Unit 5 Objective 6 - Immigration

Old Immigration (Colonial times to 1850) Who: Irish, Germans and Scandinavians Why they immigrated: potato famine, better economic opportunity Where they settled: All first settled in NE cities, but some Germans and Scandinavians moved West Difficulties they faced: religious discrimination, worry that immigrants would dominate workforce Contributions: Irish helped build railroads and canals

New Immigration (1850-1924) Who: Italians, Poles, Russians, Japanese and Chinese Why they immigrated: greater economic opportunity and political/religious freedom Where they settled: Most in cities, Asian immigrants to the West coast Difficulties they faced: discrimination from Americans, immigration restrictions Contributions: helped build up the nation’s industries

Thinking Question: What does it mean to be a “native” of someplace?

Nativism: The belief that those born in the United States are superior to those born in other countries

Results of Nativism Know-Nothing Party: tried to limit voting for immigrants Chinese Exclusion Act (1882): limited Chinese immigration Gentleman’s Agreement: nearly stopped immigration from Japan in 1907 Literacy Tests: banned immigrants who could not read or write Emergency Quota Act of 1921: limited number of immigrants entering U.S. each year to 350,000 National Origins Act of 1924: further reduced immigration and was biased in favor of some Europeans

More than 12 million immigrants passed through Ellis Island between 1892 and 1954