Free at Last Flashcards
What was America like in the early 1900’s?
The USA was a mixture of all races and religions
America had an open door policy, anyone could come
Why did many immigrants move to America in the 19th and 20th centuries?
1800’s living and working conditions had worsened for millions of Europeans
America had entered a period of incredible prosperity
The USA needed more and more unskilled workers to fill the growing number of factory jobs
Millions of Europeans not wanting unemployment, depression and famine went to America
Where did most immigrants come from in the 1800’s?
Most immigrants to the USA came from Britain, Ireland, Germany and Scandinavia
Where did most immigrants come from in the 1900’s?
Immigrants came from Poland, Italy and Russia
What were ‘Original Americans’ called?
White
Anglo
Saxon
Protestants
What rule came in in 1892?
In 1892 immigrants were taken to Ellis Island to be checked before they could enter the USA
The doctor would chalk them with a disease they had and they would be judged on whether they could stay there
If a person was said to be feeble minded a circle with a cross would be chalked on them and their entire family would be sent back
What is the American Dream?
The American Dream is the belief that anyone can succeed in life
What problems did immigrants face?
Immigrants faced a number of problems: racial tension, poverty, language barrier, religious conflict, slums
What was slum housing?
They were tall tenements with tiny rooms which lacked light and proper sanitation surrounded by disease and crime
Why did immigrants live in slums?
They had no money as they had spent their lives savings on a ticket to America
what was the problem with voting for immigrants and how was this solved?
Immigrants struggled with voting as it was difficult to understand the language they spoke and the political system they worked under
Immigrants were bribed to vote for certain politicians in exchange for good housing ect. however soon caught on to the bribery and began to use it for their own good
Why was immigration good for the economy in the 19th century?
Businessmen were happy to provide cheap labour to immigrants in their factories
Why did attitudes towards immigration change?
Strikes became more common
Americans thought that immigrants were the cause of the strikes and riots
The open door policy started to close
Immigrants were blamed for the rise in crime, lack of housing, lack of jobs, there was an increase in racism, a language barrier and a religious barrier
What was the Dillingham commission
Set up in 1907 it discovered the problems surrounding immigration
The commission recommended literacy tests to make it more difficult to enter the USA
They found that problems had begun when more people migrated from the south and east of Europe
What did the introduction of literacy tests mean?
Those who could not read or write could not enter the USA
What problems did the Great War cause?
Unemployment rose The number of strikes rose The fear of communism A terrible economy More factory workers were willing to employ cheap labour and replace the strikers Scarce housing
What was the Sacco and Vanzetti trial?
They were charged with robbery and the trial dragged on for six years
Half the population felt they should be allowed to express their views freely
The other half thought they would cause many problems
The real reason they were on trial was they were Italian and had a few radical ideas
In August 1927 they were executed
What laws were out in place in the 1920’s?
In 1921 a law was introduced that said only 3% of each nationality living in the USA in 1910 would be allowed to enter the USA
In 1924 only 150000 immigrants were allowed into the USA each year
Why was there an increase in Black Americans moving north?
In 1914 Black Americans moved north because:
North America provided work for Black American’s
As immigration decreased in the 1920’s, Black American’s were encouraged to move north
Why was life difficult for Black American’s?
Black American’s were paid less, had a poorer standard of education and were often ‘the last hired and the first fired’
In the south White American’s feared Blacks
Poor white Americans saw Black American’s as competition
Black Americans could be beaten, kidnapped and killed in the south and nothing would be done about it
When was slavery abolished?
1863
What were Jim Crow Laws?
Created in the southern states to maintain a segregated and unfair society
Why was voting a struggle for Black American’s?
Many southern states made up voting qualifications
What was the Tulsa riot?
Tulsa was a very wealthy Black establishment
On may 21st 1921 a black man was accused of raping a white woman
The KKK organised racist attacks on Tulsa
The police helped the attackers and in less than 12 hours Tulsa was destroyed
By June 1st 1921 nearly 3000 Black American’s had been wiped out
