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Populist Party Analysis

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From 1880 to 1925, opinions on whether or not immigrants should be allowed in the United States of America shifted majorly. As time progressed, the American people became disillusioned with the idea of immigrants in America. Different specific time periods showed the majority opinion, and how it changed United States citizens’ reactions to immigrants from a smile of acceptance to a scowl of distrust. Between the years 1880 and 1890, the American people was generally either accepting or at least tolerant of foreign citizens immigrating to the United States and beginning their new lives. An 1880 political cartoon published in Puck magazine shows Uncle Sam, representing America, welcoming immigrants of many different apparent backgrounds aboard …show more content…

In 1892, the People’s Party, otherwise known as the Populist Party, was founded and issued a declaration of their principles, which included a segment highlighting their views on immigration. The passage claims that the American government has allowed “the pauper and criminal classes of the world” to take jobs from those born in the United States, and specifically calls for “the further restriction of undesirable emigration”. Those who followed the Populist movement were mostly farmers or unskilled factory workers who would be the most likely to be replaced with cheap labor provided by immigrants, which explains why Populists were so against the idea of immigrants who were willing to work for extremely small wages taking the place of American workers. In 1895, African American leader Booker T. Washington gave a speech that became known as the Atlanta Compromise Address. The speech mostly revolved around racial issues, as those were what Washington was known for; however, there was a paragraph about immigration, where Washington tied it to the racial premise of the Address. He states that, instead of looking to foreigners for work, “Cast down your bucket where you are.” This means that he’d prefer work go to African Americans who have showed their loyalty, instead of mindlessly handing over jobs to …show more content…

Sociologist Edward Ross wrote a 1914 article in Century Magazine titled :Immigrants in Politics”, in which he tells the story of Bostonians who return to their home town to find that many government officials were of Irish descent, as illustrated in this passage, “greeted by Mayor Fitzgerald and the following members of congress: O’Connell, Kelihar, Sullivan, and McNary…” It should be noted that all five surnames listed in this segment have roots in Ireland. This article shows why many citizens of the United States were afraid of immigrants, as they believed that outsiders would overtake their government. In 1916, anthropologist Madison Grant published The Passing of the Great Race, which was a major book in the genre of scientific racism, a field where scientist look for biological reasons to support their theories on racial bias. Most of the book is dedicated to proving Grant’s racism correct; however, there is a section that highlights his belief very well. “In no other human stock…is there displayed the unanimity of heart, mind and action which is now being displayed by the descendants of the blue-eyed, fair-haired peoples of…Europe.” This perspective gives insight to what many educated Americans thought back

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