The Industrial Revolution, which occurred in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, transformed America from a rural society based around agriculture to an urban and industrial one. Innovations such as the Bessemer process for the mass production of steel, inventions such as the telegraph and telephone, and the development of transportation systems all contributed to this significant shift. The Industrial Revolution marked a turning point in American social attitudes to a significant extent in that nativism and animosity against immigrants markedly increased, and by the end of the Gilded Age, women had emerged into larger societal roles.
Firstly, as a result of the American Industrial Revolution, women were given more significant roles in
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Many new immigrants from places in southern and eastern Europe such as Italy, Greece and Russia settled in Northern cities and became the backbone of industrial labor. Due to a lack of space in cities and the tendency of poverty among these immigrants, many of them had to live in tenements and slums. Since these immigrants were willing to settle for lower wages and worse conditions, they occupied many industrial jobs, frustrating the working class of whites and old immigrants. Along with the frustration that the immigrants were taking jobs away from natives, there was a widespread sentiment that these new immigrants were inferior. Furthermore, these new immigrants were religious but tended to be Catholic or Jewish as opposed to Protestant as was the majority, providing another basis of resentment. These factors all contributed to a growing attitude of nativism in the US. As a result, Americans attempted to institute exclusions and policies of discrimination against immigrants, such as the Chinese Exclusion Act, the American Protective Association, and literacy tests in order to vote. The increased nativism and hatred toward immigrants marked a turning point as African Americans were replaced by new immigrants as the enemy of the
In the 1920’s there was a resurgence of Nativism that led to massive immigration restriction. The National Origins Act of 1924 had a goal to limit specific nationalists, ethnic, and religious groups that could enter the United States. They did so by allowing only a certain percentage come into America per year. For example, based on the number of immigrants during the Gilded Age if there were four million individuals of Anglo-Saxon descent living in the U.S., only eighty thousand, two percent, could come into
Arguably fueled by the economic necessity of many women, the Industrial Revolution was an episode in history which can be credited for the recognition of modern cities today. Though the Industrial Revolution ushered in an era of innovative machinery, increased work production, and a society which was more interconnected than ever, the Industrial Revolution for the most part, had very limited benefits on the lives of women. Prior to the Industrial Revolution, mass-production factories were singular. However, in the late eighteenth century, a period of major industrialization blossomed, resulting in the mechanization of agriculture, textile manufacturing, and a revolution in transportation. The factory systems developed during this time period
As immigrants flooded into the country, nativist groups emerged, fueled by fears of job competition, cultural assimilation, and perceived threats to American values. Organizations such as the American Protective Association and the Immigration Restriction League advocated for restrictive immigration policies, fearing the dilution of the dominant Anglo-Saxon culture. The nativist sentiment culminated in the passage of the Immigration Act of 1924, which established quotas and restricted immigration from certain regions, further perpetuating discriminatory
American Industrial Revolution- The American Industrial Revolution was a period, from about 1760 to sometime between 1820 and 1840, that was considerably vital to the economic development of the United States. With this revolution, the result was the replacement of an economy based on manual labor with one dominated by industry and machine manufacture. In the Industrial Revolution, spinning and weaving machines operated by waterpower were replaced by steam. Advances in agricultural techniques and practices resulted in an increased supply of food and raw materials.
citizens for generations grew hostile towards the new arrivals. They viewed them as threats to their jobs and wages, and found the Jewish and Catholic immigrants impure when compared to the dominant Protestant religion. Overall the southern and eastern Europeans were viewed as racially inferior. The Immigration Act of 1917 laid out the lines for who would be welcomed into the country and who would be turned away, devoting an exhausting two pages-worth to describe the new criteria. Anyone suffering from mental or physical disability or illness was to be barred, including those simply deemed to be of lower intelligence.
Immigrants come from unique backgrounds and ethnicities, but all came with the dream of a better future. Americans who settled in the United States previously resented the Asian newcomers. Asians were barred with several legislations in the past to become citizens, which revealed disunity among the American population. Debates on the current immigration problem demonstrates distrust of other cultures and religions. Individuals seeking opportunities cannot enter the United States because some Americans believe new immigrants may be threats.
These frustrations rose to the point of nationwide protests, where the Supreme Court upheld a New York statute that proclaimed all Italian laborers working on the New York subways would be discharged from their positions. The entrance of the Supreme Court on nativist actions meant that nativism was reaching a near hysteric position- corroding even the impartial Judiciary. The government’s leniency towards American nativism led to the institution of a literacy test, which proved to be useless in sieving out unwanted European immigrants due to rising literacy rates in European countries. This unsuccessful attempt at excluding Italian and Eastern European immigrants led to greater rising sentiment which included dehumanizing these immigrant groups, branding them “abnormally twisted” and “unassimilable.” Nativism grew so high to the point of comparing Italian immigrants with rats and other animals.
Although their religions may not have been directly prejudiced against, the immigrants’ values were often challenged by American ones. Many of these cultural values differed in an economic manner, as most immigrants were not prepared for the American mindset of getting ahead in business. Other distinctions between these cultures applied to the treatment of immigrants. Many nativist Americans regarded the immigrants with disdain and were not interested in giving them equal rights, whereas those who shared similar cultures often banded together in order to cope with these injustices.
Throughout the years of American history there has been an abundance of groups that have decided to immigrate to the United States from other countries. The Irish people, Italian and Jewish groups of people departed from their country and moved to have their chance to experience the “American Dream.” These groups moved over and experienced a numerous amounts of stereotypes, discrimination, and finally assimilating into American culture. The Irish people came to the United States to attempt to start a new life and attempt to succeed.
These immigrants were immensely different ethnically and culturally. This immigration resulted in nativism – the fear of immigrants – becoming a major issue. Ordinary citizens of the United States looked to both control and restrict immigrants with a number of laws including the Chinese Exclusion Act which was enacted in the year 1882 (Lamoreaux, 2010). Most of the immigrants resided in ethnic urban neighborhoods. Immigrants were also affected since most of them were poor and lived in poorer neighborhoods and slums where conditions were
Many native born Americans felt threatened by the changes that these immigrants brought with them, including different languages, customs and religions. Nativist groups such as the Ku Klux Klan, gained popularity during this time and advocated for strict immigration laws and white supremacy. On the other hand immigrants faced a number of challenges including discrimination poverty and limited opportunities. Many immigrants were forced to work in low paying jobs and lived in crowded unsafe conditions. Despite these challenges immigrants also brought with them a rich cultural heritage that helped to shape American
Nativism is described as “the political idea that people who were born in a country are more important than immigrants”( "Nativism Definition in the Cambridge English Dictionary"). Nativism was most seen during the 1870’s through the 1920’s. Nativism was a major cause in middle-class disputes since middle-class workers feared that the immigrant workers would drop wage prices and that they “...threatened social stability”(The Many Faces of Immigration). Many Catholic immigrants were blamed for the overflow of immigrants in the poverty sections of cities.
In the early 19th century, millions of immigrants from Europe had traveled to the United States to escape difficulties faced in their native lands such as poverty and religious persecution. Italian, German, Irish, and many other eastern European immigrants sought the prosperous and wealthy lifestyle advertised in the land of opportunity, the United States. However, after settling down they often faced the difficulties they had fled from as well as sentiments of prejudice and mistrust from the American people. Most immigrants were discriminated against due to their religious beliefs as well as their language barriers which fostered the beliefs that they were intellectually inferior to Americans.
Paragraph 1: Industrialization really took of in the United States during the late 1800s and the early 1900s. Before then, America 's population had mostly lived out in the farms and ranches of the country, but that was about to change when more and more people started to move to the cities for work. Most of the people that moved, found themselves in factory jobs for the steel industry or alike, or working for the railroads. Companies could really thrive, as the United States government, adopted a policy of Laissez Faire. This is also about the time that immigration really kicked up, more and more immigrants were showing at Ellis Island, looking for a new start.
The Industrial Revolution began over 200 years ago. It changed the way in which many products, including cloth and textiles, were manufactured. It is called a "revolution" because the changes it caused were great and sudden. It greatly affected the way people lived and worked. This revolution helped to bring about the modern world we know today in many ways.