American Immigration In The Late 1800s

The growth of Chinese jobs in the California labor market did not stop there. Because of the hard times, employers found it especially attractive that the Chinese workers would work for long hours with low pay. Huge losses hit California in 1876 with a drought; this led to unemployment across the coast including for the Chinese. Many white investors, however, used the Chinese as scapegoats for this statewide depression, fueling the anti-Chinese fire and leading to more hostility towards Chinese workers. The firsthand account of Lee Chew, a Chinese immigrant to America in the early 1880s, shows the disparities between the white man’s perception of Chinese laborers and reality as well as the hostility that arose as a result. When Lee first arrived in America, he started working as a housekeeper for a family in California, being paid $3.50 a week and being able to keep 50 cents afterwards. For Lee and other Chinese immigrants, they believed the hostility arose from jealousy in the labor market, “because he [Chinese worker] is a more faithful worker than one of their people, [and they] have raised such a great outcry about Chinese cheap labor that they have shut him [Chinese worker] out of working on farms or in factories or building railroads or making streets or digging sewers.” Lee’s testimony shows the common ripple effects of the working restrictions white men imposed on the Chinese immigrants looking for jobs. This resulted in Chinese

While thousands of European immigrants came into the United States on the East Coast, Chinese immigrants arrived on the West coast in smaller numbers. Approximately 200,00 Chinese immigrants arrived between 1851-1883. Beginning in 1910, Chinese immigrants entered the United States through the Angel Island Immigration Station, where they might be detained in barracks for weeks or months. Pull factors for Chinese immigrants included the California Gold Rush in 1848 and jobs working on the construction of the transcontinental railroad (1862-1869) and other railroads in the West. In the later years of this wave of immigration, Chinese immigrants worked as “stoop laborers” in farming, mining and also domestic service such as laundering. Friction

Still in the same year, The Fifteenth Amendment allowed the granting voting rights to citizens, irrespective of "race, color, or previous condition of servitude". Among the period of 1871 and 1920 occurred a couple of immigrants' arrival. Being from 1871 to 1880, 2,812,191 immigrants arrived; 1881 to 1890, 5,246,613 new more immigrants; 1881 to 1855, 1 million of Germans; 1881 to 1920, 2 million Eastern European Jews immigrate came to the United States. Succeeding, in 1882, Chineses were restricted to migrate to the U.S. for ten years. In the same year, The Immigration Act of 1882 started charging 50 cents for every immigrant that landed at U.S. ports, and made some categories of immigrants ineligible for citizenship. In 1885, The Alien Contract Labor Law prohibited companies to bring foreigners to the United States under contract to perform labor, except domestic services and skilled workmen to help establish a new trade or industry in the US. In 1890, immigration to the U.S. changed such as from Southern and Eastern Europe substantially increases and from Northern and Western Europe begins to decrease. In 1892, Chinese Exclusion Act for ten more years by The Geary Act. Still in 1892, Ellis Island, the location at which more than 16 million immigrants were going to be processed, opens in New York

The state's population by the end of 1860 was 380,000. The immigrants who traveled to California were very diverse, coming from China, Mexico, Ireland, France, and even as far as Australia. France alone drew 30,000 immigrants. China attracted 20,000 immigrants in the year 1852 alone, as many as 2,000 immigrants arrived in a single day. (Rice)

In 1848, California struck gold at Sutter's Mill, California. Chinese immigrants now had yet another incentive to go west in search of their fortune. For the most part, these immigrants were young male peasants who came in

The journey to California was extremely difficult. The prices were extraordinary with some boat tickets costing up to $450. There were also many trails traversed in a manner that lacked hygiene. Thus, many either faced adversary or simply did not make it. Those who did not make it were most likely harmed by the poor conditions or disease such as cholera along the Overland Trail in 1849. Out of all the trails, “the Oregon-California Trial still proved the most popular overland route” (66). It was estimated that over 100,000 travelers had used said trail by 1851. With the news of gold spreading, many young Asians left to pursue gold. Manny Europeans also made their journey to California. Between the years of 1847 and 1851, Irish immigration more than doubled. California quickly became a melting pot of many races including: blacks, Hawaiians, Peruvians, Germans, Mexicans, and the Chinese. Due to the many races represented in California, there were also many languages and cultures. On February 2, 1848, in a 15 million dollar cash deal, the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo was signed which added the land that Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, Colorado, Nevada, and California occupy to the United States. The expansion in land lead to expansion in other ways as well. In 1851, a survey showed “537 liquor stores, 46 gambling houses, and 48 houses of prostitution” (69). One can clearly see there was a lot of money to be made. With so much money on the line, people found ways to maximize their profits. With the same spirit, the Anglos forced many people from the mines with violent threats. They would then tax those who remained. This tax was in the form of a sixteen dollar a month foreign miner’s tax. In an effort to make even more money, “…the California legislature enacted another foreign miner’s tax aimed specifically at the Chinese…” (70).

It seems that the word Immigration has took on a new meaning as for it once meant. Immigration is the action of coming to live permanently in a foreign country. It has always been a hot topic in our society because of all the controversy behind it, About whose land is actually theirs. It all starts in 1620, when the mayflower for the first time in history touches american soil, And changes the way history would unfold and the very way we live today. They came from England, searching for vast freedom from a corrupt, indigenous society seeking freedom of religion and the thought, ironically searching for the American dream before it became a phrase. They would stumble across humble , spiritual, and land loving givers who would eventually train these new pilgrims on how to live off the good god living land. Things would soon take a turn for the worst when disputes over land came abroad, this ended in a bloody battle leaving the pilgrims victorious with their new land. But history is always prone to repetitiveness once the 1700's came.

The 1840s and 50s experienced a massive escalation in the number of immigrants from Europe especially from Ireland, and Germany, arriving on U.S shores in densely populated urban areas (Arenson, 2011). Most of them afterward became vigorous in domestic politics, much to the aggravation of old-stock, authentic Americans. The consequence was a renaissance in the formation of “nativistic” societies (small, indistinct, anti-foreign and anti-catholic organizations), some which banded together in the early 1850s to form the American Party (Arenson, 2011). Commonly referred to as the “Know-Nothing,” the party rode a wave of racial intolerance as well as racism into the mid-1850s.

Many people from all over the world saw America as a place to create a better life for them and their family. America was a place full of many job opportunities, ones that were not available anywhere else in the world. It was in America that people from different nations saw the chance to escape the place they originally lived because of unfair government or as a chance to have money to send back to their family in their homeland. The period after the civil war was an era of tremendous migration from southern and eastern Europe as well as from China, because of all the opportunities that were available here that were not available anywhere else. Migration was also prominent within America when African Americans

Immigration through out the late 1800’s and early 1900’s created nativism throughout the United States. Millions of immigrants flocked to the United States trying to find a better way of life to be able to support their families. Industrialization in the United States provided a labor source for the immigrants. Native born Americans believed immigrants were a “threat to the American way of life” (ATF chapter 11) Social and economic fault lines developed between natives and immigrants, through out the late 1800’s and early 1900’s, going unnoticed until the late 1920’s when the Sacco and Vanzetti case brought awareness of issue to much of the United States.

In 1789, there was "The Naturalization Act of 1790", that established a unique rule of naturalization and a two-year residency for foreign. Then in 1798, with the new law the Alien now could also be deported, considered to be dangerous and increasing of residency for 14 years to prevent immigrants, was going to vote for the Republican Party, from becoming citizens. In 1802, the Jefferson Administration changes the Naturalization Act of 1798 by reducing the residency requirement from 14 to 5 years. Then finally in 1808 the importation of slaves is banned, however it continues illegally even after the ban.

In the late 1800s , America became the land of new opportunities and new beginnings and New York City became the first landmark for immigrants. New York City was home to Ellis Island, the area in which migrants were to be handed for freedom to enter the nation. Living in New York City gave work and availability to ports. In time the city gave the chance to outsider's to construct groups with individuals from their nation , they were classified as new and old settlers. Old outsiders included Germans, Irish and, English. The new outsiders incorporated those from Italy, Russia, Poland and Austria-Hungary. In 1875, the New York City populace was a little 1 million individuals contrasted with the 3,5 million it held when the new century

Immigration has always and will always play an important role in America’s history, along with the United States having the most open immigration policy in the world to this date. American history began with flocks of immigrants competing for lands to start a life, bringing over their vast traditions and values. Some brought nothing but determination. It’s disgusting to see our congress and lawmakers make these higher-end laws to keep foreigners out, yet our country is built off immigrants. Since the 19th century, America has been the leading destination unlike no other for immigrants to reside. No other country has such a wide range of races and population like America. Diversity is indeed, what makes this country so unique. America has always

Immigration has always been a major part of America. In fact, without immigration the creation of America would not have been possible. The majority of immigrants came to America for religious freedom and economic opportunities. However, for the most part before the 1870’s most immigrants were Protestants from northern and western Europe. These immigrants often migrated to the United States as families and usually lived on farms with family or friends who had already migrated beforehand. A lot of immigrants came to America with a plan or goal in mind. They often had saved up money for the long immigration overseas, were skilled in a certain trade, or had already been educated at a high level. Sadly, this would not last. Immigration

During the 17th and 18th centuries, the British colonies were settled by a variety of European peoples who came to America to seek opportunity and escape political and religious persecution. Although immigration was encouraged in the colonial era, as the vast majority of immigrants were white, Anglo-Saxon Protestants, when foreigners of another sorts began entering the United States in the 1790s, immigrants were suddenly no longer welcome. Of these new immigrants, the Chinese became the first Asian people to immigrate to the United States in significant numbers. Their arrival was spurred by the job opportunities opened up by the Gold Rush of 1849 and the construction of the transcontinental railroad in the 1860s, as well as by a civil war tearing China apart during the 1850s. Of the Chinese who immigrated to the United States in the 19th century, more than 90 percent lived in the 10 westernmost states, and more than two-thirds were in California.