The rise of immigration in the late 19th century has caused lots of pressure in the American government. The nativist thought that immigrants were taking their jobs, they were cutting down their wages, and their beliefs. Nativist were mad, but immigrants were proud to start new lives in this new country. Governments passed Acts during this time period to slow down immigration rates. The nativist saw immigration as a threat, but the business leaders saw them as untrained and uneducated people who would work for lower wages. Big business leaders loved “laissez-faire meaning that the government should not intervene in the economy especially through regulations” (Goldfield p.583). These bosses cut wages and made them work six days a week and twelve hours every day. The influx of immigrants to the United States caused the Gilded Age where bosses became richer and the gap between the poor and rich widen. This outraged the nativists because the ‘new’ immigrants took their jobs. The ‘new’ immigrants from Europe brought new religions like Catholicism and Judaism which were completely different from there own. This hatred to the new immigrants made racism more prominent. Presidents like Blaine made Chinese immigrants look like pests and would remove the Chinese if he was elected for president. He used this to try to get votes from the western …show more content…
These new immigrants lived on a couple dollars a day a week not enough for living. These wage cuts enraged the immigrants causing lots of peaceful and violent strike, most strikes were unsuccessful. Owners had lots of money that closing the factory down for a couple of days would affect them. Owners would fight back by “hiring strikebreakers or scabs to take the place of the regular work force” (Labor vs. Management). These protester were usually beaten by the strikebreakers until they went back to work or
Throughout most of America's history immigration was seen as a natural process that benefited the nation (Divine 2). There were no clearly defined policies on immigration until the 1890's. During this time the country started questioning the economic benefits of more immigrants. In May 1921, the first bill in American history dealing with immigration was passed. This bill restricted European immigration and created the quota system (Divine 5). The downward turn in the economy could justify this turn toward restriction. Who could argue for more immigrants when the nation's own citizens could not find work. The slowing economy and the "spirit of intense nationalism" in the United States at this time made immigration a hot topic (Divine 23). After the depression hit, everyone agreed that there was a "need to limit immigration," of course the extent of those limits was not easily agreed upon (Divine 77).
Millions of immigrants over the previous centuries have shaped the United States of America into what it is today. America is known as a “melting pot”, a multicultural country that welcomes and is home to an array of every ethnic and cultural background imaginable. We are a place of opportunity, offering homes and jobs and new economic gains to anyone who should want it. However, America was not always such a “come one, come all” kind of country. The large numbers of immigrants that came during the nineteenth century angered many of the American natives and lead to them to blame the lack of jobs and low wages on the immigrants, especially the Asian communities. This resentment lead to the discrimination and legal exclusion of immigrants,
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
industrializing helped the northern states create a great extent of wealth , they developed a exceptional infrastructure of roads, canals, and railroad that moved goods and people east and west. Each consecutive influx of immigrants would tend to find work and move to settle the west, leaving a job for the next immigrant. The west demanded goods and the services of modern society as they were settling in which lead to increased demands for manufactured
Immigration through out the late 1800’s and early 1900’s created nativism throughout the United States. Millions of immigrants flocked to the United States trying to find a better way of life to be able to support their families. Industrialization in the United States provided a labor source for the immigrants. Native born Americans believed immigrants were a “threat to the American way of life” (ATF chapter 11) Social and economic fault lines developed between natives and immigrants, through out the late 1800’s and early 1900’s, going unnoticed until the late 1920’s when the Sacco and Vanzetti case brought awareness of issue to much of the United States.
American was a prosperous country with incredible economic growth between the end of Reconstruction and the Great Depression. It was during this time that "industrial expansion went into high gear because increasing manufacturing efficiencies enabled American firms to cut prices and yet earn profits for financing still better equipment (Henretta 488)." During this era, the manufacturing of steel, the construction of railroads, factories, and warehouses, and the growing demand for technological advancements, increased greatly. Philanthropists, such as Andrew Carnegie, Andrew Mellon, and John D. Rockefeller, took advantage of the situation they were in by investing large sums of capital into the growing economy. Carnegie constructed
There were many people who wanted to continue allowing immigration, while others were completely opposed to the idea. Some of the main groups who wanted to end immigration were the Klu Klux Klan, labor unions, and African American organizations. The Klan wanted to end immigration because they had the same hatred for immigrants as they did African Americans. Labor unions and African American organizations were simply fearful that their jobs would be given to these new people. In 1882, Congress began to take steps toward restricting immigration. The first immigrants to be excluded were Chinese. A literacy test was soon put into place, but did not reduce the immigrant quantity significantly enough, A quota would now be put into place. The number of immigrants allowed per year from each country would be drastically reduced. Japanese immigrants would be banned. Our nations new immigration policy was creating new problems. Many countries, specifically China and Japan, grew deeply belligerent. Nicola Sacco and Bartolomeo Vanzetti are two immigrants famous for stealing and murdering a paymaster and a guard. These men kept their innocence through the trail, but they were still executed. This case showed how much our country once full of immigrants, had turned against
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.
In the late 1800s , America became the land of new opportunities and new beginnings and New York City became the first landmark for immigrants. New York City was home to Ellis Island, the area in which migrants were to be handed for freedom to enter the nation. Living in New York City gave work and availability to ports. In time the city gave the chance to outsider's to construct groups with individuals from their nation , they were classified as new and old settlers. Old outsiders included Germans, Irish and, English. The new outsiders incorporated those from Italy, Russia, Poland and Austria-Hungary. In 1875, the New York City populace was a little 1 million individuals contrasted with the 3,5 million it held when the new century
Nathaniel Hawthorne’s introduction to “The Scarlet Letter”, The Custom House introduces the reader to the narrator who bears a likeness to Hawthorne himself. Similarities between the two include their occupation in the custom house, being descendants of Puritans, having an interest in writing, and also being native to Salem. The narrator in the introduction describes the custom house, his work there, the employees, writing in general, but the most significant event in this introduction was his discovery of an unusual package, the contents in it being the scarlet letter an “A”, and records that date back to the seventeenth century in the Puritan community. After being dismissed from his job the narrator felt compelled to write about this discovery. Bringing the commencement of the tale, the first
Many immigrants came to America seeking freedom, jobs, and land while others were running from famine and war. While immigrants ran from the problems of their native land, they were running into new problems in America. Americans feared the immigrants would take their jobs or have the right to vote. This fear caused discrimination against the immigrants due to their diverse backgrounds from Germany, Ireland, and China. Immigrants that came to America faced the hardship of discrimination because they did not only stand out with their culture but also because Americans didn’t necessarily want them in America.
With so many businesses expanding during industrialization, millions of jobs opened up throughout the United States. The good thing about this is that immigrant men and women (and even children) could earn money for their family and pay for food.
Many times throughout history we see that the government and politics have helped in the shaping of people’s identities without them even knowing. A good example of this was during one of the biggest wars, World War Two. During World War Two the entire world was shaped by their leaders and leaders from other countries. They were able to shape these identities through the use of propaganda throughout the countries. One of the biggest ways that delegates were able to spread this propaganda to a wide audience was through newsreels and radio broadcasts. Through this the government was able to shape people’s identities through what side was good and what side wasn’t to be trusted. They used this to get allies, get resources, and get people to
Immigration has always and will always play an important role in America’s history, along with the United States having the most open immigration policy in the world to this date. American history began with flocks of immigrants competing for lands to start a life, bringing over their vast traditions and values. Some brought nothing but determination. It’s disgusting to see our congress and lawmakers make these higher-end laws to keep foreigners out, yet our country is built off immigrants. Since the 19th century, America has been the leading destination unlike no other for immigrants to reside. No other country has such a wide range of races and population like America. Diversity is indeed, what makes this country so unique. America has always
Americans were unsettled by the overwhelming amount of new immigrants. The new immigrants came in such massive quantities that in 1900 immigrants from Southern and Eastern Europe made up as much as 70 percent of all immigrants. This is a dramatic increase considering that in midcentury these immigrants only made up 1 percent of the immigrant population. This overhaul of new immigrants led to severe hostility, bias, and nativism. Nativism is the belief that native-born white Americans were superior to newcomers. Competition for jobs and housing had never been higher in the late 19th century. America was in an economic recession and most immigrants were willing to work for much lower wages than natural born citizens which as a result put them out of work and ultimately housing. This however was only one problem, religion was another. American Protestants were suspicious of Catholicism which was the religion of many new immigrants including the Irish, German, Italian, and Polish. The majority of white Protestants would not hire, vote for, or even work with Catholics or Jewish people. In severe cases Americans would even sign contracts agreeing not to