern European ancestry, or for being religiously non-Protestant.

• Directed toward New Immigrants for their “differentness”

• Based on pseudo scientific ideas that some races were better than others.

Nativist Laws

• Chinese Exclusion Act –ended legal Chinese immigration to the US

• The Gentleman’s Agreement-limited legal Japanese immigration to the US

• Immigration Control Act of 1924-Set quotas based on country of origin and the 1890 census.

The Americanization Movement

• Designed to assimilate immigrants into the dominant American culture (WASP) by local governments and private individuals.

• Schools provided immigrants with classes they would need for citizenship like English, American history, and American government.

• Despite these efforts, many immigrants did not give up their native culture.

Conclusion: (Please include a 1-2 sentence answer for each of the questions listed on the left side of your Cornell notes. Please include the number for each section in your answer.)