Transcript Western Settlement and Immigration

Western Settlement and
Immigration:
Changing the Face of America
Westward Movement
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After the Civil War, the westward movement of
settlers into the vast region between the Mississippi
River and the Pacific Ocean was like a tidal wave!
Westward Movement
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The years immediately before and after the Civil
War are sometimes known in the “west” as the “Era
of the Cowboy”.
A cowboy’s life was marked by long cattle drives for
hundreds of miles over unfenced (the range); this
was the only way to get the cattle to market.
Westward Movement
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Many Americans moved west to rebuild their lives after the
Civil War.
Millions of acres of land became available to the public with
the passing of the Homestead Act of 1862.
“Homesteaders” gave free, public land in the western
territories to individuals who would live and farm that land for
5 years. (160 acres)
Westward Movement
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In particular, Southerners and many AfricanAmerican moved into the western territories to
seek new opportunities as cowboys, farmers, or
miners.
Westward Movement
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The development of new technologies greatly aided the
settlement of the western territories.
The transcontinental railroad and the subsequent branch lines
off of it provided cheap, fast, and reliable transportation to
and from the west.
The advances in agricultural machinery, such as the
mechanical reaper, allowed farming to be less laborious and
much more productive
Westward Movement
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By the early 1900’s, this former vast, empty territory was
quickly becoming a region of farms, ranches, and small
towns.
“Manifest Destiny” had come to the Great Plains and
Southwestern Territories.
The United States finally stretched from “Sea to Shining Sea”
Forcible removal
of Indians from
their lands
continued
throughout the
remainder of the
19th century
Part Two: Old Immigration
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Before 1871, most immigrants to the United States came from
northern and western Europe.
The fact that they had many cultural similarities to the “Anglo”
culture (WASP) developing in the US made assimilation into
American society MUCH easier for them.
They came from places like: Great Britain, Germany, Ireland,
Norway, and Sweden. Sometimes this is called “Old
Immigration”
New Immigration
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This pattern will change in the late 1800’s. From 1871 to
1921, immigrants coming to the U.S. will come from southern
and eastern Europe and Asia. This is sometimes called “New
Immigration”.
The areas were they came from was not the only difference:
These people were coming in the MILLIONS! (20 million)
These people came for the same reasons as Old Immigration:
Seeking personal freedoms and improving their lives
economically.
The came from places like: Italy, Greece, Poland, Russia,
Hungary, Yugoslavia, China, and Japan.
Their process of assimilation would be much more difficult.
Many did not or would not speak English.
In many ways, their cultures were very different than Anglo or
“W.A.S.P.” culture.
These differences would lead to great hardships for them and
great hostility from “original” Americans.
New Immigration
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Much of this hostility came from FEAR. Fear that these
new immigrants would “steal” jobs from American
workers.
Much of the misunderstanding and prejudice was based
on religious and cultural differences.
These new immigrants were also willing to work for very
low wages and in dangerous working conditions.
Though resented, this nation’s industrial revolution
would have never taken place without their labor.
New Immigration
For example:
--Chinese labor helped build the Transcontinental Railroad
--The New Immigrants worked in the new steel mills,
textile factories, clothing factories, and coal mines of the
Northeast.
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New Immigration
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During this time period, most of these millions of immigrants
came to the United States via steamships.
They arrived at our major coastal cities like Boston, New York,
and San Francisco (Angel Island).
This caused these urban areas to swell and grow at an
unprecedented rate—the result: rapid urbanization and the
myriad of problems that came with it.
Coming to New York meant a often slow and bewildering
experience at Ellis Island—The busiest immigrant processing
center in the U.S. (17 million)
New Immigration
The immigrant life was difficult at best. To make their lives even
tougher, political forces in the United States mobilized to restrict
their opportunities and even their opportunities to come the
United States.
 This response to mass immigration is often referred to as
“Nativism”: overt favoritism toward “native-born” Americans.
 Anti-immigration groups like the “Know-Nothing” Party pushed
local, state, and the national government to pass antiimmigration laws:
--Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882: banned entry of all Chinese
immigrants except students, teachers, merchants, tourists, and
government officials. (renewed in 1892, 1902)
--Immigration Act of 1921: set limits on the number of immigrants
from individual countries.
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New Immigration
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The vast majority of new immigrants settled
into the great cities of the United States: New
York, Boston, Philadelphia, Chicago, San
Francisco.
In these cities the immigrants found work and
cheap living.
Despite the availability of work, immigrant
lives in the cities was harsh and dangerous.
Many immigrants were forced into the slums of
these cities and lived in poorly equipped and
poorly ventilated apartment houses known as
tenements.
Tenement housing placed as many people into
the available spaces. Whole families (up to 10
or 12 people) might live in a small 10 x 10
apartment. Running water and toilets were
shared by several families.
As a result, the great cities often suffered from
various epidemics of diseases. Child and
elderly mortality was high.
New Immigration
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The government’s of these major cities were completely
unprepared for in influx of so many people.
Serious issues of public health, hygiene, transportation, and
education crippled many cities in the late 1800’s and early 1900’s
Response to these conditions was drastically needed, but slowmoving.
Government corruption and inefficiency stalled economic and
political progress. The nation’s future hung in the
balance…CHANGE MUST COME FOR THE NATION TO SURVIVE!
But that is another story…
First subway system was
completed by the Irish in
New York City
Admission of the Great
Plain and Rocky Mtn.
states – by 1900 the
continental US was
complete