Immigration and Urbanization Flashcards
Chinese Exclusion Act-1882
Banned all Chinese laborers from entering the U.S.; repealed in 1943
Emergency Immigration Act of 1921
(Emergency Quota Act)
Created a system of quotas (government restriction) or, maximum numbers of immigrants that could enter the U.S. from individual countries (3% of their current population in the U.S. according to the 1910 Census)
Urbanization- What and Why
What- the growth of cities resulting from industrialization
Why-
Arrival of new immigrants
New technology replaced farm workers so they went to cities in search of jobs
African Americans from rural south moved to find jobs and escape discrimination
How did Skyscrapers affect urbanization?
Created space for factories
Increased population
Electric elevators helped make skyscrapers possible
Steel made skyscrapers possible by being able to support the weight of taller buildings
New Immigrants Characteristics
late 1800s - early 1900s
Southern + Eastern Europe; Asia
Italy, Greece, Russia, Austria-Hungary, China, Japan
Catholic, Jewish, or Buddhist
dark,” “olive,” “tan,” etc.
(not considered white)
Most did not speak English and had not lived in countries with democratic traditions or urban areas
Many faced discrimination, and were seen as a threat to jobs
Ellis Island
New York harbor immigration station for European immigrants
Immigrants were processed at Ellis Island and had to answer questions
They were also given a medical exam; if they had health problems they were deported
Old Immigrant Characteristics
1700s - mid-1800s
Northern and Western Europe
England, Wales, Scotland, Ireland, the Netherlands, France, Germany, Norway, Sweden
Protestant Christian
white
Many spoke English and had experience living in a democracy
Faced less discrimination, and were encouraged to immigrate by America
Angel Island
San Francisco Bay immigration station for Asian immigrants
Conditions were terrible; some Chinese immigrants were held for weeks
Mexican immigrants also entered the US through Texas
Assimilation
the process of blending into society by adopting the dominant culture
Describe the cultural fusing
People from the same country settled into their own ethnic neighborhoods (Little Italy, Chinatown)
Brought a feeling of safety and comfort to many immigrants
Melting pot
a place where cultures blend
Sweatshops
hot, crowded, dangerous factories where laborers worked long hours for low pay
Worries about a lack of jobs for Americans put pressure on the government to pass stricter immigration laws
1882: new immigrants were taxed and convicts or people with mental illness were banned
Non-whites faced worse prejudice than Europeans
Push Factors
Famine (lack of food)
1848 Irish Potato Famine
Poverty
Oppressive governments
War – escape the draft
Overpopulation – lack of land/jobs
Discrimination/persecution (“pogroms” - attacks on Jews in Russia)
Racial/ethnic tensions
Disease/plague
Lack of opportunity – education
Pull Factors
Land – Homestead Act
FACTORY JOBS
Freedom
Education
Democratic participation in government
Tenements- What and Why
What- small apartments with no windows, heat, or indoor bathrooms. Much of the urban poor in the late 19th century lived in them
Why- Tenements were the only places most immigrants could afford