Vocab
Famine
Extreme scarcity of food
Push or Pull? The Irish fled Ireland because of the potato famine.
Push factor.
How were the Irish similar to the Germans?
They both were pushed out of their country and came to the United States for opportunity as well as to escape certain issues that were in their country and come to a new one.
What are economic hardships?
A situation in which your life is difficult or unpleasant (income loss, unemployment, job instability, etc).
What were some of the beliefs the nativists had about Immigrants?
That they brought disease, participated in crime, and would listen to a foreign influence (The Pope for the Irish Catholics)
Religious Persecution
Unfair treatment of a particular group of people because of their religion.
Push or Pull? The Mousekewitz family left Russia because they were being religiously persecuted.
Push factor.
Why did the Irish come to the USA?
There was a potato famine. People were starving and dying and the Irish needed food to survive.
Where did most German immigrants move to?
Rural midwest and Texas
What was a tenement like? Give as much detail as you can.
Often dirty, overcrowded, and unsafe. Usually 10 family members in an apartment. Also, no indoor plumbing (bathrooms outside).
Tenements
Poorly built, overcrowded housing where many immigrants lived.
Push or Pull? There is a lot of cheap land in the Midwest USA.
Pull Factor.
What discrimination did the Irish experience?
Failure to be hired ("No Irish need apply,"), lower wages, and women were segregated in the mills.
Why did the German immigrants come to the USA?
To escape economic hardships.
Describe a city (like NYC) during 1800-1900. What were some problems?
Tenements (poorly built housing)
Disease
Slums
Air pollution
Know-Nothing Party
A political organization founded in 1849 by nativists who supported measures making it difficult for foreigners to become citizens and to hold office. They were against immigration.
Explain what a push and pull factor is.
Push factors- people are pushed away from their homes
Pull factors- Pull people to a new home.
How did the Irish contribute to the growth of the United States?
Built the Brooklyn bridge
Built railroads
Built Erie canal (8 years)
What did the Germans bring to the USA?
Early public school education (kindergarten)
Physical education and vocational education in the schools
Invented the American weekend
Cultural holidays + Sunday
Many native-born Americans feared losing their ________ to immigrants arriving in America. Fill in the blank.
Jobs
Nativists
U.S. citizens who opposed immigration because they were suspicious of immigrants and feared losing their jobs to them.
Push or Pull? People are leaving NJ because of the high property taxes.
Push factor.
Hardworking, but unskilled and poor.
Describe a typical German immigrant
Well-educated and skilled workers. (Farmers, Craftsman, Furniture makers, Brewers, Metalworkers and engineers).
Why did doctors watch immigrants closely as they entered?
They saw Immigrants as dirty and did not want foreigners bringing diseases into the country.