The Gilded Age: Day 3, Immigration

1. The Gilded Age: Day 3, Immigration Flashback: What does this image say about the Age of Industrialism in America? Bell ringer: Considering the realities of the Age of Industrialism, why would people (including adults and children) continue to take these jobs?

2. Day 1 & 2 Review • Innovation, resources, and government policies encouraged industrialism. • “Giants” of industry created the “Gilded Age.” • Industrialism had positive and negative effects. • Workers responded to industrial conditions by creating unions. • Despite efforts by unions, workers had to continue fighting bad workplace conditions. • One event finally drew attention to the problem of workplace safety.

3. Day 3: Immigration in the Gilded Age • A “new” wave of immigrants came to the United States at the beginning of the 20th century, pulled by economic opportunity and freedom. • What factors pulled new immigrants to the U.S.? • What events pushed the immigrants from their homelands to America? • What was the journey life for the immigrants? • What contributions were made by these new immigrants? • “Old” immigrants differed from “new” immigrants in regards to their home countries, cultures, and experiences. • How were new immigrants different from the old ones? • What patterns of immigration can bee seen from 1880 to 1920? • What conflicts arose for the new immigrants?

4. America was an immigrant nation • Where had most Americans come from? • What were the “Old” immigrants like? • Why had they come to America?

5. New Immigrants • Between 1880 and 1920, over 23 million immigrants came into the United States • Most were coming from Eastern (Poland, Russia) and Southern Europe (Italy, Greece), unlike those before them who were from Northern and Western Europe (Great Britain, France) • Asian immigrants continued to come into the West coast looking for new opportunities • Mexican immigrants drifted north to work in the West as it continued to grow

6. Characteristics of the New Immigrants • Fewer new immigrants spoke English • Many were poor and had little education • Included large numbers of persecuted groups, such as the Jews • Many of the groups brought new religions into America, including Judaism, Catholicism, Russian Orthodox Christianity, Buddhism, and Confucianism • All came looking for opportunity and brought with then the desire and willingness to work

7. Reasons for Immigration Push Factors Pull Factors • Poverty • Overpopulation • Political persecution • Religious persecution • Environmental disasters • Hope for better life • Work in growing industries • Opportunities for land in West • Tales of immediate riches • Tales of acceptance

8. The Trip to America

9. The Journey Role Card Reading: Luciano, Italian immigrant

10. Travel to America Role Card Reading: Bertha, Irish Immigrant

11. Experiences at Ellis or Angel Island Day 1 Additional Days • Long waits begin • Physical exam • Eye test • Capability tests • Disease checks • Verbal exam • Battery of questions • Interpreters ask fast with immigrants fearing failure • Legal checks • Names are often changed in • Economic check • Jobs secured • Family for support • Passage to mainland • Stays in infirmary for illness or to be sent back

12. Immigrants at Ellis Island Role Card Reading: Albert, Armenian immigrant

13. Into the Cities • Most immigrants settle in larger cities where they can find housing and work • New York • Boston • Philadelphia • Baltimore • Cincinnati • Cities become overcrowded and are extremely busy • New transportation methods in the streets • Stores or street vendors or corner salesmen • Neighborhoods made up of common cultures • Tenement housing with deplorable conditions • Children play in streets, but must avoid rising gangs

14. Immigrants in the Cities Role Card Reading: Slovenian immigrant boy

15. Immigrant Neighborhoods Role Card Reading: Louise, Polish Immigrant

16. Immigrants in the Cities Role card reading: An immigrant boy

17. Opportunities for Few • Education • Immigrants understood that education was the way to better lives • Children juggled schooling between jobs to help families • Educated children took on adult roles to help families • Night classes offered some adults opportunities

18. School for immigrants Role Card Reading: Immigrant boy

19. Hard work for success • The growth of factories and offices created new jobs • More of everything (roads, transportation, housing) was needed for the new population which created more jobs • Immigrants were discriminated against and paid less if not “preferred” workers • Long hours • Low pay • Child labor • Unsafe working environment • No worker benefits

20. Immigrants at Work Role Card Reading: Emma, Textile factory worker

21. Working with the Resources • Many sought jobs outside the cities in mines, logging, or construction • Work was often dangerous and always physically demanding • Most of these workers left their families to work on jobs, sometimes not returning for months

22. Working with the Resources Role Card Reading: Edgar, Coal miner

23. The Different Immigrants • The lives and opportunities of the immigrants differed based on many things… • How hard they worked • Their education and skill levels • The places they went • The obstacles they faced • While many immigrants faced obstacles along the way, they still struggled to become the ideal American and made many contributions

24. Class Activity: Comparing Immigrants • Read the information on your immigrants • Record the information about their push or pull factors • Describe their travels to America • Discuss the obstacles (discriminations) they faced • List the contributions they made • Be prepared to share! • Jigsaw sharing.

25. Wrap up:

26. Exit Slip: • List 5 push or pull factors faced by immigrants between 1880 and 1920. • How do those factors compare to the reasons people come to America today?