6.8 - Immigration and Migration in the Gilded Age

Immigration and Migration in the Gilded Age

• Growth of Immigration

  • In the last half of the 19th century, the U.S. population more than tripled, fueled by the arrival of 16.2 million immigrants.

  • An additional 8.8 million more arrived during the peak years of immigration, 1901–1910.

• Push and Pull Factors

  • Push factors included poverty, overcrowding, joblessness, and religious persecution in Europe.

  • Pull factors included the U.S.’s reputation for political and religious freedom, economic opportunities, and the availability of industrial jobs in cities.

• “Old” Immigrants from Europe

  • Through the 1880s, most immigrants came from northern and western Europe: the British Isles, Germany, and Scandinavia.

  • These “old” immigrants were mostly Protestants, English-speaking, and had high literacy and occupational skills, making assimilation easier.

• “New” Immigrants from Europe

  • Beginning in the 1890s, the majority of immigrants came from southern and eastern Europe.

  • These “new” immigrants were Italians, Greeks, Croats, Slovaks, Poles, and Russians, many of whom were poor, illiterate, and unaccustomed to democratic traditions.

  • Most crowded into poor ethnic neighborhoods in major cities and included many “birds of passage” who planned to return home after earning money.

• Immigrants from Asia

  • Large-scale Asian immigration began with the Chinese after the California Gold Rush in 1848.

  • Japanese, Korean, and Filipino immigrants also arrived, working primarily in Hawaii and later settling in California.

  • Anti-Asian sentiment led to restrictive immigration laws in 1917 and 1924, severely limiting immigration from Asia.

• Immigration and Growth of Cities

  • Urbanization and industrialization developed together, with cities providing laborers for factories and a market for factory-made goods.

  • By 1900, almost 40 percent of Americans lived in towns or cities, and by 1920, more Americans lived in urban areas than in rural areas.

  • Internal migration included young Americans and African Americans from rural areas moving to cities for economic opportunities.

• Ethnic Neighborhoods

  • Overcrowded and often unsanitary, these neighborhoods allowed immigrant groups to maintain their language, culture, and social structures.

  • New York City’s dumbbell tenements, designed to comply with laws requiring windows in bedrooms, still suffered from overcrowding and poor living conditions.

Additional Note

• Impact on Workforce and Labor

  • Immigrants provided a vital workforce for many industries, often accepting lower wages.

  • This abundance of labor made it difficult for unions to organize and sustain strikes, as employers could easily replace striking workers with immigrants willing to work for less.