Late 1800’s - Early 1900’s. Immigration Why would anyone want to come here?
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Transcript of Late 1800’s - Early 1900’s. Immigration Why would anyone want to come here?
Immigration: why did people come to America?
Many immigrants were small farmers, and farm workers.– These farmers
couldn’t support their families
– They moved to America in search of jobs or any way to support their family.
Countries push out many.
In Russia: if anyone criticized the government - they faced jail or exile (getting kicked out of the country)
Russian government supported Pogroms, or organized massacres of the Jews.
The potato famine swept through Ireland. Many families came to America to avoid starvation.
The draw of America
The thought of freedom drew many to the U.S.
Many people would send back stories of finding riches in the United States.
“The Streets Are Lined With Gold”
Jobs also drew people to the U.S. Industry jobs were prevelent.
Factory owners sent agents to Europe and Asia to hire workers at low wages.
Ellis Island
This was the final hurdle.
All had to pass an inspection before they could enter the U.S.
http://teacher.scholastic.com/activities/immigration/tour/stop8.htm
The voyage
The trip to the U.S. was horrific
Ship owners jammed up to 2,000 people in airless rooms below deck.(cattle)
Diseases spread rapidly Seasickness was
prevelent For most Europeans, the
voyage ended in New York where they saw the statue of liberty.
Opposition to Immigration
Nativists come back: favored native born americans over immigrants
Labor unions opposed immigration because of fear immigrants would take lower paying jobs.
Violent riots in cities organized by unions
Chinese Exclusion Act: 1882 banned Chinese immigrants for 10 years
Immigration Restriction League: tried to pass a law requiring literacy of all immigrants
Progressives Sought to solve problems created by industrial and urban growth
Many were part of a growing middle class (had time and money)
Looked to solve social problems and injustices.
Muckrakers Journalists who wrote or photographed problems in society
Wanted to “stir the muck” so people noticed it
Muckrakers Jacob Riis Took pictures of tenements
- broken down apartment buildings
How the Other Half Lives -Focused on poor families living conditions
Jacob Riis’ Photographs from How the Other Half Lives
Changes to cities
Settlement houses: neighborhood centers in poor areas. Offered schooling and rec centers
Addams Hull House: located in poorest section of Chicago.
Started first Kindergarten and public playground in Chicago.
Staffed by professional. Served as model for settlement houses throughout the country
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Triangle Shirtwaist Company
These problems come to the national spotlight here at the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory in NYC
It is here that they made the fabric and for many clothing items
When they got to their work room a manager locked the door behind them.
The door would only be open at lunch and at leaving times
One of the rooms in this building caught on fire.
The cloth items withing this building caught on fire and spread quickly
Many women had no choice.
The people and the media decided to do something about this.
Photos like this enraged people all over the U.S.
What would you do?
Unions
To improve working conditions workers formed labor unions.
Knights of Labor: secret society, included all workers: skilled and unskilled.– Fought for eight hour
workday, equal pay for men and women, end child labor
– Used strikes and
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Unions cont.
American Federation of Labor: Only skilled workers aloud (harder to fire)– Worked for shorter
hours higher wages– Samuel Gompers was
founding member.
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Homestead and Pullman Strikes
Homestead: Carnegie steel refused to deal with unions and only individuals caused a strike. Locked out unions from factories. – Private inv., gunfire
deaths due to strike. Pullman: RR workers
docked pay. Nation wide strike. Fed gov’t sides with RR owners and forces workers back
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Muckrakers Upton Sinclair Wrote a novel called
The Jungle Exposed what
conditions were like in meat packing industry
Grossed people out
Muckrakers
Ida Tarbell Wrote articles attacking Rockfeller’s Standard Oil Company
Complained of ruthless business tactics
“Very often people who admit facts, who are willing to see that Mr. Rockefeller has employed force and fraud to secure his ends, justify him by declaring, ‘it’s business’. That is, ‘it’s business’ has come to be a legitimate excuse for hard dealing, sly tricks, and special privileges.”
- Ida Tarbell, The History of the Standard Oil
Company
Corrupt City officials
Political Machines: used legal and illegal methods to get people elected.– Bribe voters, pay vote
counters Tammany Hall, political
machine ran NYC Bosses traded favors for
votes. City jobs, neighborhood improvements.
William Tweed stole 200 million from NYC
Civil Service Commission works to fix this by forcing government employees to take an exam for jobs
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Progressive Presidents
Theodore Roosevelt Square Deal: The
interests of businesspeople, workers and consumers should be balanced.
Known as the trust buster. Made it a top priority to get rid of bad trusts.
Wanted to encourage competition
Also fought for conservation of natural resources. Doubled amount of national parks.– 150 million more acres
William Howard Taft
Worked to protect businesses. Raised taxes to protect trusts.
Sold public lands to businesses.
Got stuck in presidential bath tub.
Woodrow Wilson
Won because Roosevelt ran against Taft and split the party
Lowered taxes, pushed for the Clayton AntiTrust Act.
Made The Sherman Antitrust Act and the Federal Trade Commission stronger.
Legislation to fix problems
Meat inspection Act: Forced meat packing plants to open doors to inspectors
Pure Food and Drug Act: put ingredients on food and medicines
16th Amendment: Income Tax
17th Amendment: Direct Election of Senators
18th Prohibition of Sale of alcohol
19th: Women’s right to vote
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Legislation Continued
Initiative: allows voters to propose a new law by getting signatures on a petition. Voted on in next election
Referendum: allows voters to approve or disapprove a law that has already been proposed by state or local gov’ts.
Recall: Voters can demand a special vote to remove an elected official.
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Labor Reform
Most Child labor reform failed during Progressive Era– 2 laws passed deemed
unconstitutional by Sup court
– Many groups formed to stop child labor
1898 Supreme Court ruled that States could limit the hours of workers in dangerous jobs.
Muller v. Oregon: Sup Court upheld laws limiting the hours of women in workforce. Big win for Progressives.
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Women’s Suffrage
Gaining the Women’s right to vote.
Starts with the Temperance movement: banning the sale of alcohol
Led by Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Susan B. Anthony, and Lucrecia Mott.
Formed the National Women’s Party (NWP)
19th Amendment: gave women right to vote.
African Americans in the Progressive Era
Booker T. Washington encouraged African Americans to improve their own situation instead of fighting segregation. Founded Tuskegee Institute for African Americans.
W.E.B Dubois: disagreed with Washington. Said to fight discrimination head on. Founded the NAACP.