Immigration Waves: America's Cultural Mosaic

IMMIGRATION TO THE UNITED STATES

Millions of new immigrants came to the United States during the last three decades of the nineteenth century and the first decade of the twentieth century. In contrast to the earlier American settlers who were mostly from British, Irish or German backgrounds, the new immigrants came from the nations of southern and western Europe such as Italy, Russia, Poland and Greece. Most of these immigrants were attracted to America because they were trying to escape from the problems they faced in their home countries. For example, many Russian Jews came to America in order to escape violent persecution on the part of the Russian government (Cox 32). These new immigrants were attracted to the freedoms offered by

The new immigrants from southern and eastern Europe experienced a great deal of prejudice simply because they were different. The earlier settlers also felt resentment because they thought that the new immigrants were taking away all of the jobs. There were also fears that the poverty of the new immigrants would cause most of them to turn to crime. Many people at the time argued that the new immigrants “threatened to overwhelm American culture” (Anderson

Ross felt that the immigrants would never truly fit into American society and that they would always cause problems such as alcoholism, crime, and poverty. Because of the beliefs, many American citizens discriminated against the new immigrants, often in violent ways. In addition, many Americans wanted the government to restrict the number of new immigrants allowed into the country. One group calling for restrictions was known as the “Nativists” because they felt “that native born people should be given first consideration for jobs” (Anderson 19). Another group was called the “Know Nothing Party” because its members were sworn to secrecy. Because of pressure from these groups, the U. S. government passed several laws to limit immigration. For example, the Chinese Exclusion Act was passed in 1882. Other laws were passed that prohibited “undesirables” from entering the country. These “undesirables” included not only people with criminal records, but also people who were mentally ill or illiterate. In the 1920s, the U. S. government passed a series of “quota” laws that not only limited the number of new immigrants allowed into the country, but also showed favoritism toward immigrants from north and west