Transcript The Hopes of Immigrants

The Hopes of
Immigrants
Ch. 14.1
The Hopes of Immigrants
Before we learned…
• In colonial times,
waves of immigrants
created a diverse
society in America
Today we will
learn…
• In the mid-1800s,
millions of Europeans
came to the United
States hoping to
build a better life.
What's the difference? Emigrant
vs. Immigrant
Emigrant
• Emigrants = people
who leave a country
Immigrant
• Immigrants = people
who settle in a new
country
Many emigrants flocked to the
United States in the mid-1800s
Once in the U.S. they became immigrants
(people who settle in a new country).
Who are these immigrants?
• Most were men, but sometimes whole families
• Many traveled by ship in steerage – the cheapest
deck on a ship
• Hundreds of people lived together for 10 days to a
month
• Conditions were very filthy, many became ill or died
Steerage
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d6fvLM
dE6vw
Why Do People Move?
1820’s – 1860’s
Pull Factors: Factors
that PULL people to
a location
Why Do People Move?
1820’s – 1860’s
Push Factors:
Factors that PUSH
people out of an area
Push-Pull Factors of Immigration
Pull Factors
• 1. Freedom. Everyone has the freedom to practice the
teaching and religion he prefers.
• 2. Economic opportunity. Immigrants sought a land where
they could support their families and have a better future.
Immigration often rose during times of U.S. prosperity and
fell during hard times.
• 3. Abundant land. The acquisition of
the Louisiana Purchase and the Mexican
Cession gave the United States millions
more acres of land. To land-starved
Europeans, America was a land of
opportunity.
Push Factors
• 1. Crop failures. Poor harvests made it difficult for small
farmers to pay their debts. Some of these farmers chose to
start over in America. Crop failures also led to hunger,
causing people to emigrate.
• 2. Industrial Revolution. Goods produced in factories
became cheaper than goods produced by artisans. Suddenly
out of work, some artisans took factory jobs. Others
emigrated.
• 3. Religious and political turmoil.
To escape religious persecution, Quakers
fled Norway and Jews left Germany. Also,
many Germans came to America after
a revolution in Germany failed in 1848.
Meet our guest
immigrants…
http://sprenkle.weebly.com/immigration.html
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Germans
Largest immigrant group in the 1800s
Settled in both cities and farms on the frontier
Opened businesses such as bakers, butchers,
carpenters, printers, & tailors
Ex. John Jacob Bausch and
Henry Lomb made eyeglasses and
became the world’s largest lens maker
Germans
• Germans strongly influenced American culture:
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Kindergarten
Gymnasiums
Christmas tree
Hamburger & frankfurter
Scandinavia
• Many Scandinavian immigrants became
farmers.
• They moved to Minnesota and Wisconsin, areas
that were similar to their homeland with
forests, lakes, and cold winters.
Chinese
• Many Chinese came to the U.S. after the
California gold rush in 1849.
• Most were miners, but some worked in
agriculture and construction
Irish
• Most Irish Immigrants were Catholic.
• Protestant Britain ruled Ireland for centuries and did
not allow Catholic’s to vote, hold office, own land,
or go to school
• In the early 1800s some emigrated to the U.S. to
break loose of their poverty
Irish: Potato Famine
• In 1845,a disease attacked Ireland’s main food
crop, the potato, causing a severe food
shortage called a famine.
• The Irish Potato Famine killed 1 million people
and forced many to emigrate.
• By 1854, between 1.5 and 2 million Irish had
fled their homeland and came to
America. (Some fled to Australia
and Great Britain)
Irish: Potato Famine
• In America, the Irish lived in the cities.
• They did not have money, therefore they
settled where their ships had docked.
• These Irish immigrants were not educated and
and had few skills, so they took low paying
jobs.
• The Irish women worked too, washing clothes
or worked as servants.
Irish
• Uneducated Irish men built canals and
railroads across the U.S.
• So many Irish men died doing this work it is said
there was “an Irishman buried under every
[railroad] tie.”
• The Irish competed with free blacks for the
jobs no one else wanted.
Overcrowding
• Many U.S. cities faced overcrowding due to
large amounts of immigrants and American
born citizens looking for new manufacturing
jobs
• The North attracted more immigrants than the
South because it offered higher wages and
more job opportunities.
Overcrowding
• Why problems might arise from overcrowding?
• Lack of Housing  not enough place to live
• Overflowing of toilets & widespread disease too
much sewage and garbage in the streets
• Crime  Not enough police
Overcrowding
• Some immigrant
groups set up aid
societies to help
• Some politicians
offered to help in
order to get votes
Opposition to Immigration
Nativists- people born in America who want to
eliminate foreign influence
Some Americans Oppose Immigration
• Like today, some Americans opposed immigration.
• They thought that the immigrants:
• Were too foreign to learn American ways.
• Would outnumber natives
• Immigrants faced prejudice, a negative opinion not based
on facts.
• Ex. Protestants feared the Pope of
the Catholic church plotted to overthrow
democracy in the U.S.
Nativists
• Native-born Americans who wanted to
eliminate foreign influence called themselves
nativists. Some nativists refused to hire
immigrants and put up signs like “No Irish need
apply.”
• They formed secret societies and promised not
to vote for Catholics or immigrants running for
office.
• When asked about their society,
they would answer,
“I know nothing about it.”
Nativists= Know Nothing Party
• In the 1850s, nativists started a political party
called the Know-Nothing Party
• Goals:
• Ban Catholics and foreign-born from holding office
• Cut in immigration and a 21 year wait to become a
U.S. citizen.
• The Know Nothings got 6 governors elected,
but fell apart since the Northern
and Southern members could not
agree on the issue of slavery