VUS.8
(Continued): Immigration
Why Expansion?
During the Civil War, expansion to Western Territory and the Great Migration to Northern cities for economic opportunity was a major ideological and technological part of Expansion. Expansion eventually led to immigration.
Immigration
Immigrants came in from all parts of Europe and some of Asia. These immigrants traveled through the Atlantic and came through Ellis Island, where the first sight of America was the Statue of Liberty.
Immigrants in America
The United States became known as the "Melting Pot" because of all the different cultures came together and worked together in one area. Neighborhoods and the growth of many cities, caused many immigrants to adapt to American cultures and customs. Public schools that were established and contributed to this assimilation process.
Immigrant Contribution
The more the expansion westward, the more foreign peoples and immigrants had to help out and chip into the effort. Most Immigrants worked in textiles, steel mills and some were in New York in the clothing industry. Poles, Italians and Slavs, worked in coal mines. All of these immigrants worked hard to build this country's industrial economy and most worked in dangerous working conditions for very low pay.
Transcontinental Railroad
Clothing Industry
Women worked in harsh conditions too as well as some of their children
Coal Mines
Resentment
With immigrants coming in left and right, it later became hard for them to find work. Despite all of their amazing contributions to the country, new immigrants that came to America excepted lower pay than Americans because of Americans' resentment towards them. Much of this was simply because of their religious and cultural differences
Limitations
Too many immigrants coming in, could eventually cause political and economic problems, so the simple solution: they would limit the amount of immigrants in the US. The Chinese Exclusion of 1882 and the Immigration Restriction of Act of 1921 were two of the major acts that were passed to restrict the amount of immigrants in the US. These laws applied to immigrants for many decades but their contributions were still nonetheless very valuable to this day.
Review Questions:
1. What were working conditions like during industrialization?
2. What type of workers were working in these conditions?
3. How did they limit the amount of immigrants coming into the US?
4. Name some contributions to the US that were made by the Immigrants.
5. How did the immigrants get to the US?