IMMIGRANTS AND URBANIZATION AMERICA BECOMES A MELTING POT IN THE LATE 19 TH & EARLY 20 TH CENTURY
Gumball Immigration Discussion Questions 1. How many immigrants does the U.S. let in each year? 2. Do you agree with our policy? Why or why not? 3. What would you change about our immigration policy?
THE NEW IMMIGRANTS Millions of immigrants entered the U.S. in the late 19 th and early 20 th centuries Some came to escape difficult conditions, others known as birds of passage Temporary like today Negative? Why are so many immigrants leaving? A Religious persecution, famine, a better life, land shortages
What has Immigration looked like over time in US History? Fill out the subgroups marked in yellow on your notes and write down an observation about each group as you watch this video on the history of American immigration
Immigration in 1900 What do you notice?
EUROPEANS Between 1870 and 1920, about 20 million Europeans arrived in the United States Before 1890, most were from western and northern Europe After 1890, most came from southern and eastern Europe
CHINESE Between 1851 and 1882, about 300,000 Chinese arrived on the West Coast PULL Factors: Gold Rush, Railroads or domestic servants = OPPORTUNITY An anti-chinese immigration act by Congress curtailed immigration after 1882 The Chinese Exclusion Act Many Chinese men worked for the railroads
JAPANESE In 1884, the Japanese government allowed Hawaiian planters to recruit Japanese workers The U.S. annexation of Hawaii in 1898 increased Japanese immigration to the west coast By 1920, more than 200,000 Japanese lived on the west coast
CARRIBBEAN AND MEXICO Between 1880 and 1920, about 260,000 immigrants arrived in the E & S.E US form the West Indies (Caribbean) (Jamaica, Cuba, Puerto Rico) Opportunity - Jobs Mexicans, too, immigrated to the U.S. to find Jobs (700,000)
LIFE IN THE NEW LAND In the late 19 th century most immigrants arrived via boats The trip from Europe took exactly a week, while it took about 3 weeks from Asia The trip was arduous and about 10% died. Why? Europeans Ellis Island Asians Angel Island
ELLIS ISLAND, NEW YORK Ellis Island was the arrival point for European immigrants 1 st Class 2 nd Class Steerage Questions Steerage passengers were asked: From 1892-1924, 17 million immigrants passed through
ANGEL ISLAND, SAN FRANCISCO (1910-1940) Asians, primarily Chinese, gained admission to the US through Angel Island Much more harsh than Ellis Island 1. Chinese said they were sons/daughters of American citizens/often fake paperwork 2. So, tough questioning 3. Long detentions 4. Filthy conditions 5. 77% entered the country
Poems on the Walls at Angel Island America has power, but not justice. In prison, we were victimized as if we were guilty. Given no opportunity to explain, it was really brutal. I bow my head in reflection but there is nothing I can do. I thoroughly hate the barbarians because they do not respect justice. They continually promulgate harsh laws to show off their prowess. They oppress the overseas Chinese and also violate treaties. They examine for hookworms and practice hundreds of despotic acts.
Assimilation v. Melting Pot Assimilation: a minority group s adoption of the beliefs and way of life of the dominant culture. Melting Pot: Committed to culture, but also trying hard to become Americans many came to think of themselves as Italian-Americans, Polish-Americans, Chinese- Americans, etc. What types of friction can develop between Homegrown Americans and foreign-born immigrants? Chinatowns are found in many major cities
IMMIGRANT RESTRICTIONS Anti-Asian feelings included restaurant boycotts As immigration increased, so did anti-immigrant feelings among natives Nativism (favoritism toward native-born Americans) led to anti-immigrant organizations Nativists are mainly Anglo-Saxon and Protestant don t like Jews and Catholics who might undermine democratic fabric In 1882, Congress passed the Chinese Exclusion Act which limited Chinese immigration until 1943
Discussion Questions (Sec.1) 1. Why did the Chinese immigrant workers become a scapegoat? 2. What were two provisions of the Chinese Exclusion Act? 3. When was the act repealed by Congress?
Chinese Exclusion Act
SEC. 2: THE CHALLENGES OF URBANIZATION Rapid urbanization occurred in the late 19 th century in the Northeast & Midwest Most immigrants settled in cities because of the available jobs & affordable housing By 1910, immigrants made up more than half the population of 18 major American cities New York Skyline at night
MIGRATION FROM COUNTRY TO CITY Discrimination and segregation were often the reality for African Americans who migrated North Rapid improvements in farm technology (tractors, reapers, steel plows) made farming more efficient in the late 19 th century It also meant less labor was needed to do the job Many rural people left for cities to find work- including almost ¼ million African Americans
URBAN PROBLEMS Problems in American cities in the late 19 th and early 20 th century included: Housing: overcrowded tenements were unsanitary Sanitation: garbage was often not collected, polluted air Lodgers in a crowded Bayard Street tenement, 1889. Photography by Jacob Riis
URBAN PROBLEMS CONTINUED Harper s Weekly image of Chicagoans fleeing the fire over the Randolph Street bridge in 1871 Transportation: Cities struggled to provide adequate transit systems Water: Without safe drinking water cholera and typhoid fever was common Crime: As populations increased thieves flourished Fire: Limited water supply and wooden structures combined with the use of candles led to many major urban fires Chicago -1871; San Francisco -1906
PHOTOGRAPHER JACOB RIIS CAPTURED IMAGES OF THE CITY (1) Danish-American muckraking journalist/ Photographer Jacob Riis
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Section 2 Discussion Questions 1. Why was Riis technology innovative? 2. What was Riis mission? What was his book and how many copies sold? 3. List two ways Colonel George Wary cleaned up the city? What was the impact?
REFORMERS MOBILIZE Jacob Riis was a reformer who through his pictures hoped for change he influenced many The Social Gospel Movement preached salvation through service to the poor Some reformers established Settlement Homes These homes provided a place to stay, classes, health care and other social services Jane Addams was the most famous member of the Settlement Movement (founded Hull House in Chicago) Jane Addams and Hull House
SEC 3: POLITICS IN THE GILDED AGE As cities grew in the late 19 th century, so did political machines Political machines controlled the activities of a political party in a city Ward bosses, precinct captains, and the city boss worked to ensure their candidate was elected
ROLE OF THE POLITICAL BOSS The Boss (typically the mayor) controlled jobs, business licenses, and influenced the court system Precinct captains and ward bosses were often 1 st or 2 nd generation immigrants + POSITIVE So they helped immigrants with naturalization, jobs, and housing in exchange for votes Boss Tweed ran NYC
GRAFT AND SCANDAL NEGATIVE: Abused power BY. 1. Corruption: Bosses or machines used fake names and voted multiple times to ensure victory ( Vote early and often ) called Election fraud 2. Graft (bribes) was common among political bosses Don t shut down my illegal gambling casino and whore-houses (prostitution) and I ll pay you a monthly rate of money. 3. Company who is awarded a contract to build a park must give a kick-backs. So we chose you to do the work and get paid handsomely, we expect money in return 4. Boss also would buy the police or pay them off to help enforce their
THE TWEED RING SCANDAL William M. Tweed, known as Boss Tweed, became head of Tammany Hall, NYC s powerful Democratic political machines Between 1869-1871, Tweed led the Tweed Ring, a group of corrupt politicians, in defrauding the city Tweed was indicted on 120 counts of fraud and extortion Tweed was sentenced to 12 years in jail released after one, arrested again, and escaped to Spain Boss Tweed
NY COUNTY COURTHOUSE The most notorious example of urban corruption was the construction of the New York County Courthouse in 1861. Officially, the city wound up spending nearly $13 million--roughly $178 million in today's dollars--on a building that should have cost several times less. Its construction cost nearly twice as much as the purchase of Alaska in 1867. The corruption was breathtaking. A carpenter was paid $360,751 (roughly $4.9 million today) for one month's labor in a building with very little woodwork. A furniture contractor received $179,729 ($2.5 million) for three tables and 40 chairs. Tweed personally profited from a Massachusetts quarry that provided the courthouse's marble. When a committee investigated why it took so long to build the courthouse, it spent $7,718 ($105,000) to print its report. The printing company was owned by Tweed. In July 1871, two low-level city officials with a grudge against the Tweed Ring provided The New York Times with reams of documentation that detailed the corruption at the courthouse and other city projects. The newspaper published a string of articles. Those articles, coupled with the political cartoons of Thomas Nast in Harper's Weekly, created a national outcry, and soon Tweed and many of his cronies were facing criminal charges and political oblivion. Tweed died in prison in 1878. The Tweed courthouse was not completed until 1880, two decades after ground was broken. By then, the courthouse had become a symbol of public corruption.
Modern-Day Bribes/Kickbacks Kwame Kilpatrick Detroit Mayor Gave his childhood friend, Bobby Ferguson, contracts making BF $73 M. Kwame made a ton of money off kickbacks as well. Illinois Governor Rod Blagodevich Impeached from Illinois State Senate for selling B.O. vacant senate seat in a play to pay scheme.
The Tammany Tiger Loose -Thomas Nast Harper s Weekly 1. Under the Tammany tiger s victim is a torn paper that reads LAW. What is its significance? 2. What effect do you think Nast wanted to have on his audience?
CIVIL SERVICE REPLACES PATRONAGE Applicants for federal jobs are required to take a Civil Service Exam Nationally, some politicians pushed for reform in the hiring system. Why? Favors v. Merit! The system had been based on Patronage; giving jobs and favors to those who helped a candidate get elected Reformers pushed for an adoption of a merit system of hiring the most qualified for jobs The Pendleton Civil Service Act of 1883 authorized a bipartisan commission to make appointments for federal jobs based on performance
Immigration/Urbanization: Picture Recognition Directions: After looking at the picture, complete the chart completing the following three tasks: 1. Provide description using detail (what s happening in picture) 2. Write down the event taking place 3. Describe the significance of the event
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2 Advertisement for washing liquid in California. In 1882
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4 The Tammany Tiger This says LAW What are you going to do about it?
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