History 19.3 & 13.2

Benevolent societies

Many immigrants worked hard to build communities by moving into neighborhoods with others who shared their nationality. There they could hear their native languages, eat foods, and keep their customs. Some immigrant communities formed benevolent societies, which offered help in cases of death, sickness, and unemployment. At the time there were few national government agencies to provide such aid. They published newspapers in their own languages. They also founded schools, clubs, and places of worship to preserve their beliefs and customs.

Tenement

Other major problems in most large cities were lack of safe housing and public services. Many people particularly immigrants could only afford to live in dirty, overcrowded buildings called tenements. Many cities did not have clean water, public health regulations, or corns ways to get rid of garbage and human waste. Diseases spread easily in unhealthy conditions. In 1832 and 1849 New York City suffered cholera epidemics that killed thousands of people.

Trachoma

A disease in urban areas because of unsanitary living such as tenements. A disease that blinds people.

African Americans

African American city residents started organizations to improve their communities and bring neighborhoods together. African American religious groups organized and aided urban communities. African American ministers often serve as both political and spiritual leaders in black neighborhoods. Report form a baptist group described the ministers as "a class of men who have one the confidence, love, and respect of their people.

Settlement hosue

Few government programs existed to help the urban or poor in the late 1800s. Many private organizations assisted poor people. In addition, settlement houses- neighborhood center in poor areas staffed by professional and volunteers- offered education, recreation, and social activities. The began in Great Britain. Most famous settlement house was the Hull house founded by Jane Addams and Ellen Gates Starr.

Steerage

Immigrants usually faced a difficult journey to America. They traveled in steerage, an area below deck on ships lower levels near where the steering mechanisms for the who were located. In these cramped conditions, passengers often expire envied overcrowding and seasickness. Some passengers even died from disease.

Know nothing party

In 1849 nativists founded a secret society that became a political organization known as the know nothing party. The party was named because when asked questions by outsiders its members usually responded "I know nothing." They wanted to keep Catholics and immigrants out of public office. They also wanted immigrants to have to live in the US for 21 years before becoming a citizen. Party politicians had some success, winning several state elections during the 1850s. They also controlled the Massachusetts legislature for a short time.

Immigrant/ emigrant

In mid 1800s more then 4 million immigrants came to the US, 3 million of those were German and Irish. Many immigrants left because of economic or political troubles. Irish mainly came because of the potato blight in the 1840s that was a disease that rotted potato leaving people with little food so the emigrated form their country. Many Irish settled in towns and cities cause hey we're very poor. Germans came due to harsh rule and to escape persecution. Germans were more likely to become farmers. An immigrant is someone who moves into a country usually permanently. Emigrant is someone who exits a country usually permanently. Immigrants came from all over Europe. They emigrated because of harsh rule and new economic and political opportunity. Irish left because of potato blight

Chinese exclusion act

In some places nativists rioted violently against immigrants. Other nativists called for laws to stop or limit immigration. In 1882 congress passed the Chinese exclusion act. This law banned Chinese people from coming to the US for 10 years. The law marked the first time people of a specific nationality were banned from entering the country. Congress later extended the ban into the 1900s

Jane Addams/Hull House

Settlement houses began in great britain and became common in the US. The most famous settlement hosie was the Hull House, founded by Jane Addams and Ellen Gates Starr in 1889. Jane Addams was an upper class women of their era so she had a college education. She found new job opportunities open to them. Addams wanted to help the poor so she created the Hull House. Hull House was in a run down building in a poor chicago neighborhood. Hull house focused most on theneeds of families, especially immigrant families. Served as a model for other settlement houses. She took part in many activites woth her staff. Started the 1st kindergarden and public playground in Chicago. They taught classes in english and US government to help immigrants become citizens. They worked for reform towards child-labor and the adoption of eight-hour workday for women. Many of the women involved in running the Hull House became involved in a variety of bational reform movemnets.

Urban development

Some city residents were businesspeople and skilled workers. But many were poor laborers. Farming troubles drove large numbers of people to the cities looking for work. Residents often started organizations to improve their communities and bring together their neighborhoods. Many poor people who lived in the urban areas had hard lives. Settlement houses helped these poor people providing care for the people in need.

Push/Pull factors

The push factors that led immigrants to leave there country was because there was a better place for economic opportunity. In Ireland the potato blight caused them to leave because it left them with very little food cause potatoes were a big source of food for them. The disease caused the potatoes to rot and when people ate them rotten it caused them to get deathly sick. For the Germans harsh rule and persecution led them to leave the US. They also came for economic reasons. The pull factors for both Ireland and Germany are the new economic opportunity and freedom from government control. Economic reasons led people o come to the US.

Immigration restriction league

To further decrease the flow of immigrants, nativists formed the immigration restriction league in 1894. The league wanted all immigrants to prove that they could read and write in some language before being allowed into the country. Congress passed a law requiring a literacy test for immigrants in 1897. President Cleveland vetoed the bill.

Angel island

Was the processing station that most Chinese immigrants immigrated through. Federal government began assuming control of these immigration centers. At the centers officials interviewed immigrants to decide whether or not to allow them to enter the country. Officials also conducted physical examinations, deporting anyone who carried disease such as tuberculosis.

Ellis island

When immigrants reached the US, they had to go first to immigration processing centers. In 1890 the federal government began assuming control of these immigration centers. One of the largest immigration centers opened in 1892 on Ellis island in New York Harbor. At these centers, officials interviewed immigrants to decide whether or not to let them in the country. Officials also conducted physical examination, deporting any person who carried a disease such as tuberculosis.

Second "New" immigrants

Who: Europeans Where: Southern and Eastern Europe Why: some came because of the attraction of of the jobs created by the second industrial revolution. Others came to escape political and religious persecution. When: 1880s

First "old" immigrants

Who: mainly Protestants except for Irish and Germans who were Catholic Where: Ireland, Germany, Scandinavia and Britain. Why: fled from economic and political troubles in their native countries. Some also left because of harsh ruling. When: 1840s