Chapter 3: American Society Flashcards
How many immigrants arrived in the US between 1865-90?
10 million
What were the pull factors encouraging people to immigrate to the US?
-empty land to be filled
-expanding industries needed Labour forces
-idea of America as “land of the free”
When was the Statue of Liberty completed?
1886
Give an example of a system put in place to facilitate entry into America
Castle Garden on the southern tip of Manhattan Island
Where did early German and Scandinavian immigrants settle?
in rural areas
Where did Irish immigrants settle?
urban areas e.g. Boston and New York
What was the impact of expanding industrialisation and urbanisation on immigrants?
increased no. of immigrants sucked into expanding towns and cities
Where were the majority of Chinese labourers employed?
construction of western sections of the transcontinental railroads
What was the positive view of immigration held by Americans?
“melting pot” of the US would forge new American citizens
What was the negative view of immigration held by Americans?
worried about possible tensions between people of different languages and religions
Why did the US population increase sharply during this period?
-immigration
-decline in death rates
Why was there a population shift during this period?
industrialisation and improvements in transport drew people into expanding towns and cities
How did population patterns of growing towns and cities reflect the influx of immigrants?
districts of big cities became “Irish” or “German” e.g. Cincinnati in Ohio became a community of German cultural traditions
What is Nativism?
belief in protecting American values against “alien” ways brought by new immigrants
What were the negative impacts of immigration?
created tensions and social divisions
Why were new immigrant communities often regarded with suspicion and hostility?
seen as a threat to jobs and existing cultural and social norms
When was the Chinese Exclusion Act passed?
1882
What did the Chinese Exclusion Act do?
stopped immigration of “skilled or unskilled” Chinese workers and prevented Chinese people in the US from gaining American citizenship
Why did Congress pass the Chinese Exclusion Act?
strong reaction against Chinese Americans with newspapers and politicians campaigning to stop “yellow peril”
What was “yellow peril”?
an offensive term used to express a racist fear of the rise of China and Japan
Where did Chinese immigrants primarily settle?
California- established settled communities in West Coast cities e.g. San Francisco
How much of San Francisco’s labour force consisted of Chinese people?
1/2
Give an example of industries Chinese people worked in?
-shoes
-tobacco
-sewing
-farming, primarily fruit-growing
