Key Question 1: Immigration Flashcards
By 1910 how many people had immigrated to America?
9 million
What policy did America have pre 1910?
Open Door Policy
By 1910 which people immigrated to America?
- Native Americans
- Black Americans
- Eastern and Southern Europeans
- Hispanics
- Asians
Why were most people pushed to America?
- Escape poverty
- Escape political and economic persecution
Why were most people pulled to America?
- Promise of religious tolerance
- Promise of land and property
- A better life
- Spirit of adventure
- Equal opertunity
Where did most American immigrants arrive?
Ellis Island near New York
What percentage of immigrants arrived via Ellis Island?
70%
In 1900 what was the average age of immigrants?
24
What would happen when you entered the Great Hall on Ellis Island?
Medical test primarily on the eye to test for the disease trachoma and tested over financial position and literacy tests.
Why did the Open Door Policy break down?
There were feelings of hostility towards new immigrants who usually didn’t come from north or west Europe.
Why did people dislike new immigrants (post 1910)?
- Illiterate
- Poor
- Of different culture or religion
- Fear of communism by 1919
When was the Literacy Test passed?
1917
What was the Literacy Test?
Government legislation forcing tests on reading and writing for entry to America.
When was the Emergency Quota Act?
1921
What was the Emergency Quota Act?
A law which limited foreign immigration to America.
By how much did the Emergency Quota Act limit immigration?
357, 000 people per year or 3 % of a foreign population already in America by 1910 could be admitted then on.
When was the National Origins Act?
1924
What was the National Origins Act?
A law which further limited foreign immigration to America.
By how much did the National Origins Act limit immigration?
150, 000 people per year or 2 % of a foreign population already in America by 1890 could be admitted then on. Immigration from Asia was prohibited.
What was the main reason of the National Origins Act?
To limit Southern and Eastern European and stop Asian immigration.
What did the end of the Open Door Policy cause?
Increased fear of immigrants, xenophobia and racial persecution.
Who were Sacco and Vanzetti?
Italian immigrants, Nicola Sacco and Bartolomeo Vanzetti, charged with armed robbery of a shoe-factory.
What was found in the car of Sacco and Vanzetti?
Anarchist (anti-government) leaflets, and guns- which they had when they were arrested.
What did Sacco and Vanzetti have against them in their case?
Public opinion because they were immigrants.
How many witnesses testified for the Sacco and Vanzetti case?
61 stating them at the Shoe-factory to
]107 stating them elsewhere.
When was the trial of Sacco and Vanzetti?
May 1921
What did the judge do in the Sacco and Vanzetti case?
Judge Webster Thayer made anti-Italian jokes against the accused.
Who admitted to the armed robbery in the Sacco and Vanzetti case?
Celestino Madeiros however no charges were dropped against Sacco and Vanzetti.
When were Sacco and Vanzetti executed?
Electrocuted in August 1927 in Charlestown prison.
What was the ‘Red Scare’?
The fear of communism spreading to America.
When was the Communist Revolution in Russia?
October 1917
What was the Industrial unrest in Boston in 1919?
The strike of 100, 00 members of the Boston police force in 1919- communism was blamed.
When was the Wall Street bomb?
1920
What was the Wall Street bomb?
The explosion of a bomb outside the Attorney General, A. Mitchell Palmer’s, home killing 38 people.
When were The Palmer Raids?
1919-1920
How many communists did Mitchell Palmer say were in America?
150, 000 or 0.1% of the population.
What were the Palmer Raids?
A response to an imaginary threat attacking communists. 6, 000 were arrested without hearing and hundreds deported.
