Immigrants and Urbanization

Front

Over 12 million Eastern and Southern European immigrants entered here; medical and legal inspections determined who could stay, shaping the cultural mix of eastern cities

Back

Ellis Island

Front

Immigration station for Asians where interrogations lasted days or weeks, reflecting anti-Asian sentiment and laws like the Chinese Exclusion Act.

Back

Angel Island

Front

Celebrated by some as unity, but also pressured immigrants to abandon native traditions, raising debates about assimilation vs. multiculturalism

Back

Melting Pot

Front

Supported restrictions on immigration, claiming immigrants “stole jobs” and threatened American culture, leading to discriminatory laws and violence

Back

Nativists

Front

First U.S. law to restrict immigration by nationality; reflected deep prejudice and fear of job competition in the West Coast of the United States

Back

Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882

Front

The growth of cities that led to job opportunities but also overcrowded tenements, poor sanitation, and rising crime

Back

Urbanization

Front

Aimed to integrate immigrants into society, but often erased cultural identity and reinforced nativist ideas

Back

Americanization Movement

Front

Cheap, unsafe housing in industrial cities that could house many families virtually one on top of the other

Back

tenements

Front

Transportation systems moving large numbers of people (streetcars, electric subways); Connected workers to factories and helped cities expand

Back

Mass Transit

Front

A person who works to change society and improve conditions for people, especially those who are poor, powerless, or treated unfairly

Back

social reformer