1920s America, also known as the “Roaring Twenties” was a time of significant change in American society, and mass immigration was no exception. This immigration, however, was nothing like the “old immigration” that the great nation had seen in the past. 1920s immigrants came mainly for religious freedom and economic opportunities, unlike "old immigrants" that came solely for economic opportunities. The flurry of “new immigrants” that the decade saw came with gifts of new, and to some, strange customs and traditions such as; different foods, religions, ideologies, and more. The seemingly new profound migration of men and women that the 1920s observed would result in vibrant cultures that exceeded the once dull nation. While immigrants of the …show more content…
1). “New immigrants” were ridiculed and criticized by native-born Americans, as they believed that newly arrived immigrants were making little to no attempts to fit into American society. Fuel would only be added to the fire as many immigrants at the time were not willing to become citizens of the United States, with a study showing that “28 percent of Poles and Italians and 16 percent of Greeks and Portuguese [having] obtained American citizenship.” (Barkan, par. 5). This hesitation in becoming a citizen may have been brought on by the prejudice and hostility that immigrants had to deal with. The undeserving resentment that immigrants were dealt with made it challenging for them to feel a feeling of belonging in their new country. To add, in contrast to their native peers, immigrants in the 1920s faced “encountering formidable legal barriers, discrimination, and, often, violent rejection.” (Barkan, par. 1). These violent attacks that plagued immigrants were a result of derogatory stereotypes made to degrade newly arriving outsiders to American society. Americans made sure to let immigrants of the 1920s know they did not see them as their equals through …show more content…
These immigrants often sacrificed and worked hard for themselves and their families to stay in the United States. Many Americans who stationed themselves in crowded cities like Philadelphia and New York could only afford tenements that proved to be “dangerous and unsanitary.” (Thakrar, par. 6). These tenements were packed with multiple families, they were dirty and filled with all sorts of diseases, nevertheless; these immigrant families felt this nightmarish housing was a small price to pay for new opportunities. The atrocious living conditions were far from all that was in the path of newly migrated foreigners, as being uneducated and unskilled, immigrants at this time took jobs as common laborers. Immigrants of the 1920s took jobs in “mines, meatpackinghouses, foundries, or on the railroads.” (Thakrar, par. 6). Just like their housing, these working environments were unsanitary and dangerous. To add, hard-working immigrants also worked long hours with little to no pay or breaks. These tough immigrants did not let anything step in the way of providing for their families, as hard-working conditions and disgusting living conditions were unable to. Latino immigrants were no exception to this tough immigrant life, as they became the kings and queens of the immigrant workforce. During the "Roaring Twenties" “the Mexican
Many people who worked in these factories were immigrant women who were willing to work for next to nothing and did not know how to fight the unfair treatment they received. “Roughly two million Eastern European Jewish immigrants entered the United States between 1881 and the end of WW1. One of the largest and most influential migrations in history (Drehle10).” “Eighteen thousand immigrants per month poured into New York City alone and there were no public agencies to help them (Drehle 12).” Immigrants faced extreme poverty.
Jason Richwine discusses the Latino’s absorption and integration into the American culture. He compares the Latino immigrants with other countries’ immigrants that has rose out of poverty, while the Hispanics have not been rising up out of the lower class after several generations have passed. Richwine mentions that American prejudice might be influencing the Hispanic immigrants not striving. For example, “popular explanations from the left include the
Although relatives were in the United States and earning money that did not mean that everything on “the other side” was going well, many family members were earning money, yet they were not sending/earning enough to provide for those who had stayed behind in Mexico. In order to have a better life children began to work and push themselves as much as needed in order to prove to others that they were exemplary and without equal. Many children entered the United States with hopes to find their relatives and work; however, the children were soon “captured” by the Works Progress Administration and “the organization argued that much more should be done to place these children in agricultural labor camps because they had demonstrated a remarkable ability to exceed employer expectations without making any demands” (189). The decision made by the Works Progress Administration had a negative effect, many children started to get exploited by middle-class individuals, children had to work without complaining but most importantly they were seen as “cheerful and illegal” (190). Children were seen as cheerful when in reality they were having a hard time coping with the situation; however, the children portrayed cheerfulness in order to seem exceptional while
The period between 1877 and 1920 marked a significant chapter in American history, characterized by a massive wave of immigration. This transformative era witnessed both notable changes and enduring continuities that shaped the United States. Exploring this topic as a college student, we delve into the historical events of this period and analyze the dynamics of immigration during this time frame. By examining what changed and what remained the same between 1877 and 1920, we gain valuable insights into the societal and cultural shifts that occurred. Changes in Immigration (1877-1920): One of the most prominent changes during this period was the shift in the countries of origin for incoming immigrants.
As America had progressed as a nation, more and more people wanted to come to the states in pursuit of freedom and liberty. But early Americans were not happy about this, and more racial injustice occured because of immigration. In 1903, the Judge Magazine, published a political cartoon showing Uncle Sam shielding “American Ideas and Institutions” from “Riff raff immigration”. There is a distinct separation between Uncle Sam
Prompt: To what extent, if any, did immigration to the United States in the late 1800s and early 1900's change American economics, politics, and society? The newcomers helped transform American society and culture, demonstrating that diversity, as well as unity, is a source of national strength. When the immigrants have arrived in America they were treated differently. Not only to immigrants who have come to America but also slaves that were already in America or were being shipped from one place another that might have been out of the United States.
Overall, the American attitude towards immigrants was extremely harsh and judgmental, this affected their societal conditions through, terrible working conditions, bad living conditions, and restricting their rights. During the industrialization of America most immigrants had jobs in factories. These factories often had horrible working conditions, bad pay, and long hours. Most American’s didn’t bat an eye at these conditions because of their deep-rooted
The events that occurred in response to the Red Scare not only reveals that the government was willing to discriminate against non-native and non-democratic Americans as a form of protection, but shows that many natural-born Americans still believe in “America for Americans” from the 1800’s, causing nativism to return. In fact, immigration was now limited more than ever, especially since the need for unskilled labors greatly decreased due to the effects of World War I. In addition to all these various anti-immigrant feelings arising within society, the very first quota system was established and enforced by the government. The goal of this was to put a maximum number of people who could travel to America from every specific country, especially
This is significant on the basis that the cultural changes that characterized the 1920s were largely based in changing population demographics. With an influx of immigrants from other countries as well, there were restrictions and quotas established pertaining to immigration. Mexicans were not directly impacted by these quotas, but there were barriers existent for Mexican immigrants. While one may inherently believe that the exclusion from these restrictions were created with the intent of providing opportunities for Mexicans, this is not reflective of the economic policy of the 1920s. While farmers across California began to acknowledge the contributions of Mexican labor “…the perceptions of Mexicans as temporary migrants and docile laborers contributed to the fact that they were never included in the quotas”(The John W. Kluge Center at the Library of Congress).
The 1920s heralded an era of anti-immigration on a scale never before seen in the nation’s history. In reaction to increasing nativism and the influx of refugees from World War I, Congress passed the 1921 Emergency Quota Act, which “reduced European immigration to three percent of the foreign-born population.” Then, with the Johnson-Reed Act in 1924, Congress “imposed a numerical limit of 155,000 admissions per year…compared to an average of one million a year before the war.” Moreover, while Mexican immigration was not formally restricted, border enforcement regularly apprehended and deported those they deemed the “illegal aliens” from a “mongrel race,” while engaging in racial profiling and detaining and interrogating thousands more. The 1920s represented a significant departure from the relatively more open immigration policies of the nation’s past, introducing unprecedented levels of immigration restriction, racial profiling, and discrimination against those viewed as inferior or dangerous races.
In conclusion, Handlin’s work provides and argument communicating the hardships immigrants during the Second Industrial Revolution experienced. His points are supported by the misfortune of the Triangle Shirtwaist fire and the treatments of the company’s laborers. These issues challenged their ideas, beliefs, and cultures. However, the immigrants endured in the face of
ENG 122: 5-2 First Draft of the Critical Analysis Essay In the article “Eat Turkey, Become American,” Marie Myung-Ok Lee uses her family memories of Thanksgiving to share with her readers, with personal details and historical data, her family's migratory trajectory to the United States, and their experience living in a small town in Minnesota. The author also discusses the country's immigration system and how their Korean background affected her parents' process of obtaining citizenship. And how, despite a part of the city's population being racist and xenophobic, a group of people from the community where they lived joined forces to save a doctor from being deported. The article's main claim to illustrate the difficulties of immigration in a family is persuasive because it explores how children perceive a foreign culture, highlights the problems with the immigration system and xenophobia in the nation, and suggests ways the community can work together to help other immigrants who are experiencing a similar situation.
In the early 19th century, millions of immigrants from Europe had traveled to the United States to escape difficulties faced in their native lands such as poverty and religious persecution. Italian, German, Irish, and many other eastern European immigrants sought the prosperous and wealthy lifestyle advertised in the land of opportunity, the United States. However, after settling down they often faced the difficulties they had fled from as well as sentiments of prejudice and mistrust from the American people. Most immigrants were discriminated against due to their religious beliefs as well as their language barriers which fostered the beliefs that they were intellectually inferior to Americans.
This action consisted of whites promoting nativist ideas towards those of other ethnicities and trying to prove their inferiority. Some white Americans even tried to organize political parties such as the Know Nothing Party to staunchly resist certain immigrants being admitted into the U.S. Not only was it individuals promoting such ideas, but the Federal government helped ban immigration from certain countries and or limit it. This in contrast with what immigrants experienced in the 1920s was almost nothing as in the 1920s the KKK is reborn and the number of lynching’s increases. However, the violence expressed toward immigrants in America was not even considered wrong at either point in
For centuries, millions of people have immigrated to the United States of America. America is a colonized country, therefore, unless one is a Native American, all people in America have had ancestors who have immigrated to America in the past few centuries. Most of these immigrants faced challenges on their road to the better life that they thought America would provide for them. The Germans, Irish, Japanese and the Chinese immigrants have all faced challenges in America. Some questions arose about whether one could keep the culture of their past country and still given American opportunities.