THROUGH ELLIS ISLAND AND ANGEL ISLAND How was life as an immigrant coming to the USA
Why they immigrated? Push Factors: Problems that caused people to move Irish Potato Famine Lack of arable land Religious persecution Jewish refugees from Russia, or Armenians from the Ottoman Empire
Pull Factors Attractions that draw them to another place US had TONS of farmland, minerals, and forests Booming industries offered lots of jobs Personal communication from friends and relatives known as American Letters claiming the US was the land of milk and honey, And the Streets are paved with gold. Was this true? Why or why not? (Think Facebook!)
The Passage itself:
Ellis Island and Medical Inspections If they came in on the East Coast, they came in through Ellis Island, built in 1892 Anyone who showed signs of disability was pulled aside for closer inspection when claiming their baggage or walking in. If found with incurable illnesses, they would face deportation If someone was marked E for eye condition, they would be double-checked and if found with Trachoma, instantly sent home
Legal interviews in the Great Hall Inspector had a list of 29 questions starting with What is your Name Trickiest question was DO you have work waiting for you in the US? Congress had to pass the Foran Act to make importing contact laborers illegal The Board listened to each immigrants case individually and only about 2% were deported
Beyond Ellis Island: Life in the Cities Because of immigration and urbanization, the proportion of Americans who lived in cities jumped from 25% to about 50% Immigrants settled among others from their own country Also, these section of cities tended to be the least-desirable areas.
15:4 Responses to New European Immigrants Sources of aid for Immigrants since there was no aid for unemployed workers Immigrant aid societies Settlement House (community center) Political bosses (but had to vote for them)
Some Americans Reject Immigrants Policy of favoring nativeborn americans became known as Nativism. Formed a secret political party called the Know Nothings. Group of nativists founded the Immigration Restriction League- wanted to limit immigration Passed a literacy law making it so all immigrants had to take a literacy test
Chinese Immigrants seek Gold Mountain (15.5) Gold Mountain is what they referred to California Men whom wanted to work and return home rich Many Chinese worked in the agriculture sector, especially in Hawaii Finally, because they worked for less money, tensions rose between them, and white Americans
The Exclusion Act 1870 s, depression hit California, and they blamed it on the Chinese Passed the Chinese Exclusion Act in 1882 Prohibited the immigration of Chinese laborers, skilled or unskilled for 10 years. Also prevented the Chinese already in the country from becoming citizens
Angel Island: The Ellis Island of the West Built and designed to enforce the Exclusion act A more intense legal interview an physical exam than Ellis Island Sometimes applicants were detained for weeks, months, or even years About 10% were sent back to their country of origin
Other Asian Groups immigrate to the US Many Japanese began to fill the role of the Chinese in the US mainland Some Koreans went to Hawaii, but not many San Francisco tried to segregate the schools, but Roosevelt stepped in and forced them to repeal that so as to not offend Japan
15:6 Immigration from North and Left Mexico for what you can imagine better pay and way of life, but still worked on the farms Canadians came from Quebec and left because of religious persecution as well as greater opportunities than they had at home There are very pronounced differences between the French Canadians and the US citizens to the south South