Topic 3 - Society and Culture in Change (IMMIGRATION)

Question 1

what are the different themes you can do for an immigration question

Answer 1

• european, asian, latin america/mexican immigration
• where they come from
• economic, political and societal impacts/factors

Question 2

immigration prior to the FWW

Answer 2

• USA had an ‘open door’ policy
• no yearly limits
• little done to restrict the flow
• in its infancy welcomed 170,000 immigrants per year to the ‘land of the free’
• during late 1800s early 1900s it boomed with some 650,000 arriving in 1882
• 1.2 million in 1907
• initially America was small, growing in independence and needed them to survive
• statue of liberty gave idea there was equal chances for all to achieve American Dream
• people had to face countless tests to get in

Question 3

what were some of the reasons to leave Europe and travel to America

Answer 3

• industrial change and political unrest had brought increased unemployment/poverty to Italy and Southern Europe
• America promised new future and fortune
• Rural areas of Eastern Europe had draft, police brutality

Question 4

what was Ellis Island

Answer 4

• place where immigrants arrived - processing centre
• 1.25 mil processed in 1907
• chaotic busy place
• 70% of European immigrants process through Ellis Island before entering USA

Question 5

what did immigrants have to do at Ellis Island in terms of questions and tests

Answer 5

• had to pass a medical exam
• asked if had money
• if any relatives in US
• if had a job waiting for them
• are they an anarchist/ do they believe in US gov
• easy to lie
• it was quite rare to be sent back before the 1920s not a lot of immigration policies to stop people going in

Question 6

what are some reasons immigration is good

Answer 6

• cheap labour
• not as costly for American consumers - will work for less and in unwanted jobs
• key part of US’ economic growth
• increasing population early 20th century US needed the boost
• payed taxes to increase social security and federal budget
• expand culture
• boost economy

Question 7

in the early 1900s what did people think about immigrants

Answer 7

• as number increased people began to question it
• hostility grew at ‘new’ immigrants as often poor, illiterate, RC or Jew so different cultural and religious backgrounds and FWW and red scare fear

Question 8

what impacted immigration in 1914-1920

Answer 8

• trauma of FWW

- fear of communism during 1919 Red Scare

Question 9

what are some reasons against immigration

Answer 9

• take jobs away from Americans
• decreasing wages for the poor and increasing taxes
• receive more benefits than they pay for in tax
• Hispanic immigrants not assimilated into America’s stereotypical culture
• threaten American identity
• bring economy down
• cheap labour forces Americans out their jobs
• threaten security
• change culture by refusing to assimilate

Question 10

when are immigrants good

Answer 10

• during times of economic boom and prosperity when businesses need extra workers they can be a great source of high impact low cost labour

Question 11

when did immigrants become a major issue

Answer 11

• Great Depression

- 1970s

Question 12

what is immigration in terms of evalutation

Answer 12

• situational
• depends on economy, context of period
• that decides whether (+) or (-)

Question 13

what was the Dillingham Commission

Answer 13

• WASPs and KKK were driving forces for reduction in immigration
• their racial prejudice helped to force gov action
• 1907 Repub senator Dillingham instructed by Theodore Roosevelt (NOT FDR) to investigate impact of immigration
• 1911 report triggered range of landmark acts from 1917
• most notably emergency quota act of 1921 limiting immigrants to 357,000 per year

Question 14

1917 immigration act

Answer 14

• Wilson
• entry tax increased to $8
• lists a number of undesirable immigrants to be excluded including homosexuals, insane people, criminals
• imposed a literacy qualification for anyone over 16

Question 15

1921 Emergency Quota Act

Answer 15

• Wilson
• restricts the yearly number of immigrants from any country to three percent of the total number of people from that country living in the USA in 1910

Question 16

1924 Johnson Reed Immigration Act

Answer 16

• Coolidge
• changed the quota system to 2% of people from country of origin in 1890 census
• tipped balance further in favour of Northern Europe until July 1927
• after that the number of immigrants was to be fixed at 150,000 and the quota was to be based on the 1920 census

Question 17

1929 National Origins formula

Answer 17

• Coolidge

- confirms the 150,000 limit and bans Asian immigrants all together

Question 18

discuss the impact of the Great Depression on Immigrants

Answer 18

• stemmed flow
• due to influx of Mexican immigrants, labour gap temporarily filled but due to status and many been illegal exploitation began
• workers blackmailed with deportation threat
• wages/living conditions poor
• division between traditional immigrants and new immigrants widening
• as depression took hold, many americans lost their wealth, homes, jobs, mexican immigrants deported en masse
• around 400,000 Mexicans deported during GD
• deportation freed up jobs for unemployed white men

Question 19

what has the USA often been described as

Answer 19

• a melting pot due to different nationalities
• little integration between different immigrations
• informal segregation like China town and little italy
• chineese most separated due to Chinese exclusion act and cultural differences
• over time such communities began to adopt American ways while old traditions and lifestyles began to fade
• immigrants had ‘american’ children which began integregation process

Question 20

where did most immigrants flock

Answer 20

• to the cities creating ghettos and overcrowding

- situation during GD where there is mass unemployment and more people coming into the cities

Question 21

what was the impact of immigration on Urban life

Answer 21

• american cities bore brunt of influx
• urban life became partisan and diverse
• industry rapidly increasing in early 1900s immigrants needed to help keep up growth

Question 22

what problems did immigrants face in the 1880s to 1900s

Answer 22

• few jobs
• overcrowding in cities
• nativism - racism - violence
• unsafe workplace
• broken dream of going west
• didn’t speak the language
• unclean living conditions
• ward bosses
• poverty
• social discrimination
• exploitation

Question 23

what did Henry Ford do for immigration

Answer 23

• innovative industrialist
• encouraged ‘Americanisation’ of their immigrant workforces
• taught them english, american culture and general patrioism
• key example of the right treatment of immigrants
• he wasn’t keen on the employment of them for sinister reasons like exploitation
• wanted them to have opportunity
• then became popular in other industries

Question 24

why did the percentage of foreign born stabilise

Answer 24

- as America's quotas and restrictions began to take effect 
New York
- 1920 - 35%
- 1930 - 34%
- 1940 - 19% of population

Question 25

what happened between the inter-war period (period between first and second world war)

Answer 25

• as immigrant communities expanded ‘mob’ violence became volatile and uncontrollable e.g. Mafia
• prohibition partly to blame tho
• certain areas became dangerous, people feared anarchy

Question 26

what is a key example of America’s fear of immigrants been anarchists and over-reaction to fear of revolution

Answer 26

• case of Italian immigrants
• Nicola Sacco and Barolomea Vanzetti
• self-confessed radicals
• wrongly arrested and found guilty of been anarchists
• 1927 executed by electrocution
• fifty years later both men were posthumously pardoned
• clear the influx of immigrants was no longer a benefit and negative aspects of immigration had grown far more profound
• key example of how radical attitudes to immigration can get
• so strong people make up stories and look for guilt when it wasn’t there

Question 27

what was the ‘Fresh off the Boat’ and ‘Bottom of the Heap’ phrasing

Answer 27

• most immigrants received warm reception but not always the case
• newest arrivals had to start at bottom, work way up, worst jobs, low pay, poor housing, lowest quality of life
• work way up like everyone else - Rugged individualism - American Dream is rags to riches - capitalism principle

Question 28

what is a clear example that hope and progression up the social ladder was possible for immigrants

Answer 28

• in 1920s Irish and Italians embodied belief hard work can pay off
• there were Irish/Italian politicians, businessmen, lawyers and policemen
• clear example of education and integration allowing progress
• Irish and Italians initially had faced massive stigma too
• Irish Catholic so religious stigma e.g.

Question 29

political impact of immigrants

Answer 29

• over time significantly influenced American politics due to their increasing numbers
• immigrant vote often changed outcomes of elections
• as a consequence of their rising numbers presidential candidates have adapted their immigration policies and attitude to win more votes
• senators and councillors learnt to target policies towards ethnic groups to canvas more votes in elections
• no accident that people like Nixon in the 70s pushed the minority rights and VR act

Question 30

FDR and immigration vote

Answer 30

• he became very popular with immigrants due to his New Deal and because of Republican laissez-faire attitude led to the decline of urban cities where most immigrants were based

Question 31

why was the immigrant vote more powerful in the North

Answer 31

no issues with the KK
voting rights more accessible
also just because of the sheer number of immigrants

Question 32

JFK and immigration vote

Answer 32

• very smart with it
• got his wife to speak to immigrants in Spanish and other languages encouraging them to vote for JFK
• because the JFK/Nixon election so tight perhaps the 1 or 2% immigrant vote was enough to beat Nixon in 1960

Question 33

who were the three clear enemy nations in the SWW

Answer 33

• Italy, Germany, Japan

- turning point for immigration

Question 34

what were the issues with immigration during the SWW

Answer 34

• a lot of immigrants from enemy nations or had families there
• tricky situation for gov and society
• roughly 1/4 of US population had potential ties to axis powers or soviet union
• can these people be trusted
• can we trust them to fight against their ‘home’ nations
• what if they give info or sympathise with enemy
• a lot of americans angry at pearl harbour and wanted revenge on Japan
• ripple of america v enemies

Question 35

treatment of Japanese during the SWW under FDRs presidency

Answer 35

• pearl harbour dec 1941
• people angry at Japanese
• 120,000 sent to internment camps for the duration of the war
• Italians and germans interned but no where near same scale
• businesses run and owned by these ‘alien’s boycotted/attacked
• even those who’d lived in american for generations and considered themselves american were persecuted

Question 36

discuss immigration after the SWW

Answer 36

• USA entered boom period
• issue of immigration decreased in significance as most people had jobs and a decent standard of living
• need workers during golden age

Question 37

1952 Immigration and Nationality Act

Answer 37

• Truman
• still incorporated quotas and maintained the immigration limit at 150,000 but allowed an influx of 100,000 Asian immigrants

Question 38

refugee laws during the Cold war

Answer 38

• although USA wished to save as many ‘refugees’ as possible from communism there was no provision for them
• refugee laws to bypass the immigration restriction
• when Castro took power in Cuba 1959
• USA aided any Cubans who wanted refuge
• around 200,000 fled to US
• Cuban Adjustment Act granted them citizenship in 1966 (under LBJ)

Question 39

Cuban Adjustment Act 1966

Answer 39

• johnson
• granted Cuban refugees american citizenship
• much earlier than other refugee nations at this stage

Question 40

immigration in the 1960s

Answer 40

• JFK and LBJ pres

- as numbers of European immigrants into US decreased most Americans became accepting of European immigrants

Question 41

JFK and immigration

Answer 41

• he opposed the quota system
• wrote a book outlining the USA’s history of immigrants as far back as 1607
• linked the very foundations of the USA to the wave after wave of immigrants
• argued 1950s attitudes towards immigrants mocked the Statue of Liberty
• before assassination was working on bill to remove quotas and adapt the immigration laws
  (Immigration and Nationality Act passed by LBJ)
• most Americans agreed with JFK agreeing the quota system had begun to restrict the growth and progression of the nation

Question 42

Immigration and Nationality (Hart-Celler) Act 1965

Answer 42

• passed by LBJ
• but Kennedy had been working on it
• abolished the concept of quotas and increased the number of immigrants to 170,000 per year

Question 43

what was the Immigration and Nationality Act 1965 central to

Answer 43

• policy over Vietnam
• provided an ‘Open Door’ to war refugees from Vietnam and Cambodia
• by 1985 the USA had welcomed some 700,000 Asian refugees which changed the ethnic make up of many US cities

Question 44

what’s important to note about immigration up until 1976

Answer 44

• until 1976 (1917 one, 3 in 1920s and 1965 Hart-Cellar) none of the immigration laws and quotas applied to the western hemisphere
• didn’t apply to central/southern america and mexican immigrants
• mainly due to the south needing immigrants for work

Question 45

what was ‘Operation Wetback’

Answer 45

• from 1954 US gov began severe crack down on illegal immigrants
• immigration and naturalisation service began deporting illegal immigrants from Southern states
• huge movement to restore immigration back to a manageable level and make sure immigrants working in America are paying tax and contributing to society
• 1980 1 mil deported but didn’t deter movment

Question 46

what led the government to impose a 20,000 limit of South American immigrants in 1976

Answer 46

• Large hispanic communities began to dominate Southern towns
• some had up to 90% Hispanic representation leaving some whites feeling intimidated
• try to stem the flow
• however many refused to accept it and crossed the border secretly to join families and find work - ‘illegals’
• came in illegal, don’t pay tax, get exploited, drive wages down - most still happy to employ them as cheap
• impossible for immigration services to deal with it due to 3100km border
• 20,000 crazy from complete freedom though

Question 47

discuss the term wetback

Answer 47

• disparaging term applied to mexicans who passed across the Rio Grande
• hugely controversial and poorly worded term
• racial slur to hispanics

Question 48

why did mexicans get a lot of hate and negativity in the 70s and 80s

Answer 48

• the economy became turbulent

Question 49

immigration in LA

Answer 49

• around 650,000 jobs in agriculture and factory work
• around a third taken by mexicans
• a lot of these workers not on social security register

Question 50

what happened to the immigration and nationality act in 1976

Answer 50

• expanded to finally incorporate the western hemisphere and limits movements across the southern border to 20,000
• this act did little to stop the high number of immigrants entering the USA from the South tho as an average of 60,000 still entered US
• most immigrants remained in south working on farms and texas factories
• some travelled as far as Cali tho to start a fresh life

Question 51

what was an issue with deportation and tracking down illegal immigrants for the government in 1970s and 80s

Answer 51

• the cost was becoming more expensive and became a public issue due to rising taxes to cover costs
• this further turned public against illegals
• idea they should obtain rights and equality was washed away

Question 52

how many illegal immigrants are there estimated to have been in USA in mid 1970s

Answer 52

• 7 million
• from a variety of countries
• US border control only managing to deport around 600,000 of these each year

Question 53

1940 Alien Registration Act

Answer 53

• FDR
• requires non citizens to register with the federal government
• war time measure
• but after war its normalised as the green card system
• if a non citizen has a green card it entitles them to live and work in the USA indefinitely
• 1950 a vetting procedure makes sure green cards only go to legal immigrants

Question 54

1948 Displaced Persons Act (extended 1950)

Answer 54

• Truman
• Allows for the immigration of 415,000 people displaced by the war over four years but with the quota limit
• Truman argued for the admissions to be separate from the numbers administered by the quota but failed to convince Congress

Question 55

1952 Immigration and Nationality Act (McCarren-Waltet)

Answer 55

• Truman
• revises number of immigration
• retains limit to number of immigrants admitted (150,000) and quota system tho many argued against quotas
• balance based on 1920 census means about 85% of immigrants come from Europe
• the act allows 100,000 Asian immigrants
• introduces preference system for skilled workers
• still doesn’t apply to Western hemisphere

Question 56

1953 Refugee Relief Act

Answer 56

• Truman
• extends the 1948 displaced persons act allowing for 214,000 refugees from Europe
• dealt with outside the set numerical limit

Question 57

1965 Immigration and Nationality Act (Hart-Celler)

Answer 57

• LBJ
• sets limit of 170,000 immigrants a year
• allows for more asian immigration
• immediate family members of US citizens are allowed in outside this limit
• doesn’t apply to Western hemisphere

Question 58

1968 armed forces neutralisation act

Answer 58

• LBJ
• amends 1965 act to make anyone a US citizen who was fought for the USA in the FWW, SWW, Korea, Vietnam and any other wars