Unit 3 Exam: The Immigrant Experience
Multiple Choice
1. Which of the following proves that America’s most dominant heritage is English?
a. our strong Catholic background b. our ethnically diverse society
c. our love of wool d. our political system
2. The most ethnically diverse region of colonial America was ______, whereas ______was the least ethnically diverse.
a. New England (North), the South b. the West, the South
c. the South, New England (North) d .the West Coast, New England (North)
3. In 1790 the largest ethnic/national representation in the colonies was the English. Which group ranked 2nd?
a. German b. Dutch c. Scottish d. African (slave)
4. Which year falls within the three successive poor potato harvests in Ireland that caused the Potato Famine?
a. 1600 b. 1706 c. 1846 d. 1954
5. The Irish may have had an easier time than expected assimilating (becoming American) after immigrating because
a. they were used to factory labor in their homeland
b. they were highly literate and educated
c. they came to America with excess money to move further inland
d. they were familiar with our political system
6. Why didn’t immigrants, particularly the Irish, who came to America in the 1800s seek to settle in the South?
a. most immigrants had no farming background at all
b. the South doesn’t have a coastline, and had no harbors for ships to dock
c. slave labor did not allow for any available jobs
d. this is false; just as many immigrants settled in the South as in the North
7. How did the Irish and German immigrants of the 1840s differ from each other?
a. The Germans were usually Catholic, while the Irish were a mix of Catholic, Protestant, and Jewish.
b. Most Irish immigrants were unskilled poor, while many German immigrants were well-to-do professionals.
c. Most German immigrants were single women, while most Irish immigrants came as married couples.
d. Germans settled immediately in the cities such as Boston, while the Irish headed to the West coast.
8. Which location best describes the main area the Irish settled after immigrating to America?
a. northwest b. rural South c. eastern cities d. Great Plains
9. Why were Germans much more likely to settle in the American Midwest upon arrival in the mid-1800s?
a. they were given this land by the U.S. government because of a treaty signed with Germany
b. Germans tended to arrive with more money which enabled them to travel and purchase land
c. due to such a strong anti-German tradition in American they were not allowed to settle in Eastern cities
d. this is false. Germans overwhelmingly settled in the American South.
10. Which two nationalities represent “old” immigrants?
a. Irish and Turkish b. German and Russian
c. English and German d. English and Italian
11. In 1892, this became the central processing center for 75% of all immigrants entering the U.S.
a. Liberty Island b. Staten Island c. Angel Island d. Ellis Island
12. Most of these immigrants traveled to America in which steamship class?
a. 1st b. 2nd c. Steerage d. Mid-tier
13. Immigrants from SE Europe were NOT LIKED by many Americans because all of the following EXCEPT
a. they were darker skinned and darker haired
b. they were less accustomed to stable forms of government and an economic system like ours
c. they were mostly uneducated
d. they were mostly Protestant
14. The New Immigrants who came to the United States after 1880
a. had experience with democratic governments.
b. were numerous but never constituted a majority of the immigrants in any given year.
c. were culturally different from previous immigrants.
d. received a warm welcome from the Old Immigrants.
15. Which of the following statements best illustrates the difference between Angel and Ellis Islands?
a. Angel Island primarily processed upper class immigrants while Ellis Island processed lower class immigrants. Both were in New York Harbor.
b. Angel Island primarily processed Asian immigrants coming into America on the West Coast, while Ellis Island processed European immigrants entering America on the East Coast
c. Angel Island closed during the 1960's while Ellis Island is still used as a processing center today.
d. all of the above are true statements
16. The Dillingham Report issued in 1911 that described the impact “new” immigrants were having on America. Which best exemplifies their findings?
a. New immigrants were bringing positive changes to America such as a strong work ethic
b. New immigrants were bringing new political views such as socialism that America was wanting
c. New immigrants were bringing in disease and crime and were a detriment to America
d. New immigrants were coming in such small numbers that their influence was inconsequential
Short Answer: Everyone must answer short answer questions 1 and 2. Then you will choose 5 of the remaining questions.
1. Explain, with as much detail as possible, the journey of an immigrant from his/her old country to the point where s/he leaves Ellis Island. Describe each stage and what that immigrant sees and experiences from the ship to walking out the doors into America.(10 pts.)
2. Select two individuals from the “Faces of America” documentary and explain their immigration heritage?(6 pts.)
______
3. At the turn of the century (1900) what was the best way to assimilate immigrants?
4. Identify two countries “new” immigrants came from.
5. Explain the reason for anti-Chinese attitudes in America in the 1870s and 1880s? Where did it originate and who was responsible?
6. Ethnic enclaves served as both positive and negative functions within cities. Describe one positive and one negative.
7. Other than the fact that it was durable, why did the Irish rely exclusively on the potato?
8. Prior to the passing of legislation in the 1800s specifically setting some immigration requirements, who often determined whether or not an immigrant made it into America?
9. Define Nativism –
10. Define Xenophobia –
11. What is meant by the phrase “birds of passage”?
12. What was the American (or Know-Nothing) Party, and why did it form?