Immigration

(Some Information from University of Wisconsin, Stanley K. Schultz, Professor of History)
Some questions to keep in mind:
Why did so many Europeans choose to migrate to the United States during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries?
How did immigration transform American society and culture?
How did Americans react to immigration?

Three great waves of immigration

c. 1815-1860
5 million immigrants settled permanently in the United States, mainly English, Irish, Germanic, Scandinavian, and others from northwestern Europe
c. 1865-1890
10 million immigrants settled permanently in America, again mainly from northwestern Europe
c. 1890-1914
15 million immigrants journeyed to the United States, many of whom were Austro-Hungarian, Turkish, Lithuanian, Russian, Jewish, Greek, Italian, Romanian
The Causes of Immigration

"America was built by immigrants. From Plymouth Rock in the seventeenth century to Ellis Island in the twentieth, people born elsewhere came to America. Some were fleeing religious persecution and political turmoil. Most, however, came for economic reasons and were part of extensive migratory systems that responded to changing demands in labor markets....The American economy had needed both unskilled and skilled workers through much of the nineteenth century. But after the 1880s, the demand was almost exclusively for unskilled workers to fill the growing number of factory jobs. Coinciding with this were conditions in some areas of Europe, which were undergoing substantial economic changes in the 1880s. Southern and eastern Europeans, dislocated from their land and possessing few skills, were attracted to the burgeoning industries in the United States.

Immigrants and Urban Settlement

Although many immigrants did migrate to rural America, a majority settled in cities. Immigrant populations, in fact, were highest in four of the largest cities at the time (New York, Boston, Pittsburgh, and Chicago). Furthermore, five out of every six Irish and Russian travelers, three out of four Italian and Hungarian immigrants and seven of ten arrivals from England, eventually settled in the nation's great cities.
Why did immigrants settle in cities?
Many immigrants came to America with little money to buy farms or expensive farming equipment. Others settled in cities because American agriculture was far different from what most had been accustomed to in Europe. Some, including many Slavs, simply came to America too late to acquire free or cheap land. Others moved to cities for different reasons. Many Irish opted for an urban life because they associated farming with English landlords who had persecuted Irish tenant farmers. Immigrants, particularly Jews, settled in urban areas because their forebears had already established vibrant cultural, religious, and educational institutions throughout many of the nation's largest cities.

Reactions of "Native" Americans to Immigration

The term "native," in this context, refers not to American Indians, but rather to Anglo-Americans who considered themselves "true Americans" even though their ancestors had been migrated from Europe just a few generations before. At first, many champions of American business, such as the editors of The Commercial and Financial Chronicle, argued that immigration would provide a ready pool of unskilled workers to man the nation's factories and would help boost the American economy. Many businessmen, however, began to change their minds as strikes became more common and labor unions grew larger and more powerful. Increasingly, they and many other Americans blamed "radical" immigrants to for the nation's labor problems. The reaction to the Haymarket Square bombing in 1886 demonstrates this kind of thinking in action.

Significant Historic Dates in U.S. Immigration

  • Naturalization Act of 1790: Stipulated that "any alien, being a free white person, may be admitted to become a citizen of the United States"
  • 1875: Supreme Court declared that regulation of US immigration is the responsibility of the Federal Government.
  • 1882 The Chinese Exclusion Act: Prohibited certain laborers from immigrating to the United States.
  • 1885 and 1887: Alien Contract Labor laws which prohibited certain laborers from immigrating to the United States.
  • 1891: The Federal Government assumed the task of inspecting, admitting, rejecting, and processing all immigrants seeking admission to the U.S.
  • 1892: On January 2, a new Federal US immigration station opened on Ellis Island in New York Harbor.
  • 1903: This Act restated the 1891 provisions concerning land borders and called for rules covering entry as well as inspection of aliens crossing the Mexican border.
  • 1907 The US immigration Act of 1907: Reorganized the states bordering Mexico (Arizona, New Mexico and a large part of Texas) into Mexican Border District to stem the flow of immigrants into the United States.
  • 1917 - 1924: A series of laws were enacted to further limit the number of new immigrants. These laws established the quota system and imposed passport requirements. They expanded the categories of excludable aliens and banned all Asians except Japanese.
  • 1924 Act: Reduced the number of US immigration visas and allocated them on the basis of national origin.
  • 1940 The Alien Registration Act: Required all aliens (non-U.S. citizens) within the United States to register with the Government and receive an Alien Registration Receipt Card (the predecessor of the "Green Card").
  • 1950 Passage of the Internal Security Act: Rendered the Alien Registration Receipt Card even more valuable. Immigrants with legal status had their cards replaced with what generally became known as the "green card" (Form I-151).
  • 1952 Act: Established the modern day US immigration system. It created a quota system which imposes limits on a per-country basis. It also established the preference system that gave priority to family members and people with special skills.
  • 1968 Act: Eliminated US immigration discrimination based on race, place of birth, sex and residence. It also officially abolished restrictions on Oriental US immigration.
  • 1976 Act: Eliminated preferential treatment for residents of the Western Hemisphere.
  • 1980 Act: Established a general policy governing the admission of refugees.
  • 1986 Act: Focused on curtailing illegal US immigration. It legalized hundred of thousands of illegal immigrants. The 1986 Immigration Act is commonly known as the 1986 Immigration Amnesty. It also introduced the employer sanctions program which fines employers for hiring illegal workers. It also passed tough laws to prevent bogus marriage fraud.
  • 1990 Act: Established an annual limit for certain categories of immigrants. It was aimed at helping U.S. businesses attract skilled foreign workers; thus, it expanded the business class categories to favor persons who can make educational, professional or financial contributions. It created the Immigrant Investor Program.
  • USA Patriot Act 2001: Uniting and Strengthening America by providing appropriate tools required to intercept and obstruct terrorism.
  • Creation of the USCIS 2003: As of March 1, 2003, the US immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) becomes part of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). The department’s new U.S. Citizenship and US immigration Services (USCIS) function is to handle US immigration services and benefits, including citizenship, applications for permanent residence, non-immigrant applications, asylum, and refugee services. US immigration enforcement functions are now under the Department's Border and Transportation Security Directorate, known as the Bureau of US immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

Immigration - Visit these sites for more Information about immigration.

American West: European Emigration
The American Immigrant Wall of Honor
Ancestors in the Americas
Center for Immigration Studies
Chinese Exclusion Act
Ellis IslandHistory Channel
Ellis Island
Ellis Island Records / Immigration in the 1920s
Michigan State University
Immigration in the Gilded Age and Progressive Era
Immigration History
Irish Immigration
Emerald Isle Immigration Center of New York
The Irish Potato Famine
Letters from Immigrant