Race and Ethnicity: Immigration

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Race and Ethnicity: Immigration

The “Old” Immigration. During the first half of the nineteenth century German, Irish, Chinese, Mexican, Scandinavian, and French Canadian immigrants poured into the United States in search of a better life or better work opportunities. The largest groups were by far the Germans, Irish, and Mexicans. Each settled in different regions of the country. Germans settled in the Northeast and Midwest and the Irish in eastern cities such as Boston, Philadelphia, and New York. Many Mexican immigrants had not moved into the United States; instead, they found themselves living in the United States after it annexed Texas in 1845 and the Southwest and California in 1848. Chinese immigration to the United States was not large during this period, but it played a significant role in the economic development of California, particularly in building the cross-country railroads. No matter where they settled, new immigrants made their mark on American society. Their labor contributed to the building of railroads and canals, the outpouring of goods from factories and mills, and the increased production of food on farms. Whole city neighborhoods of immigrants thrived, introducing new customs, new foods, and new sounds. Foreign-language newspapers sprang up across the country. Many native-born Americans worried that their country was being “overrun by foreigners.” Such sentiment fueled the growth of hate groups and racism.

The “New” Immigration. A new wave of immigration began in the late 1880s as hundreds of thousands of immigrants from eastern European and Mediterranean countries entered the United States. They were joined by a growing number of Japanese, Indians, and Koreans. Irish, German, and Mexican immigrants continued to arrive as well. This second wave of immigration peaked in 1907. From the 1880s through the 1920s more than twenty-two million immigrants entered the United States. In 1892 the government opened a new processing center on Ellis Island in New York Harbor to handle the huge waves of newcomers. Most left their countries of origin because they were poor and they hoped to better their lot in life. They arrived in American cities with dreams of economic security and better living conditions for their children. Italians, numbering almost five million between 1880 and 1930, were the largest group of new immigrants. Jews from Poland, Russia, and Romania constituted the second largest group. Large numbers of Slavs—such as Ukrainians, Poles, Croatians, Czechs, and Serbs—as well as Greeks and Portuguese also arrived in the United States.

Finding Work . Most new immigrants started in the least desirable jobs available. Introduced to employers by relatives or friends from their homelands, certain ethnic groups dominated specific industries. For instance, Slavs worked in steel factories, meatpacking, and other heavy industries. Greeks opened small businesses selling fruit, flowers, ice cream, and food. Italians worked construction. Mexicans worked at agricultural jobs in the West. Many Jews settled in New York City, where large numbers of them applied their tailoring skills in the growing garment industry; others opened restaurants and delicatessens.

Hard Work and Poverty. Immigrants had difficult lives in their new country. They lived in crowded, unsanitary tenements, sometimes sleeping four or five to a room. To help pay the rent, many families took in boarders, which made their apartments still more cramped. Many men and women, old and young, worked at home making paper flowers, wrapping cigars, or sewing garments. Children worked alongside parents or grandparents doing piecework. With little aid from cities or states, immigrants turned to settlement houses, ethnic societies, labor unions, and churches for help.

Adjusting. Conditions slowly improved for those who remained healthy and could move into skilled positions. By pooling resources, families moved out of foul tenements and into their own modest homes. Some became active in the labor movement and politics. In cities such as Boston, New York, and Chicago, the Irish, Jews, and Germans dominated city jobs and political machines. Even as immigrants assimilated into American life, they retained many customs and traditions of their homelands.