Immigration

Read Chapter 15-1: The New Immigrants, pgs. 460-465.

1. Describe the causes of the immigration of Southern and Eastern Europeans, Chinese, Koreans, and Japanese to America in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

Some immigrants came to America to get escape famine, land shortages, and religious and political persecution.  Some came to earn money and then go back to their homeland.  Most Europeans came to get away from religious persecution.  There weren't many jobs in Europe, and so they came to America where there were more opportunities.  Many Chinese and Japanese people came to America because they were interested in gold.

2. Describe the journey immigrants endured and their experiences at United States immigration stations.

Most immigrants traveled in steamship, which had bad conditions.  They were piled together and couldn't get exercise or even fresh air.  Because of the close quarters between the passengers and the poor hygiene, there were diseases and some passengers died before reaching America.

All of the immigrants had to pass many inspections before being allowed to enter the United States.  

At Ellis Island in New York: First they were examined by a doctor.  If they had a serious health condition, they were not allowed in.  Then the immigrants were inspected by a government inspector who examined their documents.  The immigrants had to prove they had never been been convicted of a felony,  prove they were able to work, and have at least a small amount of money.

At Angel Island in San Fransisco: Immigrants were harshly questioned and detained in horrible conditions for long periods of time before they were accepted or rejected into America.

Big Business and Labor Quiz

The ideologies of Laissez Faire and Social darwinism had a negative effect on laborers.  Laissez Faire is an ideology that means "to leave alone."  This means that the market just happens, the government can't interfere.  Social Darwinism is based on Charles Darwin's theory of evolution.  Under this ideology, natural selection happened in business, with the Rich versus the Poor.  Eventually the poor, weak workers perish and the rich upper class survive and spread.  Laborers didn't agree with these ideologies because they believed they were just as good as the upper class.  Workers went on strikes to convey their unhappiness.  One specific incident was the Pullman Strike, where workers were unhappy with their pay cuts.  They weren't being payed enough for how many hours they were working, and could barely afford the rent of their apartments and the cost of everyday needs.

Labor Unions & Big Business

the Knights of Labor

a. Identification-founded by Philadelphia garment cutters in 1860, opened to other workers in the 1870s.  Terence V. Powderly was elected grand master.

b. Significance-These laborers formed a Union because they were unhappy with their working conditions.  Unlike other unions, the Knights welcomed women, African-Americans, immigrants and unskilled and semiskilled workers.  Powderly said the goal of the Knights was to “eventually make every man his own master- every man his own employer.”  Technological changes were preventing this from happening.  Most Knights opposed striking because strikes took away attention from the larger goal and workers usually lost them.  On the other hand, some Knights did support aggressive action.  Eventually the ones who did support violence broke away, thinking they could achieve more on their own.  The membership of the Knights lowered significantly, and their goal of labor unity disappeared.  

the Haymarket riot

a. Identification-On May 4, 1886 in Haymarket Square, near downtown Chicago, labor groups joined and protested police violence.  A bomb went off, killing seven and injuring sixty-seven.

b. Significance-Radicals protested police violence because they thought that it was unnecessary and brutal.  The day before, the police had killed two unionists and wounded several others.  Eight of the people who had protested were tried and convicted of the bombing.  Four were executed; one committed suicide; and the governor of Illinois pardoned the remaining three.  This riot drew attention to the unhappiness of laborers and brought back the fear of radicalism in the middle class.  There was a sense of crisis and police forces and armories throughout the country were strengthened.  Employer associations tried to prevent labor aggressiveness by agreeing to resist strikes and by purchasing strike insurance.

the American Federation of Labor (AFL)

a. Identification-The major workers’ organization in 1886, led by Samuel Gompers.  It was an alliance of national craft unions and most of the members were native-born workers.  

b. Significance-Unlike other associations, they had no ultimate goals and just wanted immediate results that would be seen within a few years.  They accepted industrialism and wanted to improve conditions within the wage and hours system, instead of changing everything completely.  

Samuel Gompers

a. Identification-Led the American Federation of Labor, headed the Cigar Makers’ Union.

b. Significance-He was an important leader when laborers needed one.  He helped earn recognition for workers.

the Homestead strike

a. Identification-In July 1892 the Amalgamated Association of Iron and Steelworkers weren’t happy with pay cuts and went on strike in Homestead, PA.  The president of the Carnegie Steel Company, Henry C. Frick, shut down the plant and hired three hundred guards.  On their way there, the guards were attacked by workers.  It took five months for the workers to give in to the pay cuts.

b. Significance-Public opinion turned against strikes because a young anarchist tried to kill Henry C. Frick.

the Pullman strike

a. Identification-George Pullman owned a town of the workers at the Pullman Palace Car Company.  He owned everything in the town, and there were many rules for the residents in the town.  In 1893, when hard times were threatening his business, he cut wages 25 to 40 percent while keeping the rent and products in the town the same prices.  Workers were unhappy and called a strike.  

b. Significance-The cause of this was George Pullman was not willing to negotiate with the unhappy workers. When workers went on strike, Pullman closed the plant. Troops were sent to stop the strike, and within a month the strikers gave in.

Eugene V. Debs

a. Identification-The leader of the American Railway Union

b. Significance-He voted to help the strikers involved in the Pullman Strike, by refusing to handle Pullman cars.  He was jailed because he was “obstructing the railways and holding up the mails.”  He was kept in prison for six months because the government had the power to “remove obstacles to interstate commerce.”

the Industrial Workers of the World (IWW)

a. Identification-A labor organization established in 1905 by Colorado miners.

b. Significance-Unlike the AFL, the IWW wanted to unify all laborers, skilled and unskilled.  Its motto was “One Big Union.”  The IWW supported socialism and acts of violence.  They believed that workers should take over and run the nations’ industries.  The IWW collapsed during the First World War when many of its leaders were sent to jail.

14.3 Names

Andrew Carnegie-example of the American success story, went from poor to rich, owned Carnegie Steel Company which manufactured steel

Social Darwinism-from Charles Darwin's theory about natural selection, survival of the fittest, money is a sign of God's favor, the government shouldn't interfere with business

John D. Rockefeller-established Standard Oil Company, used trust to gain control of the country's oil industry, payed employees low wages and sold oil at lower prices than it could be made, which drove competitors out of business.  Once he controlled the market, he made oil cost more.  Was called a "robber baron."  Established the Rockefeller Foundation which provided college funds.

Sherman Antitrust Act-made it illegal to form a trust interfering with free trade between states and other countries, wasn't easily enforced, the government gave up and it continued

Samuel Gompers-led the Cigar Makers Union to join with other craft unions in 1886, president of AFL

American Federation of Labor (AFL)-used negotiation between reps and labor-management to reach written agreements on wages, hours and work conditions

Eugene V. Debs-formed the American Railway Union (ARU), was not very successful

Industrial Workers of the World (IWW)-"Wobblies," led by WIlliam "Big Bill" Haywood, included minors, lumberers, cannery and dockworkers, welcomed African-Americans (unlike the ARU)

Mary Harris Jones-organized the United Mine Workers of America (UMW), fought for equal pay and and end to child labor

Railroad Development

The federal government gave land and made loans to the railroad companies. Why was the government so eager to promote the growth of railroads?

The Government was eager to promote the growth of the railroads because they were very important in settling the west and developing the country.  The transcontinental railroad (which spanned across the U.S.), was completed in 1869 and was very helpful in settling the west.  Many immigrants were hired to work on the railroad because they were willing to work for a very small amount of money.  Even though they worked under horrible conditions, they didn't have any better opportunities.  The railroads helped develop the west by assisting in making towns, markets and created many opportunities.

Expansion of Industry

What were the three major factors that contributed to the immense technological boom that took place in the United States after the Civil War? Explain how two of these factors helped to bring about this technological boom.

One major factor that contributed to the immense technological boom that took place in the U.S. after the Civil War was a wealth of natural resources.  There was an abundance of oil.  The Americans processed the oil into kerosene, and before the automobile industry, gasoline was thrown away.  Also, there were many coal and iron deposits in the U.S.  Removing carbon from iron results in steel, which was used for railroad tracks, barbed wire, farm machinery, buildings and bridges.

Another was that there was government support for business.

A third factor was that there was a growing urban population that provided cheap labor and markets for new products.  People thought that the mechanical aspect of labor was taking away human's values as laborers.  When markets became popular, laborers regained their value by working in the market.

Westward Expansion Questions

Westward Expansion Questions (13.1, 13.2)

September 9, 2009

1. What are some of the main reasons that the federal government's policy of assimilation failed? 

One reason that the federal government’s policy of assimilation failed is because the Native Americans were not willing to give up their history.  They didn’t want to change their traditions.  The government wanted them to start dressing, acting and speaking like Americans.  The whites saw the Native American’s as uncivilized and thought they needed to become civilized, which meant wear appropriate clothing, be a farmer, live in a house and own private property, along with many other things.The government split up the land from the reservations and gave it to individual Native Americans in the Dawes Act.  The government told the Indians that the money they earned from the sales of the extra land would go to them, but they didn’t give it to them.

2. How successful were government efforts to promote settlement of the Great Plains? Give examples to support your answer.

At first, government efforts to promote settlement of the Great Plains with the Homestead Act were not very successful.  Families that were supposed to be there settled only about 10 percent of the land; cattlemen and miners interfered.  Also, all of the plots of land didn’t have the same soil quality.  Then, the Homestead Act was strengthened and there was a rush of settlers to Oklahoma.  Railroads that were made across the country in the 1860’s helped settlers move west.  The settlers of the west started having trouble maintaining their large farms, so the Morrill Act (1862) and the Hatch Act (1887) were acts that created and funded agriculture colleges and experiment stations.