CHAPTER 5 SECTION 3

PAGES 156-162

Topic: Life at the Turn of the 20th Century

Essential Question

●What were the push-pull factors that caused millions of immigrants to come to the United States around the turn of the 20th century?

Old & New Immigrants● Between 1800-1880, more than

10 million immigrants came to the U.S.○ These “Old Immigrants” came

mostly from northern and western Europe (England, Ireland, Germany)

● Between 1880-1910, 18 million “New Immigrants” came to the U.S.○ Most of these came from

southern and eastern Europe (Greece, Poland, Italy)

Coming to America

● People came to America in search of a better life

○ Some, like the Jews fled religious persecution

○ Many left Europe because of poverty and lack of jobs

○ Others left because of famine in their homeland

Ellis Island

● Ellis Island Immigration center opened in New York harbor in 1892

● More than 12 million Europeans passed through the center before entering the U.S.

● Doctors checked the immigrants for signs of disease or disability before they were allowed to enter the country

Angel Island

● Angel Island Immigration station opened in 1910 in San Francisco Bay

● Immigrants from Asia passed through the center

● Strict Asian immigration laws forced many Asians to be held in prison-like conditions for months before being allowed into the country

Angel Island

Prejudice against Immigrants

● Many Americans blamed the influx of immigrants for crime and poverty

● In 1882, Congress passed the Chinese Exclusion Act, which banned Chinese immigration for 10 years

● Nativists- Americans who saw immigrants as a threat to the “American Way of Life”

Urban Life in America

● By the late 1800’s, large U.S. cities were running out of building room

● The invention of strong steel frames allowed contractors to design taller buildings

● The mechanized elevator, invented by Elisha Otis, made taller buildings practical

● Urban planners built the first city parks

The Wealthy (Rich)

● Most wealthy people made their money in industry and business

● The wealthy lived extravagantly with many servants in their homes

● Many built mansions that copied medieval castles or Italian Renaissance palaces

Skibo Castle- Andrew Carnegie’s home

The Middle Class

● The middle class was made up of professional workers like lawyers, accountants, teachers, managers, and doctors

● They lived comfortable lives in single family homes

The Working Class

● Most people in the working class lived in poverty

● Wages were low causing many families to live in

Tenements- rundown apartment buildings● Most tenements had poor

lighting and ventilation, and no indoor plumbing

Settlement Houses

● In the late 1800’s, settlement houses began to open in big cities in the U.S.

● Settlement House- places where immigrants can learn English and job skills

● The Hull House in Chicago was one of the first opened in America

● By 1910, the U.S. had over 400 settlement houses

● Social Gospel- belief that faith is expressed through good works

Scandal in Government

● Corruption in govt. existed at every level

● President Grant had many scandals in his administration

● New York City govt. was run by a political machine named Tammany Hall○ Boss Tweed ran it and

became very wealthy from bribery and corruption

Legalized Discrimination

● Jim Crow laws were created to enforce segregation in the South

● Plessy v. Ferguson (1896) was a Supreme Court case that upheld “Separate but Equal” in the U.S.

● In the late 1800’s many African Americans died at the hands of lynch mobs

● Lynching- killing of an individual by a group or mob

Booker T. Washington & W.E.B. Du Bois

● Washington believed blacks had to accept segregation for awhile

● He believed they could improve their lives by learning job skills

● Founded the Tuskegee Institute to teach skills

● Du Bois believed blacks should fight for equal rights immediately

● Founded the NAACP

Identify Terms and People 5.3 (Page 156-162)

● Old Immigrants● New Immigrants● Ellis Island● Angel Island● Tenements● Settlement House● Social Gospel● Populist Party● Jim Crow Laws● Lynching

● What act banned Chinese immigration for ten years?

● Who invented the mechanized elevator?

● Who ran the Tammany Hall political machine in NYC?

● What Supreme Court case in 1896 upheld segregation?

● What act gave Native Americans citizenship?

The New Colossus by Emma LazarusNot like the brazen giant of Greek fame,

With conquering limbs astride from land to land;Here at our sea-washed, sunset gates shall stand

A mighty woman with a torch, whose flameIs the imprisoned lightning, and her name

Mother of Exiles. From her beacon-handGlows world-wide welcome; her mild eyes command

The air-bridged harbor that twin cities frame."Keep ancient lands, your storied pomp!" cries she

With silent lips. "Give me your tired, your poor,Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,

The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me,

I lift my lamp beside the golden door!"

Honors New Colossus Questions

● 1) Who is the mighty woman?● 2) What does the torch in her hand represent?● 3) To whom is she talking?● 4) What is the “golden door”?

This poem was written in 1883 and placed on the base of the Statue of Liberty in 1903.

● 5) Create a T chart comparing and contrasting our government’s immigration policy in 1900

to our current policy on immigration