US History Unit 7 Lesson 12

The Torch

is symbol of light leading the way to freedom. The torch has been modified several times as lighting technologies have changed.

Legislation/Amendment: 1885—Chinese Exclusion Act

made it all but impossible for additional Chinese migrants to come to the United States

Legislation/Amendment: 1795—second immigration law

increased the period of residency to five years

Legislation/Amendment: 1868—Fourteenth Amendment

"all persons born or naturalized in the United States are citizens of the United States and the state wherein they reside;" all children born in the United States to immigrants are automatically citizens; helped American-born children of Chinese immigrants

Legislation/Amendment: 1790—first immigration law

"free white persons" who had been in the country for two years could be naturalized (made into citizens)

Congress Responds to Immigration- Committee

-Name of committee: Dillingham Commission -Who recommended it: President Roosevelt -Which government branch authorized it? Congress

The Feet

Broken shackles lie in front of the right foot to represent breaking the bonds of slavery and tyranny. The heel is raised, as if walking, to symbolize the first step into independence. Visitors can see these details only from the torch or from an aircraft flying over the statue.

Congress Responds to Immigration- Result

How did the report affect public opinion? -It helped prepare public opinion to support new laws in 1920 and 1924 that would bring an end to the century of immigration.

Major immigrant groups, and where they settled, included:

Irish—large northeastern cities German and Scandinavian—cities and farms of the Midwest Eastern and Southern Europeans—mostly in the Northeast Eastern European Jews—mainly in New York City Chinese and Japanese—the West Coast and the West

How did one Jewish newspaper in New York help immigrants assimilate into mainstream American culture?

It regularly printed the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution. It carried a regular advice column which counseled immigrants on how to adapt to American norms.

Nativist Responses- Irish Immigrants

Many native-born Americans viewed Irish as less than white because many Irish immigrants in the North performed the same menial jobs as free blacks and because they were generally poor and disadvantaged.

The Book/Tablet

On the tablet is inscribed JULY IV MDCCLXXVI (July 4, 1776)—the date of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. The tablet, which represents the book of laws, is shaped like a keystone—the stone in a building that keeps all the other stones from falling apart. Law is the keystone of the United States. Without law, freedom and democracy would fall apart.

The Pedestal/Base

The 13 layers of granite represent the original 13 colonies of the United States. The pedestal rises 89 feet above its foundation. It is said that for the statue to fall over, the whole island would have to turn upside down.

The Body

The robe or toga represents the ancient Republic of Rome. The material for the long, flowing garment had to be lightweight, easy to work with, attractive, and tough enough to withstand harsh weather and the salty harbor air. The creator of the statue chose copper.

Head and Crown

The seven spikes on the crown represent the seven seas and the seven continents of the world. The 25 windows in the crown symbolize the 25 gemstones or natural minerals that were known in 1886, and heaven's rays shining over the world.

Many immigrant groups faced discrimination, threats, and violence from nativists who saw their cultural and religious traditions as suspicious and un-American.

True

As a young and expanding nation, the United States eagerly received new immigrants to its shores. As the nineteenth century wore on, however, some immigrants began to meet with a strong nativist reaction by "old-stock" Americans. Opposition to immigration continued to grow throughout the remainder of the century until, in 1902, President Theodore Roosevelt recommended that Congress set up a committee to study the matter. The committee's findings might surprise you.

True

As defined by Merriam-Webster, nativism is "a policy of favoring native inhabitants as opposed to immigrants." In the early 1800s, the vast majority of Americans were native-born—they were born in the United States. By this time, there was a distinct American culture, with American norms and traditions. When immigrants arrived in the first wave, beginning around 1820, they were met with a strong nativist reaction. Many "old-stock" Americans—those born in the United States—harbored racist feelings toward some immigrants, were distrustful of them, and began to oppose immigration.

True

Castle Garden was the country's first official immigration center, but it was replaced by a new facility at Ellis Island as immigration increased. Angel Island in San Francisco processed immigrants from China and Japan.

True

Immigrant groups adopted American values and traditions while preserving their ethnic customs and identities. Tensions between immigrant parents and their American-born children often ran high and a generation gap resulted from differences in outlook.

True

Immigrant groups were held together by strong family and ethnic ties, as well as by a network of ethnic churches, synagogues, schools, newspapers, theaters, fraternal lodges, and banks.

True

Immigrants arriving at Ellis Island were treated fairly well, submitted to interviews and physical examinations, and were processed relatively quickly. Asian immigrants arriving at Angel Island were treated poorly, were processed slowly, and often were turned back.

True

Immigrants came to the United States in increasing numbers during the 1800s. They were "pushed" by factors such as the decline of small farms in Europe, famine, and religious persecution, and "pulled" by factors such as abundant work, cheap food and land, and political tolerance of religious minorities.

True

In 1907, the Congress responded to the growing opposition to immigration by setting up a committee to study the matter

True

One of the most prominent sights in New York City is the Statue of Liberty rising high above the waters of New York Harbor. A gift of friendship from France, the statue symbolizes the spirit of freedom. To immigrants it represents America's policy of welcome as well. The statue's creator, Frédéric Bartholdi, thought deeply about these concepts and added details to reinforce them.

True

Opposition to immigration grew so intense by the turn of the century that a Congressional commission was formed to study the issue. The Dillingham Commission issued a report that denigrated immigrants from eastern and southern Europe and prepared public opinion to support new anti-immigration laws in 1920 and 1924.

True

The century of immigration to America occurred in two waves. The first was from about 1820 to 1840 and was made up mostly of immigrants from northern and central Europe. The second was from about 1880 to 1924, and was dominated by southern and eastern Europeans.

True

The people of France presented the Statue of Liberty to the United States in 1886 as a gesture of friendship between the two countries. For millions of immigrants making the trip by ship across the Atlantic Ocean from Europe, the Statue of Liberty was one of their first glimpses of America.

True

Legislation/Amendment: 1892—Ellis Island opened

federal government took over the job of processing incoming immigrants

Legislation/Amendment: 1920 and 1924—Quotas Set

sharply restricted the number of European immigrants that could come to the United States; effectively closed America to immigration for a time

melting pot

the concept of an America in which immigrant groups would meld together with native-born Americans to form a stronger American population where everyone was "the same"

cultural pluralism

the concept that the sum of America is stronger than its parts and that immigrants could co-exist alongside native-born Americans and retain their distinct cultures and traditions

Give at least four reasons why a generation gap developed between immigrant parents and their American-born children

•American-born children of immigrants had no direct connections to the old country. •They usually spoke English from earliest childhood. •They dressed in American fashion. •They rejected Old World customs as to dating and marriage. •Immigrant parents often spoke broken English. •They clung more strongly to Old World ways

Nativist Responses- Chinese Immigrants

•Chinese were seen as an inferior, non-Christian race. •Native-born Americans thought they would take away jobs. •They were driven from mines, beaten, and threatened. •Congress passed the Chinese Exclusion Act.

Congress Responds to Immigration- Findings of the Commission

•Immigrants prior to the 1880s were from the most progressive sections of Europe. •Since the 1880s, immigrants were from the less progressive and advanced countries. •The report claimed that as a class, these immigrants were far less intelligent than the earlier ones and lacked a family life. •Suggested that some races were not fit for American citizenship.

In the 1820s and 1830s, German and Irish immigrants met with a strong nativist reaction, including:

•Protestants thought Catholics' religious beliefs were incompatible with a democratic country. •Working men feared that foreigners would take away their jobs.