Immigration in the 20th century

Old Immigrants

The term "old immigrants" applied to the wave of European immigrants from Germany and England. This group of immigrants quickly assimilated into American culture and generally came with more skill and money than the new immigrants. Primarily composed of Protestants, this wave of immigrants generally settled in rural areas. The settling of rural America was common during the 1800s as the country did not shift to urban areas until the latter part of the nineteenth and early part of the twentieth centuries. For example, in 1880, only twenty percent of the American population lived in cities, and only a handful of cities boasted a population over 100,000.

Fig. 2 - Emigrants Coming from a barge transporting them to Ellis Island, the building in the background is a hospital (1902). Source: Wikimedia Commons (Public Domain).

New Immigrants

At the turn of the twentieth century, nearly 14 percent of America's population had not been born in the country. This new wave of immigrants largely came from eastern and southern Europe and consisted of people from Italy, Russia, the Balkans, and Poland. Young males dominated the new wave of immigrants, unlike the old immigrants, who mainly came with families. Most of these immigrants did not intend to stay long in America, only planning to earn enough money to send home to their families. With English not being the new immigrants' native tongue, Americans were not as welcoming as they had been to earlier immigrants.

American Immigration Policies in the 20th Century

In the first decade of the twentieth century, America saw an influx of immigrants numbering in the millions. It is estimated that over fifteen million immigrants arrived on America's shores between 1900 and 1915. In previous decades immigration to America had been steady, but the country had never seen such numbers in such a short period. Immigrants who arrived in prior decades came from primarily English-speaking countries and thus were more welcome than those arriving after 1900.

Fig. 3 - "The Only One Barred Out" Political Cartoon 1882 Source: Wikimedia Commons

Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882

A precursor to twentieth-century policies, the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 became America's first restriction on immigration, slowing Chinese immigration. The act passed by Congress in 1882 declared a decade-long ban on Chinese workers arriving in the US. The act also implemented new restrictions on Chinese already in America. Set to expire in 1892, Congress renewed the act for another ten years. This exclusion act would be followed by other actions restricting immigration from other countries in the following decades.

Immigration Act of 1917 (Asiatic Barred Zone Act)

Expanding upon barring Asian immigrants, Congress barred immigrants from "any country not owned by the United States adjacent to the continent of Asia."¹ To further target immigrants, English literacy tests and an eight-dollar tax per person were administered upon arrival. Congress's goal was to curtail immigrants coming from Mexico, Asia, and the Mediterranean and keep destitute immigrants from becoming a burden. The bill remained active for almost thirty-five years and only ended with the Naturalization Act of 1952.

Irish Immigration in the 20th Century

Fig. 5 - Anti-Irish political cartoon "The Usual Irish way of doing things." 1871 by Thomas Nast. Source: Wikimedia Commons (Public Domain).

Irish immigrants began seeking opportunities in America as early as 1845 due to the potato famine that wiped out their staple crops. Fighting off poverty, disease, and death, Irish immigrants flocked to America in search of a better life. The Irish, previously farmers, tended to stay in cities when they arrived in America. Many men and women began as unskilled laborers with low wages but gained more opportunities as time passed. For example, the infamous Tammany Hall, though largely corrupt, gave Irish immigrants shelter, support, employment, and membership in the group. The support offered to Irish immigrants eventually led them to political power in the U.S. Though some Irish immigrants rose through levels of economic opportunity, they also faced deep discrimination.

Latin American Immigration in the 20th Century

Immigrants from Latin America grew slowly in the latter part of the nineteenth century. The Gold Rush of 1848 brought immigrants to America even though the number was small. The start of the twentieth century brought drastic changes to America. With the growth of the railroads and agriculture, the western economy expanded. The Mexican Revolution [1910-1917] helped push Mexican immigrants to America with the "1930 census counting almost 1.6 million people of Mexican heritage."² As the US moved into the Caribbean region, immigrants from both Puerto Rico and Cuba, increased. However, the Great Depression quickly halted many immigrants from Latin America as opportunities became scarce.

Immigration in the 20th Century Causes

Twentieth-century immigrants did not differ much from their predecessors in their reasons for arriving in America. Though no single factor explains mass immigration, many influencing factors remained the same: economic prosperity, religious freedom, and overall better living conditions called to many. Industrialization in agriculture and primarily manufacturing meant that America was flush with jobs.

Fig. 6 - Italian immigrants arriving at Ellis Island 1905 Source: Wikimedia Commons

Economic Prosperity

Various reasons forced people from their homes and to the shores of America. However, most immigrants arrived in America to seek better economic opportunities. For example, in the 1870s, difficult economic times forced European immigrants to come to America to seek jobs. Immigrants took whatever jobs were available, and business owners often took advantage of immigrant workers. Men were paid less than "American" workers, and immigrant women even less than their male counterparts. In the quote below, the author, Nancy Foner, compares the struggles of past immigrants to those of present times. Though decades separate them, the immigrants of the early twentieth-century share similar struggles to today's immigrants.

Immigration in the 20th Century Effects

Fig. 7 - Two officials of the New York City Tenement House Department inspected a cluttered basement living area in 1900. Source: Wikimedia Commons

Rapid Increase in Population/Urbanization

America's cities were unprepared for the massive influx of immigrants arriving on her shores. Many immigrants settled in urban areas because they arrived at major city ports. For example, many immigrants came through the port of Ellis Island in New York, where most settled. Since most of America was an agrarian society before the 20th century, cities did not have the infrastructure or systems to accommodate many people. Many immigrants were forced to live in deplorable conditions with multiple people or families. Tenement-style living was prevalent and often did not have heating, cooling, or plumbing available.

Fig. 8 - Portrait of Italian Woman 1906 Source: Wikimedia Commons

Cultural Change

Immigrants brought with them their own rich and beautiful cultures to America. While Americans did not often welcome new languages, styles of clothing, and religions, immigrants began creating communities and boroughs that welcomed their own. Places like Little Italy in New York and Chinatown in San Francisco welcomed Italians and Chinese and helped new immigrants find places to live and work.

Isolationist and Nativist Viewpoints

The influx of immigrants into the U.S. at the start of the 20th century brought diverse languages, customs, and religious practices. The rapid cultural change triggered isolationism and nativism in many Americans. Some began holding white Americans as "older immigrants" in higher regard than new immigrants. As revolutions and assassinations occurred in other countries, Nativists spread fear of the immigrant "threat" in America. For example, in 1917, in Russia, the Bolshevik Revolution helped trigger the impending sense that immigrants would spread Communism. Isolationism also plagued America through this period as America tended to avoid world interests or problems. For example, the U.S. refused to join the League of Nations after World War I.