122C: Immigration Flashcards
During the Gilded Age, how many immigrants came to the United States?
10 million immigrants
What did some of the push factors include?
Economic dislocation, shortages of land and anti-semitism
What did some of the pull factors include?
Economic opportunity, inexpensive farmland, jobs in factories, mills and mines, rapid growth of industry and the need for cheap labour
What was America described as?
A life with economic opportunity, political equality and religious tolerance
What was the main method of travel to the US?
Steamboat
Who were arguably the most significant promotional agencies?
Railroads, they had vast land to dispose of and were able to offer travel to reach it
What spurred many immigrants to leave Europe?
Political, economic and religious discontent
What additional pressure caused many to immigrate?
An increasing population
What were the push factors for many British, Norwegian and Swedish immigrants?
Agricultural depression and industrial depression
Which country saw the most immigrants travel to the US?
Germany
What were the push factors for Ireland?
Unemployment and poverty
What were the push factors for Russia?
Political, economic and religious. The greatest exodus was of Russian Jews fleeing persecution
Why did the Japanese move to the US?
The emperor revoked a ban on emigration, Japan’s population growth was extremely high
What was the motive of many Chinese immigrants?
Economic
What nationality were the majority of workers who laid the Central Pacific track through the Sierra Nevada?
Chinese
What was the number of Chinese in the US population by the 1880s?
106,000
In 1890 ho much of the labour force was foreign?
56%
What was chosen as a symbol of welcome and promise in New York harbour?
The Statue of Liberty, gifted from France and unveiled on 28 October 1886
What did economic fear breed?
Ethnic intolerance
What did immigrants become regarded as?
Draining American resources
What did many labour unions strongly oppose?
The presence of Chinese labour because of competition for jobs
Through what act was Chinese immigration banned?
The Chinese Exclusion Act which prohibited Chinese Labourers from entering the US
What were some popular ethnic stereotypes?
The Scots were depicted as mean, the Irish as ugly, brawling drunkards and all Italians were involved in organised crime
Which group received the most abuse?
Jews
As Americans lost faith in immigration and integration what began to grow?
Nativism
What is Nativism?
The policy of protecting the interests of native-born or established inhabitants against those of immigrants
Nativist agitation was the work of which three groups?
Unions who saw them as a threat to organised labour, social reformers and Protestant conservatives who dreaded the threat to Nordic supremacy
Who had the most to fear from immigration?
Skilled workers
