1 USA: Immigration

Question 1

define xenophobia

Answer 1

fear of foreigners

Question 2

what is the idea of the ‘melting pot’?

Answer 2

• ‘e pluribus: unum’ - from the many: one

- America was like a ‘melting pot’, where immigrants from everywhere lost their old identity and all became Americans

Question 3

‘push’ factors

Answer 3

• lack of land/ownership
• persecution - religious, political, economic
• overcrowding
• poverty

Question 4

‘pull’ factors

Answer 4

• plentiful supply of land and hope of owning property
• promise of religious tolerance
• open-door policy
• equal opportunity
• sense of adventure
• America’s ‘bill of rights’ (laws of freedom etc)
• America seen as the ‘land of opportunity’

Question 5

where did people come from to be part of the ‘melting pot’?

Answer 5

• Native Americans
• Hispanics
• Africa
• Asia
• Southern + Eastern Europe
• North + West Europe

Question 6

detail on Native Americans

Answer 6

originally lived across the whole North American continent and were affected by successive waves of immigration

between 1850 and 1890, they were forced off their land and by 1917, many lived on reservations

Question 7

detail on Hispanics

Answer 7

USA was attractive to ppl from Central America, Mexico + South America (were collectively known as ‘hispanics’)

Question 8

detail on Africa

Answer 8

in the 1700s and 1800s, Africans were brought to America as slaves (slavery ended in 1865)

by 1920, there were 11 million black people living throughout America

Question 9

detail on Asia

Answer 9

there was a growing no. of Chinese and Japanese people on the West Coast of America

the Chinese helped to create cities here and mainly worked on the construction of roads

Question 10

detail on Southern and Eastern Europe

Answer 10

ppl from here were the NEW immigrants

came from eg. Russia, Poland, Italy - escaping poverty and persecution in Europe (many were Jews and Catholics)

Question 11

detail on North and West Europe

Answer 11

ppl from here were the OLD immigrants
came mostly from Britain, Germany and Scandanavia

The descendants of these immigrants tended to have the best jobs, most money, most political power

sometimes known as ‘WASPS’

Question 12

what does ‘WASPS’ stand for?

Answer 12

White
Anglo
Saxon
ProtestantS

Question 13

what was the ‘open door policy’?

Answer 13

American policy that stated that their country’s ‘door’ was ‘open’, so that anyone was freely allowed in to their country to share their prosperity. Therefore aimed to make immigration as EASY as possible

Question 14

what was the ‘American dream’?

Answer 14

the belief that anyone, whatever their background, could attain success in American society, because it was a society where prosperity was positive for all

the American dream was thought to be achieved through HARD WORK, not chance

both native (American born) Americans and American immigrants pursued the ‘American dream’

Question 15

define political extremism

Answer 15

beliefs outside of the mainstream social values, motivated by anger, fear and hatred

Question 16

what was ‘Americanisation’?

Answer 16

the process of immigrants assimilating into American society

in 1915, Americanisation day was launched to celebrate this

immigrants had to go through formal aspects of ‘Americanisation’, eg. ceremonies, courses, English lessons, preparation for (and sitting of) a ‘citizenship exam’

Question 17

when was WWI?

Answer 17

1914-1918

Question 18

when was the Russian Revolution?

Answer 18

1917 - led by the Bolsheviks (communists:) in Russia

Question 19

effect of WWI and the Russian Rev. on attitudes in America in the 1920s

Answer 19

takes a long time to undo the indoctrinating effect of propaganda, so Germans were still viewed as the enemy after WWI

Americans were fearful that the Rev or the war could happen to them

Question 20

what was the ‘Red Scare’

Answer 20

began after the Russian Rev in 1917
was at its height between 1919 and 1921
- ‘Reds’ was the name given by Americans to people who held communist/anarchist views
- Americans feared that a Bolshevik revolution in America was imminent (coming)

Question 21

the Red Scare - detail on how it links to strikes

Answer 21

was a wave of worker’s strikes in 1919 - 3600 strikes, with 400,000 workers
Americans were convinced that the people striking were communists who were trying to ruin their way of life

eg. general strike in Seattle in 1919
- was led by the ‘Industrial Workers of the World’
- seemed to the public like a ‘Red plot’
[__ consequences for workers = were locked out, sacked from their jobs, starved - was much violence towards the workers (with approval from officials!)

Question 22

political effects of WWI on America

Answer 22

• isolationism (failed to join League of Nations)
• fear of radicalism eg. communism
• by 1919 America had it’s own communist party!
• anarchist bombs

Question 23

how did America restrict immigration?

Answer 23

• legal quotas eg. the Immigration Quota Act
• psychological/cultural restrictions (these quotas gave the impression that immigrants were not welcome)
• increased scrutiny at processing, which happened at Ellis Island
  [__ eg. literacy tests

Question 24

detail on literacy tests

Answer 24

Immigration restriction introduced in 1917
- increased scrutiny - immigrants had to pass a series of reading and writing tests
allowed WASPS to maintain their dominance because many people attempting to immigrate came from places with poorer educations, so it was more difficult for them to pass the tests. Many were refused entry due to this

Question 25

detail on the Emergency Quota Act

Answer 25

Immigration restriction introduced in 1921

- restricted no. of immigrants to 357,000 per year

Question 26

detail on the Immigration Act

Answer 26

Immigration restriction introduced in 1924
- limited the number of immigrants through the ‘national origins quota’ –> reduced maximum no. of immigrants per year to 150,000
and also prohibited immigration from Asia, which angered the Chinese and Japanese communities who were already in America

Question 27

what was the Sacco and Vanzetti case?

Answer 27

paymaster and guard were shot on the 24th of December in 1919 –> triggered the case
on his death bed, the paymaster described his murderers as “olive-skinned foreigners”
therefore Italian labourers Sacco and Vanzetti were arrested in suspicion of being guilty
- Sacco and Vanzetti had radical anti-Government pamphlets in their car when they were arrested (uh oh!!)

In August 1927, Sacco and Vanzetti were executed by the electric chair

the Judge - called Judge Webster Thayer - was prejudiced, and called Sacco and Vanzetti “anarchist bastards”

Question 28

detail on eyewitnesses in the Sacco and Vanzetti case

Answer 28

• 61 eyewitnesses could support the paymaster, said they’d ‘seen’ Sacco and Vanzetti
• 107 eyewitnesses gave an alibi for Sacco and Vanzetti (had seen them elsewhere when the crime was committed)
  [__ however many of these eyewitnesses were recently arrived Italian immigrants - had poor English so trouble communicating or being seen as valid

Question 29

what were the -tve economic effects of WWI on America?

Answer 29

• 4 million soldiers had come home after the war - were all unemployed and needed jobs
• prices increased and wages decreased
• workers strikes

Question 30

what were the +tve economic effects of WWI on America?

Answer 30

• America came out as the world’s leading economy. Their industry and agriculture prospered (could trade over European markets for food and munition)
• modernisation - technology, mechanisation, plastics

Question 31

what were the social effects of WWI on America?

Answer 31

• race riots in 23 cities
• racism
• poverty