Immigration and Urbanization

Transcription

1 Immigration and Urbanization In the late 1800s, the United States experienced a great increase in immigration. Many immigrants settled in cities like Boston, New York, and Chicago. At the same time, many farmers from rural areas in the U.S. moved to cities. The rapid increase in population coupled with a lack of space for housing led to the growth of low income slums in the country's large cities. New vs. Old Immigrants Immigration In the late 1800s, the United States experienced a huge increase in immigration, particularly in areas of the Northeast and California. Before the 1800s, most of the immigrants were from Western European nations, including Great Britain, Ireland, and Germany, among others. Immigrants from these regions became known as "old immigrants" as a surge of "new immigrants" flooded into the country from other areas of the world. These "new immigrants" came to the U.S. in the late 1800s and were mostly from areas in Eastern and Southern Europe, especially Italy, Poland, and Russia. The "new immigrants" settled into ethnic neighborhoods in large cities such as Boston, New York, and Chicago. Nativism Some Americans did not welcome immigrants and feared competition for jobs. These Americans were known as nativists. They were mostly Protestants with British heritage. Along with mistrusting immigrants in general, nativists also disliked Catholics because they feared that Catholics would feel more loyalty to the pope and their religion than to the United States. One group in particular that was a target of scorn were the Irish, many of whom were Catholic. The Irish were leaving Ireland in large numbers as a result of British rule over Ireland and the Irish Potato Famine. In a 40 year period between 1820 and 1860, approximately two million Irish immigrants arrived in the United States. As a result of so many immigrants, prejudice against the Irish was common, as many people saw the Irish as a drain on society. Social Darwinism During the late 1800s, the idea of Social Darwinism developed as people extended Charles Darwin's theory of evolution to politics and sociology. This 1/5

2 philosophy stated that the fittest and strongest civilizations were the natural rulers of the world. Adherents of this philosophy also believed that some people were wealthy and some were poor because of "natural" inequalities. This philosophy was also used as justification for the poor treatment of immigrants and minorities. Americanization The Americanization movement can best be defined as the attempt to assimilate immigrants into mainstream American culture instead of encouraging the existence of many different cultures. An example of Americanization is asking or forcing storeowners to use English instead of their native language. Chinese Exclusion Act During the mid-1800s, many Chinese laborers came to the U.S. to build the Transcontinental Railroad. After the railroad was completed, Chinese immigrants faced increasing amounts of discrimination, and some white workers felt the Chinese were driving down wages. In 1882, Congress passed the Chinese Exclusion Act, prohibiting Chinese workers from immigrating to the United States for the next ten years. Since most of the Chinese immigrants were coming to the United States for job opportunities, this act kept nearly all Chinese immigrants from coming to the United States. This was the first national legislation that placed restrictions on immigration. Ellis Island In 1892, Ellis Island began to serve as the chief immigration station of the United States. Nearly all immigrants who came across the Atlantic Ocean stopped at Ellis Island before continuing on to the mainland. There, each immigrant was given identity papers, checked for infections, and sent to the mainland of the United States through New York City. Angel Island Immigrants Arriving at Ellis Island in /5

3 11/9/12 Known as the "Ellis Island of the West," Angel Island was an immigration station in San Francisco Bay that processed immigrants from 1910 to The majority of immigrants who came through Angel Island from Asia, particularly from China and Japan. Because of the Chinese Exclusion Act, Chinese immigrants faced many restrictions and were not allowed to enter the country unless they had relatives who were American citizens. Immigrants were detained on the island in prison-like conditions for weeks or months as they waited for immigration officials to determine whether or not they would be allowed to enter the country. Gentlemen's Agreement The "Gentlemen's Agreement" of 1907 was an informal agreement between the United States and Japan in which the U.S. agreed that it would not pass laws excluding Japanese immigration as long as Japan prevented its citizens from emigrating. Immigration Act In the years following World War I, there was a great deal of anti-immigrant sentiment, and the federal government passed various laws restricting immigration. With the Immigration Act of 1924, a quota system was enacted in which no more than 2 percent of the population of each nationality that was living in the U.S. in 1890 could be admitted as immigrants. This law eliminated immigration from Asia and severely limited immigration from Southern and Eastern Europe, particularly Russia and Italy. Sacco and Vanzetti Trial Support for nativism in the 1920s increased further during the controversial trial of two Italian immigrants: Ferdinando Nicola Sacco and Bartolomeo Vanzetti. Sacco and Vanzetti were staunch anarchists who were accused of robbery and the murder of the robbed paymaster and his guard. The case became controversial when many liberals and civil rights advocates stated that the two were being persecuted for their status as immigrants and for their radical political beliefs. Urbanization Cities and Living Conditions With the influx of immigrants to the United States, cities grew rapidly, especially in the Northeast. Urbanization, which occurs when rural areas develop into urban areas, was on the rise. People within the U.S. were flocking to the cities from rural areas, immigrants were settling in the cities, and both groups were in search of factory work. Slums and Tenements 3/5

4 Many cities could not keep up with the quickly increasing populations, and areas known as slums grew. Immigrants and the poor moved into tenement houses, also known as dumbbell tenements. Tenements were overcrowded and lacked the necessary sanitation and ventilation. Families often lived all in one room and sometimes shared a room with another family. Along with the cramped living conditions came diseases such as cholera, typhoid, and tuberculosis. Diseases spread quickly through these densely populated areas in cities due to the lack of proper sewage systems. Settlement Houses In an effort to help people living in slums, social reformers began to set up settlement houses. A settlement house was a neighborhood institution where trained workers tried to improve social conditions by providing community services and promoting cooperation among neighbors. Jane Addams founded Hull House in Chicago, one of the most famous settlement houses in the United States. Hull House served as a community center for the neighborhood and later was a center for social reform activities. Photojournalism Photojournalist Jacob Riis brought attention to the immigrants and poor who lived in the tenements and slums when he published a book called How the Other Half Lives: Studies Among the Tenements of New York. In the book, Riis used photographs, drawings, and written descriptions to advocate better living and working conditions for the urban poor. His book included images of child labor, sweatshops, and overcrowded and unsanitary tenements in an effort to bring about social reform. Political Machines The increasing population of the nation's cities resulted in many changes in to the political atmosphere. During this time, political machines came to dominate local politics in some of the country's largest cities. A political machine was an organization led by a political boss. Political machines maintained power by being involved in elections and by controlling various government officials such as mayors and city council members. Political machines were corrupt in many ways and were involved in voter fraud, graft, bribery, and kickbacks. Mass Transportation With the development of mass transit systems such as commuter trains, subways, and trolley cars, cities were able to expand and cover larger areas. As new forms of transportation were developed, the cities grew much larger. Comment on Lesson 4/5

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