Why Immigrants Came to America
Many immigrants came to America hoping for
To find work and improve their living conditions.
Where did many immigrants live when they first arrived in cities?
Tenements
What is the term for discrimination against immigrants?
Nativism
Who was Jacob Riis?
A journalist and photographer
What was one goal of reformers during the Gilded Age?
To improve living conditions
What economic problem in Europe pushed many immigrants to leave their home countries?
Poverty and lack of jobs.
What were tenements like during the Gilded Age?
Crowded, dirty, and unsafe
Immigrants were often blamed for what problems in America?
Taking jobs and lowering wages
What group of people did Jacob Riis focus on in his work?
Poor immigrants living in cities
How did Jacob Riis’s work affect public opinion?
It made people aware of the harsh realities immigrants faced
Which two regions sent the most immigrants to the U.S. during the Gilded Age?
Southern and Eastern Europe
Immigrants often worked long hours for little pay in what types of jobs?
Factory and industrial jobs
What group was especially targeted by nativist attitudes during the Gilded Age?
Immigrants from Southern and Eastern Europe
What book did Jacob Riis write to expose poor living conditions?
How the Other Half Lives
What city reforms were made because of Riis’s work?
Better housing laws and sanitation
What American idea promised opportunity and success for immigrants who worked hard?
The American Dream
Why did immigrant neighborhoods form in cities?
Immigrants lived near people who spoke the same language and shared culture
How were immigrants treated differently at work?
They were paid less and worked in unsafe conditions.
What method did Riis use to show Americans how immigrants lived?
Photography
What role did photographs play in reform movements?
They showed real evidence of poor conditions
Besides jobs, name one freedom immigrants hoped to gain by coming to America.
Religious freedom or political freedom
What major problem did immigrants face because of poor living conditions?
Disease and illness
What law restricted Chinese immigration due to discrimination?
The Chinese Exclusion Act
Why was Jacob Riis important during the Gilded Age?
He helped bring attention to immigrant poverty and inspired reform
How did immigrant life slowly change because of reform efforts?
Living conditions and safety gradually improved