1. “The New Immigrants”
(write what’s bolded)
Dion Stafford, James Nunn, Martin
Pineda, Patrick Layug, Sunshine Dominguez
(The Mystical Dragons)

2. Immigration to America
-Millions of immigrants entered the US in the late
19th and early 20th centuries
-Moved to escape difficult living conditions such as
famine, land shortages, or religious or political
persecution.
-Things such as birds of passage intended to
immigrate temporarily to earn money and then
return to homeland.

3. Europeans
-Between 1870 and 1920 20 million Europeans arrive
in US
-1890, most immigrants came from western and
northern Europe beginning of 1890 immigrants came
from southern and eastern Europe.
-Many immigrants left to escape religious
persecution.
(for example: the jews were driven out of
Russia)

4. -Others left because of rising population
(scarcity of land, farmers vs. laborers).
-Jobs were plentiful in US
-They were influenced by political
movements at home, young men and
women moved to US.

5. Chinese
-1851-1883 300,000 Chinese immigrants arrived
-Many came to seek their fortunes after the discovery of
gold in 1848 (California Gold rush)
-Chinese helped build nation’s railroads including the first
transcontinental line.
-Farming, mining, and domestic services

6. -1884, Japanese government allowed
Hawaiian planters to recruit Japanese workers
and a Japanese emigration boom began.
-Annexation of Hawaii in 1898 resulted in
increased Japanese migration of west coast.
-Immigration continued to increase as word of
higher wages spread.
-By 1920 more than 200,000 Japanese lived on
west coast

7. The West Indies and Mexico
-1880-1920: about 260,000 immigrants from the West
Indies came to Eastern and South Eastern U.S in
search of work during the Industrial boom
-Many came from Puerto Rico, Cuba, Jamaica, and
other Islands
-Mexicans also come to the U.S in search of jobs and
also to flee political turmoil.

8. -1902: National Reclamation Act (encouraged
irrigation of arid land) created new farmland in
the Western States which attracted Mexican
workers.
-1910: political and social upheavals in Mexico
prompt more immigration
-Over the next 20 years, about 700,000 people
came to the U.S

9. A Difficult Journey
-1870: almost all immigrants traveled by steamship. The
trip from Europe across the Atlantic took one week. Asia
to the Pacific took about 3 weeks.
-Immigrants traveled in steerage- cheap
accommodations in ships’ cargo holds.
They were rarely allowed on deck and slept in
mouse infested bunks.
-Shared toilets with many other passengers.
-Because of these conditions, disease spread quickly
and killed some people before they reached their
destination.

10. Ellis Island
• Chief immigration station in the US from 1892 – 1924.
• Estimated 17 million European immigrants passed through
it.
• About 20% of the immigrants were detained for a day or more
before being inspected. Only 2% of those were denied entry.
• The processing takes 5 hours or more:
– had to pass a physical examination, anyone with serious
health problem or contagious disease was sent home
– Inspector checked if they meet the legal requirements
such as:
Had never been convicted of a felony
Demonstrating they’re able to work
Had some money at least $25
• Interpreters were use to overcome the language problem

13. Angel Island
• Asians (primarily Chinese) immigrants
arriving on the West Coast gained admission
at Angel Island in San Francisco Bay.
• Between 1910-1940, about 50,000 Chinese
immigrants entered the U.S.
• Immigrants in Angel island endured harsh
questioning and long detention compared to
the immigrants in Ellis Island.

15. Cooperation For Survival
Challenges after admission into the country:
-finding a place to live
-getting a job
-getting along in daily life and understanding
unfamiliar language & culture.
-Ethnic communities stuck together, pooled their $$ to
build churches/synagogues, social clubs and aid
societies.
-Native born Americans often disliked the immigrants’
unfamiliar customs and languages and viewed them as
a threat to the American way of life.

16. The Rise of Natavism
-Melting Pot- A mixture of different cultures and races
who blended together by abandoning their native
languages and customs
-Immigrants didn’t want to give up cultural identities
-As immigration increased, strong anti immigrant feelings
increased
-Natavism- overt favoritism toward native born
Americans
-Believed English were superior to other ethnic
groups.

17. Immigration Restriction League
-founded by Prescott F. Hall
- “Right” countries- British, German, and
Scandinavians
- “Wrong” countries- Slav, Latin, and Asiatic
races
American Protective Association
-Natavist group formed in 1887
-Anti-Catholic
-Many colleges, businesses and social clubs
refused to admit Jews.

18. 1897- IRL passed a bill requiring a literacy test for
immigration.
-had to read 40 words in English or their native
language for entry.
President Cleveland vetoed the bill.
-A similar bill would be passed in 1917 despite
the veto.

19. Anti-Asian Sentiment
-Native born workers feared that jobs would go to
Chinese immigrants who would accept lower wages.
-The founder of the working party, Denis Kearny
headed the anti-Chinese movement in California.
-In 1992 Congress slammed the door on Chinese
immigration for ten years by passing the Chinese
exclusion act.
-Banned entry to all Chinese except
students, teachers, merchants, tourists and
government officials.

20. The Gentlemen’s Agreement
When Japan raised an angry protest at this
-
treatment of emigrants, President Theadore
Roosevelt worked out a deal.
- Gentlemen’s Agreement: 1907-1908
Japan’s government agreed to limit
emigration of unskilled workers to the US
for the repeal of the SF segregation order.