Immigration Dbq Research Paper

The fact that these new immigrants posed a threat to the U.S. economy through the consumption of jobs was more then enough reason for some nativist groups to oppose open immigration.

Many immigrants would immigrate to the New World for a variety reasons. The New World has divided into regions such as the Middle, Chesapeake, England, and Southern colonies. Many of the immigrants were Europeans. Although New England and Chesapeake region were both settled largely by people of English origin, by 1700 the regions had evolved into two distinct societies. Also by the time of 1700, the two societies had developed an immigration pattern due to the geography of the land that they had settled into. Economically speaking, both regions also earned their living differently also by the reason of the geography type and in addition to their origins. Motivations also play a huge part in the New World, by the way of illustration, some of

Economically, they filled a significant need for cheap labor in booming American industries. The large numbers of immigrants helped keep labor cost down for Big Business and different groups were often put against each other in competition for the cheapest workers. Politically, different immigrant groups became active members of various labor organizations and unions, pushing to change pro-business laws and establish regulations governing working conditions and wages. And socially, American culture as it is known now was formed by this influx of immigrants. People from all over the planet brought with them not only their labor but also their cultures, helping to contribute to the mosaic that is the American way of life. These immigrants, as shown by the prejudice and discrimination directed towards them, were not always welcome. In economic hard times, immigrants were blamed for job shortages and family hardships, used as scapegoats for larger problems. Nativist movements were directed against the Chinese, Japanese, Italians, and others, especially during the 1880s and 90s. As evidenced by the Chinese Exclusion Act and later legislation that limited immigration from Japan and other regions, this anti-immigrant sentiment went as high up as the nation's capital. This history was simply a repeat of the nativism and hatred directed against the Irish and Germans of the 1840s and 1850s and is similar to that experienced in America today by immigrants from Mexico and Latin America. In the area of immigration, history repeats

Without the immigration and slavery from early United States history, especially from the time period of 1880 to 1925 one can only imagine where we would be today. The topic of immigration from 1880 to 1925 is not a largely known subject, though it is taught in many of todays history courses. Around the time of 1880 the United States stood welcome and open to immigrants, the immigrants were being let into the United States because the U.S. needed workers to build railroads, and this was the perfect opportunity. Many of the white race became unhappy with immigrants coming to the U.S., but it was brought to the attention of them by Booker T. Washington that without immigrants and slaves where would the U.S. be? The tensions surrounding immigration

Immigrants have always been a part of the United States and played a major role in building the foundation for the life in America, therefore, legal immigrants, should always be welcome granted that they come with good intentions. "Life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness" is a saying that has been associated with the country of The United States of America since its founding. That saying has infused immigrants with the idea that upon reaching this holy land, their lives will drastically change for the better. With that dream in mind, hundreds of thousands of immigrants, flock to this country to become part of its evolving culture.

After the Civil War, people started migrating West and more immigrants started coming. The country went through several major changes between 1865 and 1880 that resulted in significant changes in labor and industrialization. The majority of the country owed war debts and there were money issues that caused people to lose money, but the country was quickly industrializing and urbanizing to improve agricultural life. While the North was thriving from new inventions and methods, the South was trying to recover from the affects of the end of slavery.

An immigrant that is coming to the United States has the emotion and perception that draws to a country of opportunities; that will live in a country that will be friendly. However, most of the time, immigrant do not know that they are coming to live in a different culture, and because of that, they need to experience and adjustment in many ways, and an adjustment that will help them to do many things with confidence.

During the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, many American nativist groups opposed free unrestricted immigration. Although racism is a main reason, there were many others. Economic, political, social and moral standards seemed to be threatened by these newcomers. The immigrants were unfamiliar of the language and customs that we take for granted in our everyday lives. The fear that gripped the nation was why people reacted so strongly against immigrants. The people feared change might distort the course of our prospering country. We did not want to become what those immigrants were fleeing.

During the late nineteenth century, immigration began to evolve. Advancements in technology made travel easier and quicker, and the advancement of industry in America opened up more jobs. Immigrants came for a variety of reasons, and not all stayed permanently. The immigrant, just like immigration, was changing with the times. There were different situations encouraging people to leave Europe, they had different goals, and many of the immigrants had a plan to return home.

At the beginning of its establishment as a country, the United States approached immigration with a favorable perspective. During the beginning half of the 19th century, it was necessary for the nation to evaluate whether or not migrants were a positive or negative addition to the nation. Initially, immigrants were seen as a beneficial while America was attempting to define itself within the larger context of the world. Because the United States needed an increased amount of citizens to strengthen its population, immigration allowed for demographic expansion.

Among those masses were southern European immigrants. In the late 19th century, the immigration rate increased significantly (Document 1). Eventually, the U.S. government created immigration quotas to monitor the movement. The people entering the U.S. were desperate for work, so they would work for close to nothing in horrific conditions. Due to the decreasing wages, the idea of nativism was growing in popularity Josiah Strong reflects this point of view in his piece The Dangers of Cities (Document 2). Parties such as the Know-Nothings and the Native Americans emerged from the growing nativism. American workers began to form unions to fight for better pay and conditions. One such union was the American Federation of Labor who fought specifically

At the time the bill was going through Congress was controlled by Democrats while the White House was Republican (Wiener, 2013). President Bush hoped that a moderate approach would finally allow immigration reform to pass (Weiner, 2013). While the bill was being debated 63% of Americans, almost identical numbers from both parties, favored a path to citizenship for illegal immigrants that passed background checks, had jobs and were willing to pay fines (Heimlich, 2007). With the War in Iraq lowering President Bush’s approval every year he needed a win in the legislative department and with over 50% of voters at the time saying that immigration reform was needed within the year it was clear he needed to back a plan (Heimlich, 2007).

allowing sponsors to post bonds to guarantee that an applicant for immigration would not become a public charge. President Roosevelt took no position on these issues.

In both time periods, people believed that the immigrants were inferior and that true American interests were more important. For example, in the 1840s -1850s, people believed that the Irish were a nuisance because they were drunks ,and Catholics, and that their religious beliefs were intolerable and made them inferior. They believed that the immigrants would come to America and take jobs from the native-born labor force and that they didn’t deserve these jobs.

The Committee favored the “old immigrants” that were from Northern and Western Europe. They came to America to make “themselves homes in the new world” (13). They “entered agricultural pursuits” and “formed an important part of the great movement towards the west” (13) Unlike the “old immigrants” the “new immigrants” came from Southern and Eastern Europe. They did not come to America to create a home, they had “no intention of permanently changing their residence”. They included “unskilled laboring men” who were “far less intelligent” than the previous