Study Guide Exam I I Immigration A What were the origins of New Immigrants versus Old Immigrants o New Chinese Afro Caribbean during the 1860s 1920s Roman Catholics Greek Orthodox RussAian Jews southern and eastern Europeans Number of young single males primarily unskilled Catholic and Jewish immigrants Settled almost exclusively in the nation s largest cities By the 1900 s 70 of the new immigrants were not european o Old British Irish Germans and Scandinavians during the 1820s 1850s predominantly Protestants northern western and central Europeans Spoke mostly English or German White Arrived in the U S as families and settled on farms in the rural countryside B What were their motivations for coming to America Push factors included Land Consolidation Commercial Farming which had a numerous amount of jobs Industrialization in the immigrant s home country which created high rises that could hold many people and to avoid poverty and Religious and Political persecution in their native countries Pull Factors included a better life a higher standard of living higher wages and better opportunity to succeed This was often a temporary migration Jobs and freedom C What conditions did they encounter The sudden and steady influx of millions of people to cities unprepared to accommodate their needs resulted in the rapid growth of a new world the overcrowded urban slum plagued by unemployment poverty disease and crime Growth of the tenement which used to be a reasonable solution to increased demand for cheap housing but became a crisis due to greedy landlords and the explosion of immigration Landlords did not care about safety or comfort only raking in as much rent as possible 1 How does Riis describe the living conditions in NYC He describes it as a pigsty It was not fit for Christian men and women let alone innocent children to live in and therefore it had to go The tenements breed evil Unsanitary overcrowded root of all evil ie crime immorality asylums and workhouses Breeding ground for disease ie cholera epidemic 2 What solutions does Riis propose Riis feared the mob and the idea of revolution Believed in social reform and active Christian charity Social Gospel D What were Nativist concerns about New Immigrants That they would ruin superior Anglo Saxon race blood They would steal jobs and introduce increased crime and poverty to the cities Anti catholic movement also came along with the nativist movement 1 Why did they seek to restrict immigration I think that all of the other answers kinda answer this one The restriction on immigration sparks from the disease and the over crowdedness of the tenement district The cities were growing too rapidly and the gov t was looking for a way to slow it down and slow down the growth of crime and disease in the city There was also an issue with unemployment and poverty that was trying to be controlled 2 Describe important federal immigration legislation 1882 Chinese Exclusion Act completely barred any Chinese immigrants 1907 Gentlemen s Agreement Japan and US agreed to regulate number and type of Japanese immigrants coming into the United States II Urbanization and Industrialization A What were the problems associated with urban slums How did the philosophy of laissez faire contribute to slum problems There were several problems associated with the urban slums The first and foremost were the tenement housing that millions of Americans were forced to live in This housing crammed as many people as possible into tiny living spaces which were almost always overcrowded The houses were built tight next to each other so that no natural lighting could reach most of the people s living spaces Also there was no air flow so the interior of the housing units would become unbearably hot moist and stinky The water was dirty because there was no regulatory government agency to provide fresh clean water The sewage was often not treated correctly or not treated at all raising diseases within the populations These all come from laissez faire because the government kept their hands off and allowed businesses to determine housing and conditions There was no oversight to ensure that people s rights weren t being trampled by profits of a company or landlord B How was technology seen as a solution to urban problems Technology was seen as a solution to these problems because most of them were a result of inefficient technology to keep cost down The technological solutions came in the form of paved streets regulated garbage removal a waterworks system to keep water clean sewage treatment and disposal plants making electricity more available to everyone and the creation of a professional police force C What was the urban political machine How did it operate What was patronage politics Was it effective as an interim solution to urban problems The urban political machine was a system setup where the Boss of the machine had all of the real power in the city He was normally a democrat and the head of the party He was not in a formally elected position but still controlled the city It was very corrupt It operated because if someone or something wanted something done they would go to the boss and ask them normally having to give something money in return and he would make sure it gets done This is the patronage politics where the boss would give the jobs that needed to be done to companies in which he had a stake or his friends did This company would then overcharge the city for the job and the political machine would pocket the extra cash It is an act of giving out jobs offices and favors to those who support you or are friendly with you It was effective in the short term because it actually got things done and improved the lives of many people in the cities However it was very corrupt and would not last in the long term because of the laws that they broke D What forms did corruption take during those times and why was the public willing to put up with them to the degree that it did Corruption took the form of political bosses Corruption was in every head of political parties heads of companies and other politicians People were willing to put up with it because these people were actually making progress in fixing the urban slum problems and improving the living conditions of many There was no involved government to get things done or to oversee the political machines so people just accepted the corruption as long as they actually helped the city E Who were the robber barons and how
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