1920s

The Great Migration Low wages, unemployment, disease, forced military conscription, and religious persecution all inspired immigrants to flee their homelands and come to the United States. These immigrants were inspired to come to America by its reputation as the "Land Of Liberty" and also by the inspiring letters of friends and relatives already in the United States. These "New Immigrants" fleeing poverty and persecution faced difficulties in assimilating into American culture that they were not. Most could not speak English, nor were they literate in their own language. They came from non-democratic governments and were often distrustful of government, and ended up in a a similar situation in America with political machines, and thief’s. Immigrants during this period crammed into cities in the Northeast, and created small ethnic communities where they preserved the culture of their homelands. With many fleeing Americans, there could have been a worse time to migrate, due to harsh working and living conditions, and new immigration restriction laws, the many negatives outweigh the positives for the new immigrants.
The New Immigrants during the 1880-1920 period typically settled in the cities along the eastern seaboard and entered low-paying, wage-labor jobs, which meant they filled the growing factories and also worked at other poorly-paid jobs such as construction work or sewing. Because the living conditions were at a all-time low, they could be compared to how the living conditions were before moving to America. These immigrants often arrived with little money which caused many into substandard housing in the worst parts of the overcrowded cities. With their populations rising exponentially, the infrastructure of the cities could not handle the effects of overcrowding which meant horrible condition for the new citizens. Many cities had problems with sanitation, leading to overflowing sewers, uncollected garbage, impure water, and a general stench in the air. Adding onto the soaring populations and overcrowding, crime rates rose. These negative conditions show that examples show that living situation for these new immigrants could have not been worse. All though some may say, immigrants maintained their culture by publishing newspapers in their native languages, opening specialty grocery stores and restaurants, and establishing churches, synagogues, and schools. But these communities could not protect immigrants from discrimination inflicted by native-born Americans.
Not only were the living situations unsuitable for these new immigrants, American government was trying to put a plug in overseas immigration. The Immigration Act of 1924 was a continuation of the Immigration Act of 1917 and attempted to fix loopholes in immigration restriction established by the earlier law. In the decades prior to 1917, what was effectively unlimited immigration resulted in nearly ten million people legally entering the United States. Many of these people came from Eastern Europe and Russia. Because of these new laws, the effect was to severely alter the demographics of those permitted to enter the country. Also in the early to mid-nineteenth century, unskilled workers from China migrated to California and the western states seeking work. Unlike European immigrants who came in family groups, this immigration was primarily by males seeking work. In the turn of the century the Chinese Exclusion Act prohibited the immigration of Chinese laborers into the United States for ten years, and further immigration legislation continued the ban until later in the century.
The reasons these new immigrants made the journey to America differed little from those of their predecessors. Escaping religious, racial, and political persecution, or seeking relief from a lack of economic opportunity or famine still pushed many immigrants out of their homelands. Although seeking to America for better opportunities, the negatives outweigh the positives for these for these new immigrants.
The Great Migration Low wages, unemployment, disease, forced military conscription, and religious persecution all inspired immigrants to flee their homelands and come to the United States. These immigrants were inspired to come to America by its reputation as the "Land Of Liberty" and also by the inspiring letters of friends and relatives already in the United States. These "New Immigrants" fleeing poverty and persecution faced difficulties in assimilating into American culture that they were not. Most could not speak English, nor were they literate in their own language. They came from non-democratic governments and were often distrustful of government, and ended up in a a similar situation in America with political machines, and thief’s. Immigrants during this period crammed into cities in the Northeast, and created small ethnic communities where they preserved the culture of their homelands. With many fleeing Americans, there could have been a worse time to migrate, due to harsh working and living conditions, and new immigration restriction laws, the many negatives outweigh the positives for the new immigrants.
The New Immigrants during the 1880-1920 period typically settled in the cities along the eastern seaboard and entered low-paying, wage-labor jobs, which meant they filled the growing factories and also worked at other poorly-paid jobs such as construction work or sewing. Because the living conditions were at a all-time low, they could be compared to how the living conditions were before moving to America. These immigrants often arrived with little money which caused many into substandard housing in the worst parts of the overcrowded cities. With their populations rising exponentially, the infrastructure of the cities could not handle the effects of overcrowding which meant horrible condition for the new citizens. Many cities had problems with sanitation, leading to overflowing sewers, uncollected garbage, impure water, and a general stench in the air. Adding onto the soaring populations and overcrowding, crime rates rose. These negative conditions show that examples show that living situation for these new immigrants could have not been worse. All though some may say, immigrants maintained their culture by publishing newspapers in their native languages, opening specialty grocery stores and restaurants, and establishing churches, synagogues, and schools. But these communities could not protect immigrants from discrimination inflicted by native-born Americans.
Not only were the living situations unsuitable for these new immigrants, American government was trying to put a plug in overseas immigration. The Immigration Act of 1924 was a continuation of the Immigration Act of 1917 and attempted to fix loopholes in immigration restriction established by the earlier law. In the decades prior to 1917, what was effectively unlimited immigration resulted in nearly ten million people legally entering the United States. Many of these people came from Eastern Europe and Russia. Because of these new laws, the effect was to severely alter the demographics of those permitted to enter the country. Also in the early to mid-nineteenth century, unskilled workers from China migrated to California and the western states seeking work. Unlike European immigrants who came in family groups, this immigration was primarily by males seeking work. In the turn of the century the Chinese Exclusion Act prohibited the immigration of Chinese laborers into the United States for ten years, and further immigration legislation continued the ban until later in the century.
The reasons these new immigrants made the journey to America differed little from those of their predecessors. Escaping religious, racial, and political persecution, or seeking relief from a lack of economic opportunity or famine still pushed many immigrants out of their homelands. Although seeking to America for better opportunities, the negatives outweigh the positives for these for these new immigrants.

Notes
New Imigrants
-came to big citys for jobs
-they wanted to feel like them old selves

The assembly line
-made jobs easier

Herman Melville-
Talked about all the different types of forgine food in america

Metaphores- melting pot - Salad bow - Rainbow - Only that works is "loom" -creates synergy
Cultural pluralism- some point where there is to many immigrants

Alexis de Tocqueville- self-reliance had a tendency left everyone alone

How but in custom and In ceremony are innocence's and beauty born

Tomas wheeler- without tradition material is inevitable
-immigrants brought more then America let them keep. And what they could keep was insucifent and impossible for therir sons. What America substituted was thin to compared to what was lost.

Amadeo Giannini- son of immigrant, greatest banking innovator of modern times. He catered to the little people who didn’t have much moneySabato Simon Rodia- had no education, moved to southern california
He bagan to conscturt one of 3 massive towers
Towers were steal rods with chicken wire, payed kids with pennys
At age 81, he quit and moved to northen california
Historical monument

Baldassare Forestier
-moeved to fresno california
-dug for 31 years

Many made many bad reputation for italians
-mafia
-Al Capon
-half amillion in New York

One good- "La Dolce Vita"
Good music, life, food, holidays,

Polical Party No Nothings
New immigration laws
-litercay test reqiurment for voting
-3% of each ethnic group
Then down to 2%
KKK came back
-elimnated all asian immigration
-1965- new liberalzing to flew comunisum, and relatives

Goldin- impact on new immigrants, new wages kept immigrants down
-Borjas-wages of immigrants werent right

They didn’t know much about democracy

Postive and negatives

Negatives- crime, prostitution, diseases, short run/ long run
Postive- culture, immagrants, religious diversity
-cheaper goods for consumers