Migration To California During The Great Depression

While many remember the Great Depression as a time of terrible trials for Americans, few understand the hardships faced by Mexicans and Mexican Americans in the U.S. This paper examines the experiences of Mexicans in America during the Great Depression and explores the devastating impact of repatriation efforts. America has an extensive history of accepting Mexican workers when they are needed for cheap labor, and demanding that they be deported when the economic situation is more precarious in an attempt to open jobs for Americans. In the 1930s, “Americans, reeling from the economic disorientation of the depression, sought a convenient scapegoat. They found it in the Mexican community.” Mexicans were blamed for economic hardships

Ellis Island and Angel Island were the dominant ports of entry for the ‘new’ immigrants on the East and West coast. Both immigration stations had certain similarities in how they operated, such as the conducting of medical examinations on immigrants for health or mental deficiencies, and also in their ability

During the Great Depression that struck in the late 1920’s and early 1930’s, the economy of the United States collapses with farmers and producers likewise losing money due to overproduction and underconsumption of goods due to an extravagant increase of price on goods. As a result, the Great Depression caused immigration and migration rates to increase. This is a negative impact on the economy because gaining employment becomes competitive and consequently, people earn a lower wage. Though immigration and migration creates conflict between native inhabitants of the land and the immigrants with employment competition, migration and immigration is vital to rebuild the economy of the United States through increased taxes and a wide array of new labor sources. Also, it enhances the vibrant, diverse, and syncretic cultures in the United States as well. Lastly, immigration and migration both promotes unity within family and their own social-ethnic groups.

With all these travelers from the east and different country made California a “melting pot” of different people and culture. When news that California that had gold began to spread outside of the United State it first hit Mexico and Hawaii lead to the first wave of immigrants with the purpose of mining. Then, news the quickly across the world from South America to Europe and from Australian to Asian, the impact was so big that the text said, “Irish immigration to the United States, already at 100,000 a year in 1847, more than double to 220,000 by 1851” (Gillon, 297). With all these people mining towns would quickly pop up across California, and these towns with every race you could think such as Black, French, Irish, Chinese, Mexican, and etc. The towns were constantly busy with people moving to and from mine and rivers. With a day or a week of work could make you a nice amount of profit, you could entertain yourself for a while before you had to go back to mining with bars, gambling parlors, and whore house. Prostitutes made good money because in text said that, “ One prostitute in California Boasted of making more than $50000in a year.” (Gillon, 297). I could imagine myself being there if I made it there.

Between 1870 and the 1990s, over 11 million immigrants came to America in search of a better a life, coming from Southern and Eastern Europe such as Germany, France, Ireland, and immigrants from China as well. People came to America seeking sanctuary from their home land that did not allow them to be free, such as the Jewish people of Russia, who came to America because the Russian government was anti-Semitic. Jewish people were not allowed to have much property or security in Russia, simply because of their religion. In addition, the draft in Russia would take people away and force them to fight for 25 years, in wars that were pointless due to outdated weapons as well as the brutal discipline they were treated with when drafted. America was a place that allowed freedom of religion, something that was not common and many other countries, making America the ideal place to move and settle down, allowing immigrants to express their religion freely, without the consequences they faced back home. Immigrants also came to America in search of jobs that were scarce in Europe. Many small farmers were put out of jobs in Europe due to large scale mechanized

Rays of golden sunlight were piercing the blue sky. Today was a hot day. There had been no rain in the last month. A young child was playing in the field while his father was harvesting the crops. The boy was playing among the newly harvested golden vegetables. There were

In the 1940's the Second Great Migration brought tens of thousands of migrants from Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas to California in search

Immigration Ever since the creation of the human race, human beings have been prone to moving place to place for new opportunities and beginnings. People who move from one country to another are called immigrants. As nations started to form, their were rules and laws set on who could and could not live in a specific country. Most of these laws included immigrants to go through a lengthy process to get approved to go into the country they desired. However, even after the lengthy process is completed, the country still has the right to deny their entrance. In fear of being rejected, many immigrants decided to illegally cross the borders of other countries causing many problems with the country's society, specially the United States of America. Historians saw a great example of this in the 1920s. The 1920s in America unfolded the greatest wave of immigration in American history; more than 25 million foreigners, also known as immigrants, arrived on American shores (Shmoop). Before the 1920s, immigration in the United States had never been systematically restricted by federal law, however that changed with the 1921 Emergency Quota Act and the 1924 Immigration Act. For the first time in American history, these acts imposed a limit on the number of immigrants allowed to enter the United States which eventually caused many to enter illegally. Today America is faced with some similar issues with immigration as they did in the 1920s, for example, the number of illegal immigrants in

California during the Depression was something so horrible and very sad. I can see there was no other perfect name to describe this current event because it was really depressing to read. California was hit hard by the economic collapse of the 1930s. Not only did businesses fail but workers that been with the same company for some time lost their jobs. Families shortly fell into poverty. Even though things seem like they could not change or get worse California continued to strive and get better. It just took time and hard work. During the 1920’s and 1930’s Californian’s went thru so many up and down I know it must have felt like a really horrible rollercoaster. Businessmen reached new levels of disrespect during the 1930s. The stock market crash on Wall

Geographically California is located in the Western Coast of North America, and is the third largest State in the United States. The largest cities are; Los Angeles which is known for Disney Land, San Diego which is known for the Sea World, San Francisco which is known for the Golden Bridge and Sacramento which is known for the largest preserved historic district of the Gold Rush and for being its capital since 1854. Although California superiority comes from its warm weather, it does have the most diverse Geography. The Central Valley which is in the center of California dominates do to the major agriculture area. “the Sacramento Valley was then a true sea of grass, grass so high a man riding into it could tie across his saddle.” (Didion.

Many groups immigrated to the United States, mostly in California, for land, jobs, wealth and freedom. One of the main ethnic groups of immigrants that came to California to work were the Chinese. Many companies used the Chinese men to work on railroads that connected America through transportation that later helped develop modern day America.

Immigration in the late 1800’s and early 1900’s and immigration now of course have some difference, but both came to the United States for pretty much the same reason. All these immigrants come from their different backgrounds and places. These immigrants also have struggled when they first get here, but something they can all agree on is that they came here for one main reason and that’s for advanced improvement especially economic.

In the late 1800s and early 1900s, a new wave of immigration hit the United States. These new immigrants typically came from different cultural backgrounds than the “original” immigrants to the United States (the English, Dutch, French, etc). American nativist groups vehemently opposed free, unrestricted immigration because they viewed new immigrants as an inferior race, a threat to American culture, and the root of most of society’s problems. New immigrants were viewed as inferior because the majority of them hailed from non-anglo-saxon countries, and many were of a different denomination or different religion altogether. Nativists also viewed these new immigrants as a threat to American culture because of their lack of English-speaking skills and different cultural practices brought from their homelands. Another

Agriculture in California was the reason many migrants viewed the state as one with many economical opportunities. There were fewer jobs available than those advertised. Even the jobs that were available provided terrible pay. One had to think of the idea that low pay was greater than no pay. Corporate farms provided poor living conditions, but it had to be ignored by those who were seeking jobs (“The Dust Bowl”). White folks from Oklahoma, Texas, and Arkansas increased in quantity. They were in search of harvesting jobs (“Mass Exodus from the Plains”). The WPA, Workers Progress Administration, was one to provide migrants with many jobs. This was part of Roosevelt’s New Deal programs. A total of 8.5 million people were employed, and they earned

Similarly the residents of the dust bowl along with victims of the dust storms leave their home towns and head to California but are faced with miss treatment and abuse from the native residents of California. Migrant camps began to form as a result of no work and no where else to