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Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882

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Prevented most immigration from China. Laborers were banned from entering, while Chinese merchants, students, and teachers could still enter. Wives and children of current immigrants could also immigrate to the U.S. They still had to prove their status and that was often very difficult. This lasted for 60 years.

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Ellis Island

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An immigrant receiving station in NY Harbor that opened in 1892, where immigrants were given a medical examination and only allowed in if they were healthy.

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Urbanization

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Movement of people from rural areas to cities.

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New Immigrants

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Immigrants who came to the United States during and after the 1880s; most were from southern and eastern Europe and didn't speak English. Settled in cultural enclaves like Little Italy or Chinatown.

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Old Immigrants

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Immigrants who had come to the US before the 1880s from Britain, Germany, Ireland, and Scandinavia, or Northern Europe.

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Gilded Age

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1870s - 1890s; time period looked good on the outside, despite the corrupt politics & growing gap between the rich & poor.

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Alexander Graham Bell

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Invented the telephone.

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Patent

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Issued by the government, exclusive rights over an invention; copyright.

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Emma Lazarus, "The New Colossus"

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Poem written on the base of the Statue of Liberty that welcomes all immigrants to the US.

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Tenements

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Poorly built, overcrowded housing where many immigrants lived.