Immigration defines North America. Immigration to the U.S. from the late 1800 s to Now

Transcription

1 Immigration defines North America Immigration to the U.S. from the late 1800 s to Now

2 Immigrants of the Late 1800 s - Where? 3 Western European countries in particular provided the most immigrants England, Germany, and Ireland Most immigrants during this time came into New York Harbour at Ellis Island, which was the main entry point into the United States. Ellis Island opened in 1892 and closed in Most immigrants settled in the Northeast and Midwest of United States.

3 USA Western Europe & Ellis Island in NYC

4 Immigrants Today - Where? Over half of immigrants today come from Latin American countries The vast majority of these immigrants are coming from Mexico Most immigrants come into the United States across the Southern border

5 Immigration U.S. Map Late 1800 s Now

6 Immigrants of the Late 1800 s - How? Over 90% of immigrants in the late 1800 s traveled by ship to America Wealthy immigrants traveled in style, however most immigrants were poor and traveled in the steerage of the ship In steerage immigrants had to deal with crowded, dark, and unsanitary conditions

7 Travel by Steerage Steerage was the lower decks of the ship

8 Immigrants Today - How? Many immigrants today come to the U.S. on foot Some immigrants attempt to smuggle themselves into the U.S. on trucks Few immigrants come by legitimate means like driving through a border checkpoint or flying into an airport

9 Travel by Foot and Truck

10 Immigrants of the Late 1800 s - Who? 12 million immigrants to the U.S. in the late 1800 s were Western European. Most were English, German, and Irish Asian immigrants would have came primarily through San Francisco

11 Immigration # s During the late 1800 s

12 Immigrants Today - Who? Nearly 10 million immigrants came to the U.S. between , majority being Mexican In 2012 the foreign born population in the U.S. hit 41 million In 2012 the majority of immigrants became undocumented immigrants living in the South and Southwest

13 Immigrants of the Late 1800 s - Why? Push Factors - reasons pushing immigrants to America in the late 1800 s Widespread starvation in their home country (ex. Irish potato famine) Land shortage in their home country (royalty and the elite controlled most land in Europe) Poverty and Religious discrimination (Polish, Russian, Jewish, and Italian immigrants) Pull factors - reasons immigrants were attracted to America in the late 1800 s Plenty of land to farm (40% of land in the U.S. is farmland ) Free land (In 1862 the Homestead Act gave away free land out West) Religious freedom (1st Amendment to the U.S. Constitution) Jobs - the Gold rush / Jobs building the first transcontinental railroad.

14 Latin America & The Southern Border USA

15 Immigrants Today - Why? Push Factors - reasons pushing immigrants to America today Poor economic conditions in their home country Lack of job opportunities in their home country Violence in their home country, country is at war Pull factors - reasons immigrants are attracted to America today The U.S. has the richest economy in the world Free public education Jobs-U.S. businesses like farms and landscaping rely on immigrant labor Safety-In Mexico 2 murders for every 1 in the U.S.

16 Big Moments in U.S. Immigration 1882: Congress banned Chinese immigration 1921: Congress imposes quotas that favor northern Europeans over Southern and Eastern Europeans. 1965: Immigration quotas abolished by the Immigration and Nationality Act of : After terrorist attacks on 9/11, Congress passed the USA Patriot Act which called for stricter border security and tightens immigration.

17 7 Ways Immigration Helps Build a Stronger America 1.Immigration fuels our economy 2. Immigration creates jobs, 19% business owners in U.S. are immigrants 3. Immigration helps us recruit/retain the best global talent. I.e. engineers 4. Immigration makes us less globally isolated. Only 30% of Americans have passports. 5. Immigration enhances our multilingualism. ⅕ Americans speak another language. 6. Immigration opens us up to ideas from elsewhere. Diversity strengthens us. 7. Immigration shapes how the world views America. 12% Americans are Foreign born