https://padlet.com/jfugere23/2qvmbow335evwboo en-us 2021-11-29 21:01:00 UTC 2021-11-29 22:02:54 UTC hello@padlet.com jfugere23 https://padlet.com/jfugere23/2qvmbow335evwboo/wish/1919003872 Immigration was a difficult subject in the US because the US had always been seen as a land of opportunity for those seeking a fresh start; the first colonists in North America came to start a new life. The US became synonymous with opportunity and freedom, which was attractive and many people immigrated steadily to the US from the time it became a country to the 1920s. However, many of the first families were upset by new immigrants coming in, especially as the US filled up and the growing population centered around cities for work. The 1920s brought legislation which extremely limited the amount of European immigrants the US would admit every year, changing how the US population was growing, and how the US was viewed. The "nativists," citizens who believed the immigrants did not belong in the US, and factory workers supported the change because they felt immigrants were a threat, especially to unionizing and striking workers. This change, however, was bad for businesses looking for replacement workers during strikes and cheap labor, and allowing much fewer immigrants would hurt how the US was viewed by other countries, and the diversity of the population.]]> 2021-11-29 21:18:48 UTC https://padlet.com/jfugere23/2qvmbow335evwboo/wish/1919003872 jfugere23 https://padlet.com/jfugere23/2qvmbow335evwboo/wish/1919018578 Before the war, many immigrants were facing similar hostilities, while they had been a blessing to the economy in the Gilded Age. The influx of immigrants after the Civil War allowed for cheap labor in new textile mills, the railroads, and other industries that were appearing. These workers drove the industrial revolution in the US, and kept pushing the US forward. However, once the original set of workers became frustrated with poor working conditions, new immigrants hampered their efforts to reform labor standards by doing the work the striking workers left for often lower wages. Immigrants also brought diverse cultures and Catholicism, both of which the old population did not want to accept into American culture. For example, in California, where many Chinese immigrants had settled, other immigrants and the working population felt so threatened by their presence that they managed to get the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 passed, which stopped Chinese immigration to the US temporarily. Immigrants, as crucial as they were to economic success, were looked down upon and generally disliked.]]> 2021-11-29 21:29:55 UTC https://padlet.com/jfugere23/2qvmbow335evwboo/wish/1919018578 jfugere23 https://padlet.com/jfugere23/2qvmbow335evwboo/wish/1919044284 In the 1920s, most immigrants were not seen as proper citizens, and were instead seen as "hyphenated Americans," or less than the average American citizen. They had trouble during prohibition as European countries had had alcohol and places you could get it, which built a sense of community they could not replicate in the "dry" US. Russian immigrants felt a lot of hate and were targeted during the Red Scare, fearing deportation for being accused of being a communist. Similarly, German immigrants were finally escaping a period of hate during WWI, as many citizens felt strongly about the war effort. The "native" US citizens were quick to mistrust any newer immigrants, especially of lower class, and did not welcome them into the American culture. Immigrants were seen more as labor than as citizens, and even in working they were still hated by workers that were part of unions, and often could not join unions because of language barriers.]]> 2021-11-29 21:50:44 UTC https://padlet.com/jfugere23/2qvmbow335evwboo/wish/1919044284 jfugere23 https://padlet.com/jfugere23/2qvmbow335evwboo/wish/1919056454 After the 1920s, during the great depression, the most pressing issues for the country were getting the economy back on track, but immigrants still had a hard time. As so much of the work force was jobless, the competition for jobs was brutal, and often immigrants, especially minorities and those who weren't white had even more difficulty than white workers who had been in the US longer. Immigration was restricted even further, for the good of the economy and Americans already living in the US. However, immigration would increase again with the start of WWII, as many Europeans would go to the US in an attempt to avoid the war.]]> 2021-11-29 22:00:37 UTC https://padlet.com/jfugere23/2qvmbow335evwboo/wish/1919056454 jfugere23 https://padlet.com/jfugere23/2qvmbow335evwboo/wish/1919058173 2021-11-29 22:02:07 UTC https://padlet.com/jfugere23/2qvmbow335evwboo/wish/1919058173 jfugere23 https://padlet.com/jfugere23/2qvmbow335evwboo/wish/1919058806 2021-11-29 22:02:43 UTC https://padlet.com/jfugere23/2qvmbow335evwboo/wish/1919058806