Unit 5: The Progressive Era (1890 – 1920)

The Immigrant Experience

Old Immigrants vs. New Immigrants• 1865 –U.S. Population = 31.5 Million• 1865–1920 – 30 Million Immigrants entered

the U.S. Most from Europe.• 1840–1880 – Most from N & W Europe.

These were the Old Immigrants.• 1880-1920 – New Immigrants from E & S

Europe (Slavs, Italians, Russians, and many Jews; Culturally different from Old Immigrants & many didn’t assimilate well ).

Identifying Pushes and Pulls• Complete T-Chart

for Pushes/ Pulls• List the reasons

people came to America and classify them as Pushes/ Pulls

Why did they come?

Push Factors• Factors that caused

them to leave home• Wars• Famines• Lack of Freedom• Lack of Opportunity• No Jobs or Land

Pull Factors• Factors that drew

them to America• Freedom• Desire to Own Land• Mostly the

availability of Jobs

Ellis Island, NYC (1892-1954)• By 1900, crossing took

7 days• Most traveled in the

steerage b/c it was cheaper

• 12 Million came (2% failed physicals)

• Most lived in ghettoes• Discrimination/

Nativism were common

Immigrants from Asia• Angel Island, SF (1910)

– Most Asians came into here

• Chinese Exclusion Act (1882), 92, & 02

• Gentlemen’s Agreement with Japan (1907)

• Webb-Alien Land Law (CA) – prevented land ownership by aliens

Immigrants from Latin America

• 1900-1920 more than 10% of Mexico’s population came to the U.S.

• Settled in CA and S.W. U.S.

• WW I created labor shortage in mines and on farms

Shutting the Golden Door• Xenophobia – the fear of

immigrants• Nativism – the belief that

native-born white Americans were superior to newcomers

• Emergency Quota Act of 1921 (3% or 1910 Census)

• Immigration Act of 1924 (2% of 1890 Census)

• End of WW I in 1918 saw a revival of the KKK

The Great Migration (1910-1920)

• Nearly 400,000 African-Americans served in A.E.F.!

• 1.2 Million moved North to the “Land of Hope”

• Chicago (meatpacking), Detroit (new auto industry), and to cities in the NE U.S.

• Push (racism & Jim Crow laws); Pull (jobs & family)

Exit Slip – Immigration1. The major port of entry after 1892 for European immigrants

to America?a. Long Island b. Ellis Island

2. Immigrants who came mostly from countries of Eastern and Southern Europe?a. New Immigrants b. Old Immigrants

3. Most of the 12 million who came to the U.S. in NYC were turned away.a. True b. False

4. Most immigrants from Asia arrived here? a. San Diego, CA b. San Francisco, CA