Immigraton: The Search for New Life

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Immigration- the seek for a new life
Throughout a hundred year time difference, the concept of immigration has changed, not only in the approach, but also the aftermath and how the immigrant continues with his or her life afterwards. Immigration from 1870 to 1900 helped to double the foreign-born population of the US, quickly adopting new cultures to the pre-existing ones. With the rapid increase of immigration underway, Americans living there became fearful of the newcomers destroying not only their American culture, but also their politics, and the economy. Even though both waves of immigrants migrating to America came for about the same reasons, the experience they got out of it was much different.
Ellis Island, which opened in 1892, and Angel Island, which opened in 1910, provided a new, improved life where they would be given new opportunities for themselves and their families. The experience that immigrants had to endure was horrendous. Once immigrants arrived from being packed into steamboats with sometimes only one suitcase from their previous life, they arrived into the immigration ports. In order for an immigrant to even step foot into the immigration processing building, they had to be healthy and also show that they had money, a skill, and a sponsor (able to provide for them). Only the third class or steerage had to go through Ellis Island. About 2 percent of immigrants coming to America did not pass through. Immigrants immigrating to the West through the Pacific Ocean came through Angel Island. Most immigrants arriving there were Chinese or from some other Asian descent. Angel Island was known for “filtering out” Chinese immigrants, and only those who could prove that they had family there or were actual American ci...

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...ists tried to convince people that immigrants were bad. They convinced natives that these immigrants were taking their jobs, and were against their religion. This along with hostility towards the Chinese laborers led to the passing of the Chinese Exclusion Act in 1882. This act basically limited the freedom of the Chinese people. It prohibited immigration by Chinese laborers, limited the rights of the Chinese already in America, and forbade the naturalization of Chinese residents. Many Chinese people were treated to persecution and unfair, unjust treatment. Most Chinese people didn’t even consider visiting their families in their homeland, due to the fear that they wouldn’t be accepted back in America. However, in 1898 a court case was established that declared that Chinese people born in the United States were citizens, and could go and return without hesitation.

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