A Nation of Immigrants

1
A Nation of Immigrants
2
U.S. Population by Race, 2007
3
Question

• Four hundred years ago, the only people in
  America were indigenous native Americans.
• How did all those white people, Asians, etc. get
  there?

The answer is They, or their ancestors,
immigrated from somewhere else.
4
Vocabulary

• Emigrant one who leaves a country to live in
  another country permanently.
• Immigrant one who enters a country to live
  there permanently
• Example my ancestor emigrated from Germany, and
  immigrated to America.

5
America is a Nation of Immigrants or Descendants
of Immigrants

• From early 1600s to the present, 42 million
  immigrants entered the U.S.
• Largest mass migration in recorded history
• They came mostly from Europe, but also from Asia
  and Mexico, as well as other places

6
Why did People Come to America?

• Famines, war, persecution, lack of jobs, etc. in
  their home countries
• Availability of land in America to start a new
  life
• Seeking employment and other opportunities

7
First Immigration Wave after U.S. was Formed

• 1815 1860
• Five million people entered the U.S.
• Came mostly from northern Europe and Great
  Britain
• Crop failures in Europe
• Irish Potato Famine
• Overpopulation in Norway

8
Second Immigration Wave

• 1880-1917
• 9 million people immigrated
• Came largely from Eastern Europe and Asia.
  Mexican revolution in 1910 caused thousands to
  come, seeking jobs.

9
Where Did They Disembark?

• Most Europeans landed in New York City
• Castle Garden, on the southern tip of Manhattan,
  was the processing point from 1855 to 1892
• Ellis Island was the processing point from 1892
  to 1954

10
Ellis Island

• The place where immigrants were brought in New
  York to get permission to enter and live in the
  U.S.
• It was opened in 1892 and closed in 1954.
• During this time, 12 million immigrants passed
  through Ellis Island.

11
Ellis Island
12
The main hall of Ellis Island
13
Statue of Liberty
14
Statue of Liberty

• A gift from France, constructed in 1886. Ships
  carrying immigrants passed by it on the way to
  the dock.
• One immigrant wrote about his arrival in America,
  My mother rushed us to the window (of our ship)
  to see this magic statue standing there. Now we
  were going to heaven.

15
Give me your tired, your poor, Your huddled
masses yearning to breathe free The wretched
refuse of your teeming shore. Send these, the
homeless, tempest-tossed to me. I lift my lamp
beside the golden door. --From a poem inscribed
on the base of the Statue of Liberty
16
Attempts to Control Immigration

• 1819 federal requirement for passenger lists
• 1875 first limits on immigration. Residency
  permits required of Asians.
• 1891 Health qualifications for immigrants
  established. Bureau of Immigration created.
• 1921 First annual quotas according to
  nationality
• 1924 Border Patrol created
• 1940 Alien Registration Act requiring
  registration and fingerprinting of all aliens

17
Present Concerns

• Illegal immigration from Mexico and other Latin
  America countries
• Smuggling of drugs across the border

18
Where the Chinese live in the U.S.
19
Chinese population of larger U.S. cities
20
Chinese immigration to U.S.

• First period, 1849-1882
• About 100,000 immigrated
• Mostly young males from rural villages to work in
  the west.
• Started by the California gold rush in 1848
• Second period, 1882-1965
• Chinese Exclusion Act restricted immigration to
  the U.S.
• Chinese population dropped to 62,000 in 1920
• Chinese Exclusion Act repealed in 1943
• Third period, 1965-present
• Civil Rights Act of 1964 eased restrictions on
  Chinese

21
Discussion

• What is the population makeup of China?
• What are some of the minority groups
• In which provinces do the minority groups live?
• Other things I should learn to help me understand
  China better
• Be prepared to give a short report to the class