Copy the following chart onto the top one-third of NB p. 23.

Push Factors Pull Factors1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

1.

2.

3.

Copy the following chart onto the rest of NB p. 23.

Why did each nationality come

to America?

Where did they settle?

Why did they settle there?

Scandinavians came

Germans came(three places) (three reasons)

The Irish came

Emigrant –Immigrant –

Today we will identify the reasons for immigration and describe their

experiences in America.

Lesson 14.1: The Hopes of Immigrants

What is an emigrant?

An emigrant is a person who leaves a country.

What is an immigrant?

An immigrant is a person who settles in a new country.

Throughout history, millions of immigrants have come to America.

In the first half of the 19th Century, most immigrants came from Germany, Scandinavia, or Ireland.

Most immigrants came to the

United States by crossing the

Atlantic Ocean in the steerage

areas of ships.

For these immigrants, the crossing of the Atlantic was horrifying.

The Irish sailed in vessels known as ‘famine ships.’

They were called famine ships

because the Irish were fleeing a

terrible famine in their homeland.

Hundreds crowded below decks.

Disease spread rapidly, and 20% of the immigrants died.

Why would immigrants risk so many dangers and hardships to reach America?

A push-pull factor is a factor that pushes people out of their native lands or pulls them

toward a new place.

Immigrants came to America because of a variety of push-pull factors.

There are five typical

push factors.

• population growth• crop failures• religious persecution• political turmoil

Three pull factors led immigrants to the United

States.

• political or religious freedom• economic opportunity• land ownership

1. What were the push-pull factors that led to

immigration?• Population growth• Agricultural changes• Crop failures• Industrialization• Religious/political unrest

• Religious freedom• Economic opportunity• Abundant land

Government oppression was one cause of immigration.

In 1849, a revolution by intellectuals seeking democratic reforms was put

down in Germany.

Liberals were arrested and imprisoned.

The liberal German

emigrants sold their farms, their shops, and all their belongings.

They withdrew their savings and sailed for America.

Many German immigrants arrived with some money and a valuable skill. They set up businesses or bought farms in

Midwestern cities or in the countryside.

Most German immigrants settled in the Midwestern United States,

especially Wisconsin.

Some Germans were drawn to Texas, where a group of Germannobles bought land and sold it in parcels to German immigrants.

Germans also settled in Eastern cities, where they opened businesses as bakers, butchers, carpenters, printers, shoemakers, and tailors.

2. Where did most German

immigrants settle?

• The upper Midwest, especially Wisconsin

• Texas• Eastern cities

Although there was some anti-immigrant resentment from native-

born Americans, most German immigrants made a good life for themselves and their families.

In Ireland, a massive crop

failure caused a huge wave of immigration.

Economic conditions had been getting worse in Ireland for generations.

In Ireland, poor people lived on a half dozen potatoes and a cup of

milk each day.

But in the late 1840s, a disease called blight struck and nearly wiped out the

entire potato crop.

With their major source of food

gone, hundreds of Irish peasants died

each month.

Eventually, over a million people are believed to have starved.

Two million others left Ireland, with 1.5 million coming to

America.

Most of these emigrants were tenant farmers and

unskilled laborers.

3. What were the results of the Potato Famine?

• Over a million people starved to death in Ireland.

• Two million others left Ireland, most settling in America.

Money to pay for their passage came from relatives, relief organizations

and local Irish governments.

Most Irish immigrants arrived in America without

enough money even to buy a train ticket to the frontier, let alone to buy land.

Unable to move any

further inland, where

homesteads were

available, the Irish had to

make a life for themselves in the eastern

cities.

The Irish had to take whatever jobs they could find as laborers, cooks

and servants.

They lived in crowded, unhealthy apartments in cities like New York

and Boston.

Cities over-crowded with new immigrants suffered from many

problems.• Housing shortages• Cramped apartment

buildings that lacked sunlight and fresh air.

• Outdoor toilets that overflowed, spreading disease

• Depressed urban neighborhoods, filled with crime

74. How did the arrival of so many immigrants affect

U.S. cities?

The arrival of so many immigrants caused U.S. cities to grow rapidly, leading to

overcrowding, disease, and crime.

Immigrants were frequent victims of prejudice.

Prejudice is a negative

opinion that is not based

on facts.

Americans had mixed feelings about immigrants.

While factory owners welcomed immigrants as a new source of cheap labor, native-born workers saw them as competition for jobs.

The Irish were hated almost as much as blacks

among most working class

Americans during the mid-1800s, because both groups were

willing to work for low wages.

Many Protestant Americans especially objected to

the presence of Irish

immigrants.

Many Protestant Americans

distrusted Roman Catholics. They feared that the

Irish would remain loyal to the pope in Rome, who could control America through their

votes.

In addition to being Catholic, the Irish were also criticized

for their fondness for

whiskey. Likewise, the

Germans had a reputation for drinking beer.

Anti-immigrant feeling was

especially strong among nativists.

A nativist is a native-born

American who wanted to

eliminate foreign influence.

Some U.S.-born citizens were prejudiced against immigrants

because they believed that foreigners could not learn American ways.

They also feared that immigrants might come to outnumber native-

born Americans.

5. Why were some U.S.-born citizens prejudiced against immigrants?

• They believed that foreigners could not learn American ways.

• They feared that immigrants might come to outnumber native-born Americans.

Nativism was one response to immigration. Various organizations and secret societies were created to

limit and control immigration.

Typical goals of the nativist groups

• Prohibit Catholics and aliens from holding public office

• Reduce the number of immigrants admitted to the country

• Limits on the voting rights of immigrants who became citizens

The Know-Nothings, the most influential nativist party, supported political candidates and even won some state and national posts

in the 1850s.

• Know-Nothings wanted to limit the number of immigrants arriving each year.

• They wanted to keep Catholics out of the government.

• They also wanted a 21-year waiting period before granting citizenship to immigrants.

Nativism began to die down by the 1850s. The

Know-Nothing party lost support

as people grew tired of its secrecy and hatred.

6. What was the Know-Nothing Party, and what was its point of view about

immigration?

• It wanted to ban Catholics and the foreign-born from holding office.

• It also called for reductions in immigration.

• It wanted a 21-year wait to become an American citizen.

More importantly, the

conflict between

immigrants and the native-born

was being overshadowed by the growing

divisions between North

and South.

Why did each nationality come

to America?

Where did they settle?

Why did they settle there?

Scandinavians wanted to buy

cheap land.

Germans sought economic

opportunity

The Midwest, esp. Minnesota and

Wisconsin

Lakes, forests, and cold winters were

like home.

Midwest (Wi), Texas, and Eastern

cities

Good climate for oats; land offered

by G. nobles; small business owners

Irish fled poverty, famine, and British

rule

East Coast cities (Boston, NYC, Philadelphia,

Baltimore)

Too poor to buy land, few skills;

stayed where their boats landed