The Immigrant Experience in the United States

This section explores the experiences of immigrants to the USA during the 1920’s and the changing attitudes to immigration during the decade. Immigration played a central role in shaping the United States throughout the 19th and early 20th centuries. Native Americans were the original inhabitants of the land, while African Americans were forcibly brought to the country through slavery. However, the majority of the population in the U.S. at this time were immigrants, coming from a variety of backgrounds, primarily from Europe.

Initially, the United States maintained an open-door immigration policy, which meant that people from around the world were encouraged to migrate. This policy was seen as a way to boost the country’s growth and prosperity, and it allowed the U.S. to expand rapidly, especially in its industrial and agricultural sectors.

Between 1836 and 1914, around 30 million Europeans moved to America in search of better opportunities. Many immigrants were driven by the idea of the American Dream, the belief that anyone, regardless of their background, could achieve success and prosperity in the U.S. Several factors, known as pull factors, attracted immigrants to America:

  • The promise of jobs in the booming industries of the U.S., which offered employment in factories, construction, and the emerging service sector.
  • Land was cheap and fertile, making it an attractive option for farmers seeking to establish themselves.
  • The freedom to practise any religion without fear of persecution was a major pull for many, particularly for those fleeing religious oppression in Europe.

The Immigrant Experience

The majority of immigrants travelled to America by sea, with the famous Ellis Island in New York serving as the primary point of entry for millions of new arrivals. In 1914, for example, approximately 878,000 immigrants were processed there. Upon arrival, they were subjected to medical examinations to ensure they did not carry diseases. Anyone found to be sick or contagious would be quarantined or sent back to their home country.

In addition to medical inspections, immigrants were asked questions about their finances, skills, and employment prospects to determine whether they would be able to support themselves in the U.S. While many immigrants were able to thrive and enjoy the opportunities presented to them, the reality of their lives was not always easy.

  • Success Stories: Many immigrants found success in business and politics. For instance, Andrew Carnegie, a Scottish-born immigrant, became one of the wealthiest men in America as an industrialist in the steel industry. By the time of his death in 1919, Carnegie had donated a significant portion of his fortune to charitable causes, including the establishment of public libraries across the U.S. Additionally, large ethnic communities, such as the Italian-American population, developed in major cities, with neighbourhoods like Little Italy in New York becoming thriving centres of cultural and social life.
  • Difficulties and Hardships: For many immigrants, life was a struggle. They often found themselves living in overcrowded slums in cities like New York, Chicago, and Boston. Discrimination in housing markets meant that many immigrants were forced into ghettoes where conditions were poor, and resources were scarce. This led to the formation of tightly-knit ethnic communities, which, while offering a sense of belonging, also fostered cultural isolation from the broader American society. This isolation often resulted in a lack of understanding or appreciation of the immigrant culture, further reinforcing prejudices and racial discrimination.

Moreover, many immigrants were forced to take on low-status, low-skilled jobs with long hours and meagre wages. Some employers exploited their desperate situation, offering poor working conditions and low pay in exchange for a steady supply of labour.

Backlash Against Immigration

By the early 20th century, attitudes towards immigrants began to shift. Several factors contributed to growing hostility towards new arrivals, including nationalism, economic downturns, and increasing racial prejudice.

  • World War I and Anti-German Sentiment: The First World War (1914-1918) fuelled a rise in extreme nationalism, which led to a growing suspicion of people of German origin. Many German-Americans were viewed as potential traitors during the war, and there were attempts to suppress the German language, with some schools removing it from their curricula. This hostility was not just limited to Germans, as many other European immigrants faced discrimination based on their national origins.
  • Racial Prejudice and Xenophobia: There was a growing divide between old immigrants (those who arrived earlier and were primarily from northern and western Europe) and new immigrants (who arrived in larger numbers from southern and eastern Europe, including Italians, Poles, and Jews). The new immigrants were often Catholics or Jews, and were portrayed by some groups as a threat to the American way of life. Furthermore, immigrants from Asia, particularly Chinese and Japanese migrants, faced even harsher discrimination, and were often seen as undesirable or unassimilable into American society.
  • Economic Rivalry and Job Competition: The recession of 1920-1921 created high levels of unemployment, which further intensified the backlash against immigrants. Trade unions and native-born workers blamed immigrants for taking jobs away from Americans, especially in industries where low-wage labour was in demand. Immigrants were often scapegoated for the economic difficulties faced by many working-class Americans during this period.

Legislation to Limit Immigration

In response to growing concerns about the impact of immigration, Congress passed several laws in the early 20th century to restrict the number of immigrants allowed into the country. These laws were motivated by a combination of racial prejudice, economic anxiety, and national security concerns.

  • Immigration Act of 1917: This law introduced literacy tests for immigrants, which were used to exclude people with low reading ability. It also banned immigration from certain regions, including the Middle East and Southeast Asia, reflecting racial and cultural prejudices of the time.
  • Emergency Quota Act of 1921: This law established a system of quotas, limiting the number of immigrants to 357,000 per year. The quotas were designed to favour immigrants from northern and western Europe, while limiting those from southern and eastern Europe.
  • National Origins Act of 1924: This law further reduced immigration to just 150,000 people per year. It also set strict quotas based on the national origins of immigrants, severely limiting immigration from southern and eastern Europe, and virtually eliminating immigration from Asia.

These laws were part of a broader trend towards xenophobia in American society, as native-born Americans sought to preserve their cultural and racial dominance in the face of a rapidly changing and more diverse population.

The immigrant experience in the United States was characterised by both opportunity and adversity. While many immigrants were able to achieve success and contribute to the nation’s economic and cultural growth, they also faced significant challenges, including discrimination, poor living conditions, and limited economic opportunities. Over time, as attitudes towards immigrants became less tolerant, restrictive immigration laws were enacted, reflecting a growing sense of racial and cultural exclusion. The legacy of these experiences continues to shape discussions about immigration in the U.S. to this day.

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