The Role Of Geographic Locations In Immigration History

Immigration had shaped the United States of America into what it is today. Without immigrants, this country would had never enhanced from the industrial revolution and created an uprising in the economy. People came to the Americas from all over the world seeking opportunity and a change in their lives, however not all of them were accustomed to assimilating to the cultural standards. One ethnicity had started their migration progress through their own revolution and the selling of part of their lands. The United States’ action of purchasing Alaska from the Russian Empire caused the beginning of Russian culture into the U.S.

People demonstrate their culture through symbols, attitudes, behaviors, ideas, and values (Brown, Rogers & Kapadia, 2008). Cultural factors are believed to be the largest contributor to long-term marriages in the Mexican culture such, as Familismo, Marianismo, Machismo, and Religion (Castillo & Caver, 2009). A generally belief is that the highest levels of family cohesion and Familismo are presented in the most recently immigrated groups and that these levels neutralize as the families become more acculturated. Mexican immigrant families have a great emphasis on family reasonability, respect, and support. These desires are interrelated with family unity and connection (Hardway & Fuligin, 2006). High patterns of Immigration are presented in the Gonzalez-Elizarraras Genogram (refer to Appendix A), in pursue for a better life for their family and educational opportunities for their children, and to avoid poverty and danger. Family cohesion is evident in the Elizarraras family due close proximity of residency, most immigrated to Anaheim, CA.

Immigration has always been a big part of U.S history. It has shown us many different ways of life and earned us the nickname “the melting pot.” There has been many things that affect immigration like the push and pull factors and also the policies placed on immigrants over time. Here I am going to talk about some of those things.

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.

Around the late 1800’s and early 1900’s America’s ethnicity vastly expanded; the streets of New York city flooded with immigrants in prospect of new lives for their families and fresh starts. “...From eastern and southern Europe rather than western and northern Europe…” (pg. 738, America A Narrative History), the geography varied far and wide. Upon entering the land of freedom, most of the immigrants were to be inspected at the ever famous “Edison Island” in New York. After embarking towards the substantially immense crowds, lice checks, welfare checks, and possibly a standard test determining if you could read or write was given. The streets began to be bustling with foreign languages being shouted in every direction. To some “nativists” this expansion was very horrifying, these people were taking jobs and depriving Americans of opportunities. “Beginning in the 1880’s, nativist advocated restrictive immigration laws and won passage of the Chinese exclusion Act.” (

Picture this: you are happily relaxing in your leathery armchair, until you hear the sound of a foghorn blasting in your eardrums! You peer out the window and glance around. In your peripheral vision you see something very strange; a giant steamboat! You can hear people yelling in delight, even all the way from your window! In the late 1800s, a new age of immigrants surged from Europe to the United States. Many came to escape from their countries. Some immigrants came from religious persecution. They came for money, jobs, and the hope for a new life. Because of an increase in population, new ideas, and cultural traditions in the late 1800s, immigrants transformed the United States forever.

This paper will be focused on Hispanic immigrant population since Hispanics are a rapidly growing group in the United States and more tend to be poor (Broussard & Alfred, 2009). In details, Hispanic population grew 43 percent between 2000 and 2010 (one in four Hispanics was poor in 2009), and it is projected to triple in size by 2050 (Nwosu, C., Batalova, J., & Auclair, G., 2014). Moreover, income inequality was higher among Hispanics than among whites (Nwosu, C., Batalova, J., & Auclair, G., 2014).

Immigration is something that nativists have been fighting ever since the first ship load of immigrants came to America. Even today we see the struggle to keep them out of our country, although the tactics and overall feelings might be a little different today than in the 1800’s. When an immigrant first arrives to America one of his first priorities is to get a job, and that posed a problem for the Nativists because the immigrants were working for such low wages that they ending up taking all the jobs of the Nativists. Another thing that the Nativists had a thought might be a problem was over crowdedness, with millions of people coming to America they saw growth in cities and in rural areas. And of course with growth in population

Did you know between 1861 and 1914 almost 30 million immigrated from Europe to the United States. When they came there was a huge increase in the population, and the immigrants also brought new ideas and cultural traditions. When immigrants came most of them were homeless. They were also starving. Some did not have jobs or money, and they were not wealthy. In the article it says often working conditions for immigrant children were horrible.

The effect of immigration has not significantly changed since the 1900s. The documented immigrant population has slightly decreased since the 1900s however the undocumented population has increased over the last 50 years. Immigrants have increased the supply of labor and lowered the prices on products.

Depression in Italy, pogroms in Europe, famine in China and drought in the Midwest were causes that sent million of immigrants to New York, Chicago and San Francisco. “Between 1977 and 1890, more than 6.3 million immigrants entered the United States”(609). Of the millions that came to the USA, 75 percent went to New York City.

The earliest record of immigration policy in the United States is from 1790, when the Naturalization Act of 1790 was put into effect, in which it “establish[ed] a uniform rule of naturalization and a two year residency requirement for aliens who are ‘free white persons’ of ‘good moral character’” (“Timeline,” web). The United States of America is a country that gives value to hard work and freedom. Two hundred and forty years ago, in July, our nation was founded by “radicals” who immigrated by crossing the Atlantic while looking for the liberty to govern themselves and find a better lifestyle in which they could have control over their economic, religious, and educational decisions. Throughout the history of the United States, there has been many important milestones regarding the immigrants rights movement. Starting with the thirteen colonies, and later the industrial revolution, and the ones most of us are familiar with such as the 1986 amnesty passed by President Ronald Reagan and the DACA policy put into place by President Barack Obama through his executive power. There have been many leaders, many protests, and many organizations both pro-immigration and anti-immigration. However, in the current stage of the immigrants rights movement, one of the most important organizations that support and fight for the movement is United We Dream, the largest youth led organization in the country.

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

Throughout the history of the United States immigration has become apart of our country’s fabric which, began centuries ago. Only to become a hot topic in the US in recent years with its primary focus being illegal immigrants. Illegal immigration is when people enter a country without government permission. As of 2008 the Center for Immigration Studies estimated that there are 11 million illegal immigrants in the US which is down from 2007‘s 12.5 million people. Although the Center for Immigration Studies estimates are very different from other estimates that range from 7 to 20 million. While the Pew Hispanic Center estimated in March of 2009 there are 11.1 million illegal immigrants and that number is from March 2007’s peak of 12

Iceland, John and Kyle Anne Nelson. “Hispanic Segregation in Metropolitan America: Exploring the Multiple Forms of Spatial Assimilation.” American Sociological Review 73.5 (2008): 741-765. Print.