Immigration & Cities of Late 1800s

Economic Reasons for Immigration

--'40s-'50s millions of Irish Catholics migrate to escape economic impact of potato famine and discriminatory land policies (Catholics not allowed to buy land) --devastating natural disasters in Italy

Religious Reasons for Immigration

--'80s-'90s pogroms drive Russian Jews out in search of religious freedom --1840s persecution of Irish Catholics --1880 assassination of one of the czars

Political Reasons for Immigration

--1840s refugees from Germany and many other areas --had failed revolutions --East Europe- persecution of Slavs

1882 Immigration Act

--Chinese immigration restricted --ex-convicts, lunatics, idiots, those unavailable to care for themselves not allowed to enter --tax levied on newly arriving immigrants

Points of Departure

--Liverpool, Bremen, Hamburg, Trieste, Constantinople- hubs for shipping companies (North German Lloyd Company) that then are used for people --each has its own system for --Veddel (by Hamburg) created to look over immigrants with potential health problems

Ellis Island

--NYC, manages the flow of immigrants --long line formed for physical examination by Public Health Service, climb a steep hill to check for wheezing, coughing, sneezing, limping --children asked names to see if deaf/can't speak, babies over 2 asked to walk by themselves --doctors "six second specialists" examine for 60 symptoms to indicate disease, disabilities, conditions (ex. trachoma) --anyone who didn't pass was sent back --must pass verbal test proving Ship's Manifest is correct/honest

1917 Literacy Test

--all immigrants 16 or older must read a 40-word passage in native language --almost all Asian immigrants are banned

1921 Quota Act

--annual immigration ceiling set at 350,000 --nationality quota: limits admissions to 3% of each nationality's representation in the US Census (to restrict East/SE Europe)

First Class

--best conditions, best treatment, most expensive --inspected on board with easy passage

Steerage Class

--cheapest tickets, most amount of people --have to sell everything or leave some family behind --conditions: 1) high volume in small space, packed with people 2) filthy, disease ridden, no windows/light/air 3) minimal food, rarely get fresh air above deck --separated from others once reach America, brought by ferry to Ellis Island for inspection

Old Immigrants

--emigrate in early-mid 1800s --leave for political and economic reasons (ex revolutions of 1848, leaders leave where they failed) --from NW Europe (England, Scotland, Germany, Wales, Ireland, Norway, Sweden) --Anglo-Saxon cultural heritage including language, religion, traditions

New Immigrants

--emigrate in late 1800s-early 1900s leave for political, economic, and religious reasons --from SE/S Europe (Poland, Italy, Russia, Austria-Hungarian empire including Germanic and Slavic nationalities) --Slavic/Latin cultural heritage including language and traditions that starkly contrast the new immigrants

Pogrom

--government supported massacres of Jews in Russia

Trends in Immigration Policy

--gradual limitation of immigration --1875-1907 restrictions on Asian immigration --laws aimed at anyone who would be a burden (if disabled, unable to care for themselves) --post-war hysteria: restriction of S/SE Europeans due to fear of Bolshevism (movement that overthrew the Russian czar in 1917) --post-1965: gradually increase the number of people allowed in, reduction of limiting factors

Post-9/11 Policy

--heightened scrutiny of those trying to enter US --weeding out of "terrorists in our midst" --effort to balance national security concerns with humane and just immigration system

Birds of Passage

--immigrants who came to America to earn money and then returned to their native land

Second Class

--moderate conditions, moderately expensive --inspected on board with easy passage

1965 Immigration Act

--nationality quotas abolished --ceiling of 170,000 immigrants from Eastern Hemisphere --ceiling of 120,000 immigrants from Western Hemisphere --1978 total ceiling of 290,000 replaces the two separate ones

1891-1907

--paupers, polygamists, insane, contagious persons, epileptics, professional beggars, anarchists, imbeciles, feeble-minded, tuberculars, physical/mentally defective people, children under 16 without adult are denied entry

1885 Foran Act

--prohibits contract labor

Manifest Book

--questions about each individual passenger --ticket into America --had to correctly answer the page that was filled out in Europe once arrived in America to be allowed in

1924 National Origins Act

--reduces annual immigration ceiling to 165,000 (then 150,000 in 1927) --reduces nationality quota to 2% --Border Patrol is increased