Many foreigners believed the United States of America was full of riches in the late 19th and early 20th century. Many of these people were struggling financially in their countries, thus, they decided to immigrate to the United States of America. They are the new immigrants, most emigrated from Southern and Eastern Europe. On the contrary, old immigrants are people who come from Northern and Western Europe, many of these people are already settled and have large businesses. They are the old immigrants because most of them are descendants from those who colonized America. Many of the old immigrants had nativist views upon new incoming immigrants. Therefore, America was not the land of opportunity for immigrants in the late 19th century and early 20th century. …show more content…
After arriving at Ellis Island, many new immigrants were quickly dumbfounded and let down.
Many immigrants had heard of all the successes and beautiful open spaces that the United States had to offer. However, according to Document 5, it is exactly the contrary, “I looked about the narrow streets of squeezed-in stores and houses, ragged clothes, dirty bedding oozing out of the windows, ash-cans and garbage-cans cluttered the sidewalks. A vague sadness pressed down on my heart, the first doubt of America.” The author was clearly confused, all the claims about the beauty of the streets, wealth and accomplishment were misleading because the author was seeing firsthand the actual streets of America. On the contrary of many claims the author had heard of, America was crowded with an abundance of poverty and little chances for achievements. Litter, debris and trash were scattered amongst the streets. Many buildings were cramped and full of dirty inhabitants. America was not that ideal living environment immigrants had imagined and pictured in their home countries. The United States of America was not the “land of opportunity” in the late 19th century to early 20th
century. Moreover, America was not a desirable environment because of its discrimination. For example, Document 6 states, “...it shall be unlawful for any Chinese laborer to come, or having so come after the expiration of said ninety days to remain within the United States.” All the Chinese people that were living the United States of America could no longer leave the country and they could not bring family from China. The Chinese Exclusion Act stranded the Chinese people in America. In the meantime, they had to work in hazardous and unsafe jobs such as constructing the Transcontinental Railroad. Not only was this labor intensive, but even deadly because the Chinese were constantly working with explosives. Furthermore, they were paid next to nothing for hours and hours of strenuous labor. The Chinese were practically enslaved and thus America was not the “land of opportunity” in the late 1800s to early 1900s. Although many claim America was the “land of opportunity” in the late 1800s to early 1900s, the statement is false because the United States was actually an abundance of prejudice people who discriminate the minorities. For instance, in Document 4, it states, “Send these, the homeless, tempest-tossed to me: I lift my lamp beside the golden door!” In this excerpt of the sonnet, the golden door is Ellis Island, when entering America through New York City, the first major landmark seen is the Statue of Liberty. To many, this is a beacon of hope because it signifies that they are in the land of the free and home of the brave. However, the “golden door” is not welcoming at all. Before even accessing the city, new incomers are screened and if they do not meet the requirements then they are returned to their country. The trip from Europe to America was about a week in length and was not pleasant. Many people aboard were seasick and contained infectious diseases. In addition, after gaining admission to the States, many immigrants could not speak English which proved very difficult for finding jobs and in general, assimilating to American culture. Moreover, the old immigrants were not welcoming to the new immigrants. The Irish were not accepted at most jobs and the Chinese were forced into arduous labor. America was clearly not the “land of opportunity” in the late 1800s to early 1900s. Overall, many immigrants had views of a perfect America where anything was possible as long one dedicated themselves to work. It is true that they had to work hard, however, their accomplishments showed little to no success. Many of their views on the United States of America turned out to be false after first hand experiencing the city’s environment. Therefore, America was not the ‘land of opportunity” in the late 19th to early 20th century.
During the 1900’s, it was common for people to immigrate to America. They saw it as a land of freedom and opportunity. Some thought that this was a great way for the US’ economy to boom, but some thought otherwise. With the shortage of jobs, many believed that the immigrants were stealing their precious jobs. Because of the competition over jobs, immigrants became the new public enemy to many.
In the years from 1860 through 1890, the prospect of a better life attracted nearly ten million immigrants who settled in cities around the United States. The growing number of industries produced demands for thousands of new workers and immigrants were seeking more economic opportunities. Most immigrants settled near each other’s own nationality and/or original village when in America.
During the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, many American nativist groups opposed free unrestricted immigration. Although racism is a main reason, there were many others. Economic, political, social and moral standards seemed to be threatened by these newcomers. The immigrants were unfamiliar of the language and customs that we take for granted in our everyday lives. The fear that gripped the nation was why people reacted so strongly against immigrants. The people feared change might distort the course of our prospering country. We did not want to become what those immigrants were fleeing.
The United States’ government instilled a closed door policy with the creation of many immigration laws in an effort to make America a melting pot of similar ethnicities. However, the prejudice of American society that was enforced by immigration policy forced immigrants to form their own communities for the purpose of survival and protection, turning America into a mosaic of different cultures. The Burlingame Treaty of 1868 and Naturalization Act of 1870 both created a false image of acceptance for immigrants while simultaneously restricting immigration. The United States’ government only began clearly restricting immigration with the Page Act of 1875 and Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882.
In the United States, the cliché of a nation of immigrants is often invoked. Indeed, very few Americans can trace their ancestry to what is now the United States, and the origins of its immigrants have changed many times in American history. Despite the identity of an immigrant nation, changes in the origins of immigrants have often been met with resistance. What began with white, western European settlers fleeing religious persecution morphed into a multicultural nation as immigrants from countries across the globe came to the U.S. in increasing numbers. Like the colonial immigrants before them, these new immigrants sailed to the Americas to gain freedom, flee poverty and famine, and make a better life for themselves. Forgetting their origins as persecuted and excluded people, the older and more established immigrants became possessive about their country and tried to exclude and persecute the immigrant groups from non-western European backgrounds arriving in the U.S. This hostile, defensive, and xenophobic reaction to influxes of “new” immigrants known as Nativism was not far out of the mainstream. Nativism became a part of the American cultural and political landscape and helped to shape, through exclusion, the face of the United States for years to come.
Immigration has always been a major part of America. In fact, without immigration the creation of America would not have been possible. The majority of immigrants came to America for religious freedom and economic opportunities. However, for the most part before the 1870’s most immigrants were Protestants from northern and western Europe. These immigrants often migrated to the United States as families and usually lived on farms with family or friends who had already migrated beforehand. A lot of immigrants came to America with a plan or goal in mind. They often had saved up money for the long immigration overseas, were skilled in a certain trade, or had already been educated at a high level. Sadly, this would not last. Immigration became so prominent in America between 1870 and 1900 that the foreign-born population of the United States had almost doubled. A lot of German and Irish Catholics had immigrated in the 1840’s and 1850’s, and more decided to immigrate after the Civil War. A portion of Americans were biased against Catholics. Thankfully, the Irish spoke English and the German Catholics reputation was improved because of their Protestant countrymen’s good reputation. However, their children often lacked any skill or education, but they were able to blend in quite well with the American society. More and more immigrants would migrate to the United States without any skill or education and on top of that they were usually poor. These immigrants were called “new” immigrants and they came from all over the world including Italy, Greece, Poland, Hungary, and Russia. However, you cannot blame immigrants for migrating to America. Many immigrants faced religious persecution in their home countries which pushed them away, otherwi...
Immigrants were first welcomed in the late 1700s. European explorers like Walter Raleigh, Lord Baltimore, Roger William, William Penn, Francis Drake, John Smith, and others explored to the New World for religious purposes and industrial growth. The first European settlers that settled in the late 1700s were the Pilgrims. After the Pilgrims first settled in Virginia, the expansion of immigrants started. Then in 1860 to 1915, America was growing with its industries, technology, and education. America’s growing empire attracted many people from Europe. The factors that attracted many people to the American cities where job opportunities with higher income, better education, and factory production growth. As the population grew in the American
The "old" immigrants, being Anglo-Saxon, felt that in order for newer immigrants to become Americanized, they must divest themselves of their old culture and conform themselves to Anglo-American ways, which has it's roots all the way back to the British colonies.
The early 1900s was a period of mass immigration for the United States. At the turn of the 20th century religious preferences and political persecution were major reasons behind immigration. Many Jews came to America in search of freedom. People of other religious backgrounds also came because the United States was composed of a diverse group of people with different religious preferences. The immigrants did not feel like outcasts in America. Political persecution in Russia forced many of its citizens to emigrate. Most chose to come to America because the country was culturally diverse and they could feel safe there. Economic problems at this time also drove people to America. Many countries around the world were just starting to develop so they were poor and lacked jobs. Their citizens were in desperate need of money; so many fathers immigrated to America in search of a job to support their family with. This was a common occurrence among Asian immigrants. Only later did their families join them through new laws and quotas in the United States immigration policy. However, this soon led to an enormous number of immigrants so the policy was revised to lower quotas and accept more skilled people and less family members.
Obama Administration proposed what is called Comprehensive Immigration Reform. It is composed of six sections aimed at fixing the current immigration system. It includes enhanced border enforcement, interior enforcement and the most controversial section; an amnesty program to legalize undocumented immigrants. In other words, it creates a pathway to citizenship for unauthorized immigrants that is fair and feasible. Many argue that even though Comprehensive Immigration Reform is good for America because it addresses important issues like creating a committee to adopt the number of visas available to changing economic times, preventing people from working without permits and creating programs aimed at helping immigrants adjust to life in America. Yet it rewards violators of current U.S. laws who entered the country illegally, and those who entered the country legally but overstayed their visas. Opponents of the Comprehensive Immigration Reform proposal claim that immigrants have a negative impact on the economy; overwhelming social services of many states, and posing a threat to American workers as a result of big corporations exploiting immigrants with low wages and poor working conditions. With the recent economic downturn and the severe recession that hit the U.S, many individuals blame immigrants for their economic misfortune and lack of employment. For both the opponents and proponents of the Comprehensive Immigration Reform Proposal, for the millions of the undocumented immigrants and their families, and lawmakers; immigration has become an emotional political issue. Despite the resistance of many, America should embrace comprehensive immigration reform.
Immigration has been a topic that has caused multiple discussions on why people migrate from one country to another, also how it affects both the migraters and the lands they go. Immigration is the movement from one location to another to live there permanently. This topic has been usually been associated with sociology to better explain how it affects people, cultures and societies. Sociology has three forms of thinking that are used to describe and analyze this topic. There are three forms of thinking that are used to tell and describe immigration to society; structural functionalist, symbolic interactionist, and conflict theory. Each of these theories uses different forms of thinking and rationality to describe and explain socio topics.
Today, in most cases, people don’t spend very much time thinking about why the society we live in presently, is the way it is. Most people would actually be surprised about all that has happened throughout America’s history. Many factors have influenced America and it’s society today, but one of the most profound ways was the way the “Old Immigrants” and “New Immigrants” came to America in the early to mid 1800s. The “Old Immigrants were categorized as the ones who came before 1860 and the “New Immigrants” being the ones who came between 1865 and 1920. The immigrants came to the United States, not only seeking freedom, but also education. Many immigrants also wanted to practice their religion without hindrance. What happened after the immigrants
On October 22nd, 1962, President John F. Kennedy delivered the famous "Cuban Missile Crisis Address to the Nation" speech in response to Nikita Khrushchev’s act of placing nuclear and flying missiles on the island directly south of the United States: Cuba. The purpose of the speech was to alert the nation of the situation and inform them on how it would be handled. This speech successfully won the attention and respect of the American and Russian people through the use of multiple rhetorical devices.
Throughout the past centuries, immigration has had many positive and negative impacts on our country and society. Law and order have been the founding cornerstone of our democracy, and the mandate of the U.S. Constitution is for Congress to do the work of the people and that of the nation. Immigration has continuously been a passionate debate within our society. This particular topic will always be a sensitive subject due to Americans personal beliefs and morals.
All in all, the United States was growing an image of being the free land of opportunities that started attracting immigrants from many parts of the world. Despite the wonderful opportunities for a better life, immigrants faced hardships when they actually came to America; they had to live through tough times in order to earn respectable and prosperous life for their children. No matter how hard it was, new comers managed to maintain their cultures, and those who worked long and hard enough managed to achieve their dreams, the dreams they came for to the new land.