US History Final Chapter 20, Emergence of Urban America

Chinese Exclusion Act

(1882)Law enacted that denied any additional Chinese laborers to enter the country while allowing students and merchants to immigrate. American workers felt threatened by the job competition. Congressed stopped the immigration of Chinese for 10 years upon passing the act. All Chinese except students, teachers, merchants, tourists and government officials were denied entry - not repealed until 1943

Nativists

Americans who feared that immigrants would take jobs and impose their Roman Catholic beliefs on society. Americans who hated immigrants and blamed them for high crime and poverty. A native-born American who saw immigrants as a threat to their way of life & employment. During the 1880's, nativists worked to stop the flow in immigrants into the US. They promoted gov't restrictions on immigration, tougher naturalization requirements, the teaching of English in schools; and workplaces that refused to employ foreigners and Catholics.

Nativism

Anti-immigrant and anti-Catholic feeling in the 1830's - 1850's; the largest was New York's order of the Star Spangled Banner which expanded into the Know Nothing" party in 1854. In the 1920's there was a surge in nativism as Americans grew to fear immigrants who might be political radicals. In response, new strict immigration regulations were established.

Social Darwinism

Application of Charles Darwin's theory of natural selection to society; used the concept of "survival of the fittest" to justify class distincti8ons and to explain poverty. Charles Darwin's "On the Origin of Species" shocked people who believed in a literal interpretation of the Bible's account of creation. Herbert Spencer & others equated economic & social success with the "survival of the fittest" and advanced the idea that government should not interfere to promote equality, applied Darwin's scientific theory to human society and social institutions.

How did the new immigration change America at the end of the 19th Century?

By 1900, 30% of Americans were foreign born with many immigrants coming from eastern and southern Europe (and Asia) rather than Western Europe. Their languages & cultures were vastly different from those of native born Americans. The New immigrants tended to be Catholic, Eastern Orthodox or Jewish (Buddhist) rather than Protestant. The arrival of the New immigrants sparked racial & ethnic tensions. Beginning in the 1880's, nativists advocated immigration laws to exclude the Chinese & the poor. And they demanded that immigrants pass a literacy test.

New Immigrants

Immigrants who came to the United States during and after the 1880s; most were from southern and eastern Europe. They came from countries with little history of democratic government, where people had grown accustomed to harsh living conditions. They faced more discrimination, and was hard for them to blend in. Examples: Italian, Russian, Jews, Slavs.

Old Immigrants vs. New Immigrants

Old Immigrants ( Pre-1880s) came from north and west Europe. Protestants, or Irish/German catholic. High level of literacy and occupational skills made it easy to blend into rural society.

Ellis Island

Opened in 1892 as a immigration center & receiving station for new arrivals from Europe. They had to pass rigorous medical and document examinations and pay entry before being allowed into the U.S.

Angel Island

The immigration station on the west coast where Asian immigrants, mostly Chinese gained admission to the U.S. at San Francisco Bay. Between 1910 and 1940 50k Chinese immigrants entered through Angel Island. Questioning and conditions at Angel Island were much harsher than Ellis Island in New York.

Push and Pull factors

The push factor involves a force which acts to drive people away from a place and the pull factor is what draws them to a new location. "Push" are the reasons people left their homes and "pull" factors are the reasons they moved to the west.

What was the impact of Darwinian thought on American politics and culture?

Virtually every field of thought felt the impact of Charles Darwin's controversial book. Heated arguments emerged between scientists and clergy. Some Christians rejected Darwin's idea of "natural selection", while others found their faith severely shaken. Most of the faithful reconciled science and religion. Herbert Spencer (social philosopher) compared human society & institutions to the organisms studied by Darwin. The strongest survive and prosper while the "unfit" impede progress. Gov't help of the weakest in society for the sake of equality and natural rights was a mistake .