Immigration

Alec Heist and Jackie Koch

March 27, 2012

Quick Write!
Please take out paper and a pencil and spend the next few minutes writing about the following: (We will be collecting this)
Where did your family and ancestors come from? Please include any traditions your family might have. Is your ancestry important to you and your identity? Why or why not? If you do not know where your family came from, take a guess at what region of the world they came from and talk about why you might not know.

The Age of Old Immigrants

1830-1890
Where did they come from?

Northern and Central Western Europe

Ireland, Germany, Scandinavia (Norway, Sweden, Denmark)

Irish Immigrants

~4.5 million Irish emigrated from Ireland to the United States during this time period
Why did they come?

The Great Irish Potato Famine

1845-1852

In search of self-rule

Great Britain controlled Irelands ability for selfgovernment (taxation, government, etc.)

Jobs

What jobs did the Irish work in once they came to the US?

Unskilled workers
Transportation Industry

Helped create Railroads and Canals

Meat Industry

Chicago Stockyards

Western Expansion

Going West for open space, jobs, new land, and a new start

Irish Railroad Workers

Chicago Stockyards and Workers

The Impact of Irish Immigrants

The jobs they worked helped expand American transportation industry

Irish served as the muscle to creating transportation lines

Many helped create a political powerhouse in many cities

Chicago, New York

The creation of Organized Labor

The creation of gangs

The growth of the Catholic Church

German Immigrants

From 1820-1914, ~6 million Germans came to the United States

Between the years of 1840-1880, Germans were the largest group of immigrants Why did they come?

Jobs but mainly LAND German Revolution in 1848

In search of National Unity and Personal Freedom

What jobs did the Germans work in once they came to the US?

Skilled workers

Specialized skills Bakers, Tailors, Plumbers, Brewers, Cabinet Makers

Agricultural work

Farmers The Midwest served as a desirable location for many German families

German Tailor

German Farmers

The Impact of German Immigrants

Because of the Revolution of 1848, wealthy intellectuals were exiled from German states

This led to the creation of high culture in the United States

Large number of German communities popped up in the Midwest and Texas Development of many Christian denominations

The Age of New Immigrants

1890-1914
Where did they come from?

Eastern Europe Russia, Italy, Poland, Greece, Austria-Hungary

~25 million Europeans made the journey to the United States during this time period

Characteristics of New Immigrants

Came in larger numbers

Settled in cities Worked in factories Little education Unskilled workers

Why Did They Come?

Escape from religious, racial, and political persecution

Lack of economic opportunity in home countries Searching for the chance to make a better life JOBS!

Jobs of the New Immigrants

Where did they work?

Unskilled labor Factories Clothing (textile) Mills Machinery Coal Mines Steel Mills Push-Cart Markets

Immigrants Arriving at Ellis Island

Jewish Immigrants Working in a Garment Factory

Mulberry Street in NYC Push-Cart Market

Impact of Eastern European Immigrants

The American Industrial Revolution spurred factory growth and these new immigrants supplied the people to work in them
Lowering of the factory wage

Development of tenement housing

Tenement Housing

Push-Pull Factors
Lack of Economic Opportunity Racial and Political Persecution Personal Freedom German Revolution of 1848

Factory Jobs

Western Frontier (open space and farmland) Jobs in the Chicago Stockyards Ireland Potato Famine Chance to Make a Better Life Religious Persecution British Rule over Ireland