Immigration Experience Flashcards

Pull Factors for Immigration

• The promise of freedom and democracy was a significant pull factor attracting European immigrants to the U.S. post-Civil War.

Push Factors for Leaving Europe

• Population growth and widespread hunger were primary reasons driving Europeans to emigrate.
• Limited arable land presented a challenge for agricultural sustainability.
• Religious persecution forced many to flee their homelands.
• Exaggerated accounts of American life circulated back home, enticing further emigration.

Steerage Experience

• Immigrants unable to afford cabins traveled in steerage, the lower deck area of ships.
• Conditions in steerage were harsh, featuring cramped rooms, metal bunks, seasickness, spoiled food, and unsanitary toilets.

Immigration Inspections at Ellis Island

• Steerage passengers underwent thorough immigration inspections upon arrival at Ellis Island.
• First and second-class passengers faced brief examinations on the ship before disembarking.

Ellis Island Experiences

• Immigrants experienced medical and legal examinations; those failing could be deported.
• Medical treatment was provided for conditions, allowing some to enter the U.S.
• The Foran Act prohibited employers from importing foreign labor to replace striking workers.

Life in the United States for Immigrants

• Many European immigrants settled in urban areas near job opportunities.
• They often lived in low-quality housing close to their ethnic communities.

Immigrant Aid Societies vs. Settlement Houses

• Immigrant aid societies were ethnic organizations that provided community support, typically by collecting donations.
• Settlement houses served as community centers offering essential services like child care, education, and health clinics to immigrants and the poor.

Political Bosses

• Political bosses offered jobs and social services to immigrants in exchange for electoral support, fostering mutual benefits.

Nativist Actions Against Immigration

• Organizations like the Immigration Restriction League sought to limit immigration through measures like literacy tests.
• In the 1920s, Congress enacted quotas to restrict European immigration, reflecting fears over cultural and religious differences.

Chinese Immigration Trends

• Chinese immigrants, predominantly male, entered the U.S. through San Francisco, seeking work on farms after laboring on plantations in Hawaii.
• They often filled lower-paying jobs due to employers’ preferences for cheaper labor.

Legislative Actions Against Chinese Labor

• The Chinese Exclusion Act prohibited Chinese laborer immigration for ten years and blocked current Chinese immigrants from citizenship, marking a historic racial immigration restriction.

Experience at Angel Island

• Angel Island served as an enforcement point for the Chinese Exclusion Act, isolating immigrants from family support and resembling the inspection process at Ellis Island.