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Immigration
Primary Documents
Political Machines
Civil Service Replaces Patronage/ Business Buys Influence
Urban Oppurtunities
100
What was the Chinese Exclusion Act and why was it passed?
An act that banned entry of Chinese immigrants into the United States except teachers, students, merchants, tourists and government officials
100
"I've been called a boss. All there is to it is having friends, doing things for people and then later on they'll do things for you-you can't make them vote for you. I never coerced anybody in my life. Wherever you see a man bulldozing a man, he don't last long." -James Pendergast Based on the quote, how does Pendergast get votes?
Pendergast gets his votes by providing people with services in return for their vote during election time.
100
Why did political machines offer their services to voters?
They wanted to gain the political support of voters.
100
What was Pendleton's Civil Service Act?
It was a bipartisan civil service commission to make appointments to federal jobs through a merit system based on a candidates performance of that job.
100
Why did African Americans move North? Did this migration solve their problems?
African Americans moved to escape racial violence, economic hardship and political oppression in the South. This move did not solve African American's problems in the South because they still faced discrimination and segregation in the North.
200
For what reasons did immigrants leave their homeland?
-escape religious persecution -homeland was overcrowded -to seek independence -to work for higher wages
200
"Good" immigrants, "British, German, and Scandinavian stock, historically free, energetic, progressive" "Bad" immigrants, "Slav, Latin, and Asiatic races, historically down-trodden... and stagnant" Based on the descriptions above, how were the "good" immigrants treated in comparison to the "bad" immigrants?
The "good" immigrants were accepted in America and were supported by Americans. They could find jobs easier than the "bad" immigrants who were rejected in society.
200
How did the political machines help immigrants?
Political machines helped immigrants in the United States by getting them accustomed to America and helping them find housing or jobs. They did this in exchange for the immigrant's votes.
200
What is the difference between patronage and civil service?
Patronage is the giving of a government job to a person who helped get a candidate get elected. Civil service is a system of giving jobs to the most qualified candidate.
200
What was the Americanization movement?
A plan designed to assimilate people of wide ranging cultures into one dominant culture. It was sponsored by the government and citizens. Schools and associations provided programs to teach immigrants skills such as English literacy, American history and government, cooking and social etiquette. These skills were provided to the new immigrants to help them learn about the American culture and ways.
300
Why were Chinese rejected in America?
Chinese were good workers who would work for less money, so Americans felt they were taking their jobs.
300
"The language was a problem of course, but it was overcome by the use of inter-preters. . . . It would happen sometimes that these interpreters some of them were really softhearted people and hated to see people being deported, and they would, at times, help the aliens by interpreting in such a manner as to benefit the alien and not the government." Which immigration station was this immigrant most likely trying to go through?
This immigrant was probably trying to go through Ellis Island because the immigration process was much easier in Ellis Island, which is why there are interpreters helping the immigrants.
300
What is graft and how was it demonstrated with political machines?
Graft is the illegal use of political power for personal gain. Political machines did this by asking a worker to overcharge cities for the work they did. The worker then "kicked back" part of the extra earnings to the political machine.
300
What do Stalwarts support and what do Reformers support?
Stalwarts supported the patronage system of giving jobs to those who helped a candidate win a political election. Reformers supported the civil service system, which gave government jobs to those who were most qualified for the position.
300
Why did immigrants tend to flock towards cities?
Cities were cheap and convenient places to live. Cities had many job opportunities including jobs for unskilled workers in mills and factories.
400
Why was it harder for immigrants to enter the U.S. on the West Coast than on the East Coast?
Asian immigrants were primarily who entered the United States on the West Coast, while immigrants from Europe entered on the East Coast. Europeans were considered "good" immigrants and were accepted in America, and Asians were "bad" immigrants and weren't accepted. To decrease the chance of these "bad" immigrants coming into the U.S. on the West Coast, the immigration process was made much tougher and harsher than the East Coast.
400
"That the master of any vessel who shall knowingly bring within the United States on such vessel, and land or permit to be landed, any Chinese laborer, from any foreign port or place, shall be deemed guilty of a misdemeanor, and on conviction thereof shall be punished by a fine of not more than five hundred dollars for each and every such Chinese laborer so brought, and may be also imprisoned for a term not exceeding one year. -Chinese Exclusion Act Passage of this legislation was mainly a response to what?
It was a response to economic and race-based opposition to immigrants in the western United States.
400
How did political machines receive extra votes?
Political machines turned to fraud to gain extra votes. They did this by using fake names to vote, using someone who's died's name or voting at numerous precincts.
400
What were consequences of the patronage system?
The patronage system allowed for corrupt, unfit leaders in the our government due to them being elected by the political leaders who are repaying them for their support during their campaign.
400
Why was there a major migration from the country to cities?
Advancements in farm technology, such as the McCormick Reaper and the steel plow, made farming more efficient. This made for a less of a need for laborers who farmed that land. Many of these laid off farm workers moved to the cities to find other work.
500
What would be considered a "good" immigrant and what would be considered a "bad" immigrant?
A "good" immigrant would be people who are from Northwest Europe in countries such as Germany, England or Ireland, were historically free and are of the Protestant religion. A "bad" immigrant would be people who are from Slavic, Latin or Asian countries and are Jewish or Catholic.
500
"'New' immigrants of the late 1800s often experienced discrimination." The "new" immigrants referred to in the above passage mainly come from where?
They came from Southern and Eastern Europe.
500
What were the positions of the political machines and what were their roles?
The lowest position of a political machine were precinct workers or captains, who tried to gain the support of voters on a city block or a neighborhood. The next position would be a ward boss. Ward bosses worked to secure the vote in all precincts in the voting district. The highest position in a political machine were the city bosses who controlled the activities of a political party throughout a city.
500
What were Harrison and Cleveland's views on tariffs?
Harrison supported a high tariff, which he enforced by signing the McKinley Tariff Act of 1890, which raised tariffs on manufactured goods to the highest level seen. Cleveland was opposed to tariffs. He supported a bill for lowering the tariffs on the McKinley Tariff Act, but refused to sign the bill due to the provided income tax.
500
How did immigrants in cities hold on to their culture?
Immigrants, who didn't want to abandon their culture, formed ethnic communities so those of the same country could give each other social support. This enabled these immigrants to speak their own native languages and practice their customs and religion.