Immigration and American Politics

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Immigration and American Politics

• Chapter 15
• U.S. History

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Where did immigrants come from?

• 1870-1920 20 million Europeans came from eastern
  and Southern Europe.
• About 200,000 Chinese immigrants
• 260,000 Caribbean immigrants
• Mexican immigration

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Why did immigrants come to America?

• Escape religious persecution
• Improve economic opportunity
• Greater political and social freedom
• Educational opportunities

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Song America

• Song about the opportunities in America
• Recorded in 1980
• In this time period many Southeast Asian
  immigrants were coming to America.
• Speaks to the American ideal we all have in
  common.

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How did immigrants come to America?

• Traveled on steamship
• Crowded conditions caused disease
• European immigrants came through Ellis Island in
  New York.
• Asian immigrants came through Angel Island on San
  Francisco.

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What were the procedures at Ellis Island?

• Officials decided if an immigrant could stay in
  America or go home.
• Immigrants with serious health problems were sent
  home.
• Had to pass legal requirements.

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What was Angel Island?

• Asian immigrants arrived in San Francisco
• Faced medical health inspections and detainments
• Racism and language barriers

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What is the melting pot theory?

• Theory that many cultures and races blend
  together to form a distinct American culture.
• Many immigrants did not give up their culture
  totally.

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What is nativism?

• Some Americans did not like the influx of
  millions of new immigrants.
• Gave rise to many anti-immigrant groups
• Led to demand for immigration restrictions.

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What was the Chinese Exclusion Act?

• Prejudice on the West Coast against Chinese
• American workers feared they would lose their
  jobs because the Chinese worked for lower wages.
• Banned most Chinese immigrant until 1943.

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What was the Gentlemens Agreement (1907-1908)?

• Prejudice against Japanese immigrants
• San Francisco segregated schools (Asian and white
  schools)
• President Roosevelt stopped Asian segregation in
  exchange for limits on Japanese immigrants