Second Wave Immigration

1. Second Wave
Immigration
MAST HS
US HIS – Period 4
Ms. Richardson

2. Background
• Industrial growth led to a demand for cheap
immigrant labor.
• The US followed a policy of open immigration
to ensure that there would be workers for the
factories.

3. The First Wave of Immigrants
1820-1860
–Came from western and northern
Europe and Ireland (Germany,
Britain, )
–Protestant, assimilated, similar
culture,

4. Second Wave of Immigration
1860-1920 “New Immigrants”
• Came from Ireland, China, southern & eastern
Europe (Italy,
• “New Immigrants”
– Culturally different from most earlier immigrants
(Orthodox, Jewish, Roman Catholic)
– Lived in urban areas and most held low paying
jobs

5. Rise of Cities
• Between 1830-1860 urban population
of the US grew by 552% from 1.1 mil to
6.2 million
• Cities grow because of:
Immigration
Rural to urban migration

8. Why did immigrants come to America?
Push Factors
Factors that pushed immigrants out of their
native lands to America:
• Poverty
• Lack of economic opportunity
• No freedom
• No jobs
• Religious persecution
• Famine/ starvation/drought

9. Why did immigrants come to America?
Pull Factors
Factors that pulled immigrants out of
their native lands to America:
• Jobs
• Land
• A future of land ownership
• Peace and stability
• Freedom to make a better life

12. How did/do people react to
immigrants coming to America?
• When the Irish came in the 1840’s the established
groups of British and Germans did not like the new
Irish.
• Irish were different:
• Language- Irish
• Roman Catholic
• Culturally different
They were looked down upon and discriminated against.
-- Were poor and slums developed in cities; people
blamed the Irish for crime, disease, prostitution,
alcohol abuse, etc.

13. How did/do people react to
immigrants coming to America?
• Xenophobia- a fear of
immigrants (anti-foreigner
attitudes)
• Nativism- The belief that native-
born Americans are superior to
newcomers

14. Chinese Exclusion Act 1882
Prohibits Chinese
immigration (in one year,
Chinese immigration
drops from 40,000 to 23).