June 2013 1-01: Explain why there was mass immigration to the USA in the years 1890 to 1914. (12 marks)

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exa

CausesGetting StartedGetting Started

  • The peak year of immigration was 1907 with 1,285,000 entrants.
  • Many immigrants were persecuted groups in their own countries, such as Jews from Tsarist Russia
  • The USA had physical space that needed to be ‘colonised’.
  • There were economic motives behind immigration, both ‘push’ and 'pull' factors.
  • Technological developments.
  • Immigrants could be relatively easily absorbed.
  • There were no restrictions preventing immigrants from coming.

Effects

  • The peak year of immigration was 1907 with 1,285,000 entrants. After 1900 there was a surge of immigrants from Russia & Southern Europe such as the peasants from Southern Italy, Portugal & Spain.
  • Such as Jews from Tsarist Russia
  • There was room for people in the western states and many businesses benefited from available cheap labour.
  • Factors such as the poverty of Southern Italy, Portugal & Spain (Poor farmers because of new crops & machinery they were out of work) and ‘pull’ factors such as the ‘American Dream’.
  • Developments in shipping, railroads and industry accelerated immigration after 1819. e.g. New steamship technology made peoples journey quicker than sailing.
  • Many already had relatives and connections who encouraged them to come and to help them on arrival. Agencies matched emigrants to jobs so efficiently they could have employment within hours of arriving. e.g. Tammany Hall in New York helped Irish immigrants find homes & jobs.
  • The Quota Act was not passed until after World War One and many state governments deliberately attracted immigrants.

Overall summary

Show the inter-relationship between the social and economic motives that led to much support for large scale immigration.

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