ThenineteenthcenturywasatimeofmassivepopulationgrowthfortheUnitedStates.

((ImmigrationtotheUnitedStates,18201860:
http://www.latinamericanstudies.org/ellisisland/immigration1820.jpg
))In1800,slightlyover
fivemillionpeoplecalledAmericahome.By1900,thatnumberskyrocketedtoseventyfive
million.AlargeportionofthisextraordinarygrowthcanbeattributedtoEuropeanimmigrants.
EuropeanshitAmericasshoresintwodifferentwaves:oldandnew.Oldimmigrants
werethosewhomigratedtotheUnitedStatesbetweenthe1820sand1870s.Itwasduring
thistimethatmanyBritons,Germans,andthoseofScandinaviandescentcrossedtheAtlantic
andlandedinAmerica.((
19thCenturyUSImmigrationStatistics
,
http://www.latinamericanstudies.org/immigrationstatistics.htm.Accessed2012August))
TheseimmigrantsweretypicallyEnglishspeaking,literate,ProtestantorJewishexceptfor
theIrishCatholicsandcouldblendfairlyeasilyintoAmericansociety.Newimmigrants,
however,didnotmergeintoAmericancultureaseasily.Instead,theyfacedavarietyof
strugglesthatwillbediscussedlateroninthearticle.

ForoldIrishimmigrants,Americawasthelandofopportunity.Especiallyinrural
communities,Irishimmigrantsweregenerallywelcomedandeasilyfoundwork.An1870s
bookbyanIrishCatholicpriestencouragedIrishimmigrationbyexplainingtoIrishimmigrants
theeaseofobtaininglandandtravelingintheUnitedStates:
FromChicagoandSt.LouistoNewYork,itnowtakeslessthantwodaysintimeandnot
morethantwentyfivedollarsinmoneyandfromSanFrancisco,thetripismadeinsixor
sevendays,atatotalexpenseofaboutonehundredandfiftydollars.Theinferenceisplain
thattheemigrantoftodayhasmanyadvantagesoverhispredecessorofsomeyearsback.
Buttheadvantagesherealludedtoaretriflingwhencomparedwiththeincreasedfacilitiesof
obtaininggoodandcheaplandineveryStateandTerritoryoftheUnion.((StephenByrne,
IrishEmigrationtotheUnitedStates:WhatItHasBeen,andWhatItIs
.NewYork:Catholic
PublicationSociety,1873:2124.))
GermanimmigrantsweresimilarlyencouragedtoimmigratetotheUnitedStates.Inhis
ReportonaJourneytotheWesternStatesofNorthAmerica
,PrussianlawyerGottfried
DudendetailedtheadvantagesoflifeinAmericaanddescribedhowAmericanlifeavoided
manyofthesocietalandpoliticalproblemsthatwerepresentinnineteenthcenturyGerman
society.DudenpreachedthatAmericawasabastionofcheapandavailableland,especially
inthewesternstatesandterritories.HeencouragedGermanstoescapethepoliticalchaos
andlimitedeconomicopportunitiesofGermanytostartanew,freerlifeontheAmerican
prairie.((
GottfriedonEducationandLanguageforImmigrants
,

http://www.teachushistory.org/nineteenthcenturyimmigration/resources/dudeneducation.
Accessed2012August))

ThenewwaveofimmigrantscametoAmericabetweenthe1870sandthe1920s.
((ImmigrationtotheUnitedStates,18701920:
http://www.latinamericanstudies.org/ellisisland/immigration18701920.jpg
))These
immigrantscameinlargenumbersfromsouthernandeasternEuropeancountriessuchas
Italy,Greece,Poland,andRussiaaswellasAsiannationslikeChina.((
19thCenturyUS
ImmigrationStatistics
))Newimmigrantsweretypicallypoorerandlesseducatedthanearlier
immigrants.Moreover,theseimmigrantswereverydifferentthanthetypicalAmerican
becausetheywereoverwhelminglyCatholicorGreekOrthodox,orJewish,andunfamiliar
withdemocraticgovernment.Theseculturaldifferencespreventedthenewwaveof
immigrantsfromfullyassimilatingintoAmericanculture.Instead,newimmigrantsoften
congregatedincloseknitcommunitiesthatconsistedonlyofmembersoftheirethnicity.

ThelargeinfluxofCatholicimmigrantsintotheUnitedStatesinthemidtolatenineteenth
centurydrasticallychangedtheperceptionofCatholicisminAmerica.Intheearly1800s,the
AmericanCatholicpopulationwasasmallsectofEnglishCatholicswhoweregenerallywell
educatedandwealthy.However,followingtheIrishpotatofamineofthe1840sandthe
immigrationofEasternEuropeanCatholicslaterinthecentury,theAmericanCatholic
populationbecameamuchmorediversegroupwhocamefrommanydifferentcountriesand
spokemanydifferentlanguages.Inthe1850s,Catholicsaccountedforonlyfivepercentofall
Americans,butby1910theyconsistedofseventeenpercentofthetotalpopulationandwere
thelargestreligiousgroupintheUnitedStates.((JulieByrne,
RomanCatholicsand
ImmigrationinNineteenthCenturyAmerica
,2000,
http://nationalhumanitiescenter.org/tserve/nineteen/nkeyinfo/nromcath.htm.Accessed2012
August))AsCatholicsbecamealargepartoftheAmericanpopulace,theyalsobegantoface
increaseddiscriminationfromNativistandproProtestantsocieties.Tocombatthis
discrimination,manyAmericanCatholicstookrefugeintheCatholicChurch.

AnothergroupthatcametoAmericainlargenumbersinthelatenineteenthcenturywere
Jews.Between1870and1920,JewishmigrationtoAmericashiftedfromCentralEuropeto
EasternEurope.OvertwoandahalfmillionEasternEuropeanJewswereforcedoutoftheir
homelandsbygovernmentpersecutionandeconomichardships.Likeothernewimmigrants,
thisnewwaveofJewsfoundhomesinlargecitiesandsettledinJewishareasoftown
wheretheyspokeYiddishandoperatedJewishbusinesses.((LibraryofCongress,
ACentury

ofImmigration,18201924
,2010,
http://www.loc.gov/exhibits/haventohome/havencentury.html.Accessed2012August))

Priortothe1880s,therewereveryfewrestrictionsonimmigrationintotheUnitedStates.
Startinginthe1870s,though,thefederalgovernmentfacedincreasingpressurefromthe
AmericanpeopletorestricttheflowofimmigrantsparticularlyChineselaborersenteringinto
California.Americansbegantoassociatemanyofthesocietalillsrelatedto
urbanizationsuchasovercrowding,thespreadofdisease,andlackofjobswithincoming
immigrants.In1882,thefederalgovernmentattemptedtoaddressthoseconcernsby
reformingimmigrationpolicywiththe
ImmigrationActof1882
.The
ImmigrationActof1882
providedthebasisforfuturefederalimmigrationpolicyasitdetailedwhattypesof
undesirablepeoplewouldbeblockedfromenteringtheUnitedStates.((Howard
Bromberg,
ImmigrationActof1882
,
http://immigrationonline.org/584immigrationactof1882.html.Accessed2012August))The
directiveprohibitedtheentryofanyconvict,lunatic,idiot,oranypersonunabletotakecare
ofhimselforherselfwithoutbecomingapubliccharge.((
1882ImmigrationAct
,
http://library.uwb.edu/guides/usimmigration/22%20stat%20214.pdf.Accessed2012August))
Thisnotionofbecomingapublicchargedeniedforeignersentrywhocouldnotdemonstrate
theabilitytofinanciallysupportthemselves.Thosewhofailedtoshowthiswereshippedback
totheirhomelands.The
ImmigrationActof1882
did,however,madeanexemptionfor
politicalrefugees.ThiswasconsistentwiththeAmericantraditionofactingasasafehaven
forthosepersecutedbyothergovernments.((Bromberg,
ImmigrationActof1882
))

ThesecondpieceofimmigrationlegislationthatCongresspassedin1882wasthe
Chinese
ExclusionActof1882.
((ChineseExclusionAct(video):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fWIAv7yTqLE&feature=related
))

Thisdirectivebannedthe
immigrationofallChinesepeoplesintotheUnitedStatesandcalledforaoneyearprison
sentenceand$500fineforanypersonattemptingtosmuggleChineselaborersintothe
country.An1882newspaperarticlefromthe
WisconsinStateJournal
outlinesmuchofthe
racialmotivationbehindthelegislation:
(NevadaSenatorJohnP.Jones)finalconclusionwasthattheChineseraceisasobnoxious
tousandasimpossibleforustoassimilatewithaswasthenegrorace.Hisracehasoutlived
everyotherbecauseitishomogeneous,andforthatreasonaloneithasimposeditsreligion
andpeculiaritiesuponitsconquerorsandstilllived.Ifimmigrationisnotcheckednow,whenit
iswithinmanageablelimits,itwillbetoolatetocheckit.((
WisconsinStateJournal
,The
ChineseBill,188214March))


The
ChineseExclusionActof1882
alsohadeconomicmotives.AsSenatorJohnFranklin
Millerexplainsinanother1882newspaperarticlefromthe
SanFranciscoBulletin
,the
presenceofChineseworkersintheUnitedStateswasharmfultotheAmericanworker:
TheeffectofthepresenceofthispersistentraceuponthemoreimpressibleAmerican,
shouldbeconsidered.Already,inCalifornia,thewhitefarmlaborerwhoisforcedinto
competitionwiththem,adoptstheirnomadichabits,andhasnohomeinthefamilyheserves,
butisablanketmanwhoworksinthefieldsduringplantingandharvestseasons,androams
theremainderoftheyearinsearchofotheremployment.Hisshelteristhestrawstackand
hisfoodisanythingthathecanget.Thegreatwheatgrowers,intheirimmenseoperations,
arethusrelievedfromemployingcontinuouslabor,andtheresultislargefarmingtothe
exclusionofsmallAmericanhomes.Inthemanufacturingdistrictstheresultishoodlumism,
whichdrivestheyoungofbothclassestoidlenessinthestreet.((
SanFranciscoBulletin
,
MillersSpeech:SynopsisofanEarnestAppealtoCongress,188228February))

Therewas,ofcourse,asecondsidetothisargument.Inan1882articlefromtheWorcester
DailySpy,anexplanationisgivenastowhythe
ChineseExclusionActof1882
wasasymbol
ofAmericanhypocrisyandagainstAmericaninterests:Supposethat,upontheenactmentof
theantiChinesebillnowpending,theChinesegovernmentshouldclosetheportsofthe
empiretoAmericancitizensandAmericancommerceApparentlytheChinesemightmake
asgoodanargumentfortheexclusionofourpeoplefromtheircountryaswecanfortheir
exclusionfromours.AmericansinChinaarealiensinraceandreligiontheyarenot
homogeneous,asSenatorEdmundswouldsaytheydonotassimilatetheydonotbecome
thesubjectsoftheempire,andarenotevenwillingtosubmittoitslawsandlocalauthorities.
((
WorcesterDailySpy
,TheOtherSide,188220March.))

Despitesuchobjections,the
ChineseExclusionActof1882
andthe
ImmigrationActof1882
bothpassedthroughCongresseasilyandusheredinaneweraofAmericanimmigration
policyofexclusion.Manypowerfulorganizationssupportedthepassingofthesebills.Nativist
societiessuchastheAmericanProtectiveAssociationandtheNativeAmericanMutual
ProtectionAssociationvehementlyopposedthemovementofCatholicsandAsiansintothe
UnitedStates.Theseorganizationscontestedtheimmigrationofdifferentethnicitiesfor
culturalandeconomicreasons,butalsobecauseofrisinghealthconcerns.Towardstheend
ofthenineteenthcentury,manyofNativistgroupsviewedimmigrantsasthecauseof
Americasincreasinglydirtierandunhealthiercities.