Third Year

Immigration from late 19th Century to early 20th Century

Introduction:

From its discovery, people from different nations have shaped the United States.
During the late 19th and early 20th centuries, millions of immigrants were coming
to the United States. Most of these immigrants came from eastern and western
Europe and were driven by push and pull factors. Indeed, immigration increased
during this time period for several reasons. One reason was the hope for a better
life, which included economic opportunities and an escape from oppressive
governments. Another reason was for the adventure. A final reason includes
religious freedom, especially for the Jewish people who were facing religious
persecution in Russia.

The Golden Door:

Between 1840 and 1860, the United States received its largest wave of immigrants.
In Europe, famine, poor crops, rising populations and political unrest caused an
estimated five million people to leave their homelands each year. Between 1845 and
1850, the Irish people faced famine that caused the death of about 750.000 Irish.
Many of those who survived fled to the United States. Consequently, by 1860, one of
every four people in New York City had been born in Ireland. During the Civil War,
the federal government encouraged immigration from Europe, especially from
Germany by offering grants of land to those immigrants who would serve as troops
in the Union Army. In 1865, about one in five Northern soldiers was a wartime
immigrant. Today, one-third of Americans have German ancestors.
Until 1800, most immigrants came from northern and western Europe. Then a great
change occurred when more and more immigrants began coming from eastern and
southern Europe. They were Poles, Italians, Greeks, Russians, Hungarians and
Czechs. Jews constituted a significant part of these new comers. During the 1880s,

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Jews suffered fierce pogroms throughout Eastern Europe. Between 1880 and 1925,
about two million Jews immigrated to the U.S.
During the late 1800s, so many people were entering the U.S. that the government
was having trouble keeping records on all of these people. To solve this problem, the
government opened a special port of entry in New York harbor known as Ellis
Island. Between 1892 and 1954, more than 20 million immigrants entered the
country through this port. As the U.S. was becoming known as a refuge for many
people, France gave it the Statue of Liberty in 1886 as a gesture of friendship. It
symbolizes the hope and freedom the country offers. The words etched on the base
of the statue have been an inspiration for people in many lands who hope to come to
the U.S: A nighty woman with a torch, whose flame in imprisoned lightning, and her
name Mother of Exiles, From her beacon-hand glows world-wide welcome she cries
with silent lips. Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to
breathe free, the wretched refuse of your teeming shore. Send these, the homeless,
tempest-tossed to me. I lift my lamp beside the golden door (Emma Lazarus)
By 1910, 14.5% were foreign-born. Many citizens worried that these new Americans
would take away their jobs. Eugenists, Nativists and members of the KKK began
making pressures on Congress to limit the number of immigrants.
Limits of newcomers:
Gradually responding to the demands of American citizens, Congress began to pass
laws barring the entry of certain types of immigrants. In 1882, Congress passed the
Chinese Exclusion Act that prevented Chinese from coming to the U.S. or becoming
citizens for ten years. This policy lasted until 1943. Other laws required immigrants
to take a literacy test to show that they were able to read and write. Presidents
Clevland, Taft and Wilson vetoed these measures. But in 1917, a literacy law test
was passed over president Wilsons veto.
In 1921, Congress passed the Emergency Quota Act which put a limit on the number
of immigrants who could be admitted to the U.S. each year. This Act provided for a
quota to the annual number of immigrants who can be admitted to the country.
Thus, the Act has limited the quota by 3% of the total number of immigrants
residing in the U.S.

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In 1924, Congress passed the Reed-Johnson Immigration Act. This law, which
reflected the fears and prejudices of an older wave of immigrants from northern
Europe, sets limits on how many people from each country would be permitted to
immigrate to the U.S. The quota provided immigration visas to two percent of the
total number of people of each nationality in the United States according to the 1890
national census. This system was designed primarily to limit immigration from
southern and eastern Europe.
Conclusion:
A look at immigration in the past and today shows where the American people come
from. Understanding immigration also helps to explain some of the traits of
American people. For example, immigrants move to the U.S. because they are
looking for a better life. It takes a lot of courage to leave behind everything that is
familiar and start a new life. This willingness to strike out for the unknown is a
characteristic of the American people today.
John F. Kennedy was himself the grandson of an Irish immigrant. Kennedy once said
that the United States was a society of immigrants, each of whom had begun a life
anew, on an equal footing. This is the secret of America: a nation of people with the
fresh memory of old traditions who dare to explore new frontiers. Although there
is sometimes friction and ill-feeling between new immigrants and people already
established, most Americans welcome newcomers. There is a popular feeling that
immigrants have made America great and that each group has something to
contribute.