Immigration into the United States in1870-1914 and Modern-day Migration
The United States is a nation of immigrants. The first people to settle in America were Native Americans. The Natives crossed a narrow split of land which connects North America to Asia, finding their way to the vast American land. Years later, Europeans discovered that there was a land inhabited by what they considered as “savages”. Soon after, bands of Europeans started immigrating to America in search of religious freedom. As more Europeans heard of America, some migrated to seek more significant economic opportunities. Since the first European immigrants set foot in America, more immigrants of different races and ethnicity sought refuge in the newly discovered American lands. One remarkable immigration period is in1870-1914. After the civil war ended in 1965, America experienced robust industrialization and urbanization. Thus, the population of America increased since many people were looking for employment. In modern-day America, immigration laws have been tightened to reduce the influx of immigrants. In addition, the government has increased penalties for undocumented immigrants to reduce the number of illegal immigrants. There are several similarities and differences between the immigration of 1870-1914 and modern-day immigration to the US.
History of the immigration in America before 1965
Even before the American civil war, America witnessed an influx of immigrants. In 1918, North and South America developed their economies. The South had just faced a revolution after the invention of the cotton gin by Eli Whitney. As the demand for cotton increased, so did the demand for black slaves. Before the abolition of slavery, many black people immigrated to America as slaves, raising the American population. Soon after, the abolitionist movements started in North America and the importation of slaves got abolished in America. Therefore, the South had to buy and sell the black slaves that had already immigrated before abolition.
North America, on the other hand, was invested in industrialization. At the time, the North also had many immigrants who provided cheap labour in the industries. During the industrialization period, many Irish and German immigrated into the US. Most immigrants from Europe sought to buy land and start farms or settle in the growing cities. As more immigrants started crowding the Northern towns, cheap labour became more available for factory owners. Many Asian immigrants also settled in the United States. Later in the years, the United States passed a Chinese Exclusion Act that prohibited immigration if more Chinese nationals.
The first attempt towards creating immigration laws was in 1849. An anti-immigrant political party called the Know-Nothing Party started campaigns to resist the increasing number of German and Irish immigrants. Most states began passing immigration laws after the civil war. Most states felt the need to protect the interests of their citizens as immigrants were stretching scarce public resources. More anti-immigrant laws and policies were implemented as native-born white Americans became restless by the influx of immigrants.
Immigration in 1870-1914
The period between 1870 and 1914 marked the rise of Industrial America. Slavery had long been abolished, and the black forks were free. However, despite the freedom, black people were still confined to low-paying wage labour and racism. The period between 1870 and 1914 also witnessed the transatlantic migration, which was among the most significant and most transparent intercontinental population transfers ever (Keeling 3). America received more than 20 million immigrants from the central, eastern and southern Europe. Most immigrants settled in North America and refrained from South America. One of the reasons that most immigrants avoided South America is because the South had an influx of black former slaves.
The immigration across the North Atlantic was considered as legal, readily affordable and economically advantageous to Europeans (Keeling 7). Most immigrants came from Ireland, which was one of the most impoverished states in Europe. At the same time, industrialization was multiplying in the U.S. Therefore, to the Irish people, the economic advantages of relatively high U.S. wages were well-known, legally accessible, and economically attainable (Keeling 8). Since immigration to US was readily available, many Irish people travelled to the U.S. to attain economic stability.
Thousands of Italians migrated to America in search of better opportunities. As stated earlier, America was experiencing robust industrialization, which in turn made the American economy grow tremendously. When the first batch of Italian immigrants arrived in America, they got impressed by the cities and the jobs. The goal of the Italians was to prosper in the new environment and raise their families. More Italians arrived in America after they got reports of the beauty and richness of America. In line with Baily, “In his first letter home to his parents, Oreste Sola articulated this feeling. “This city is very beautiful,” he wrote. “There is an enormous amount of luxury . . . . There are some buildings beautiful beyond words” (72). The Italians soon wrote letters to their families in Italy, making more Italians migrate to America.
During the period between 1870 and 1914, immigration to America was legal and safe. Apart from the Know-Nothing Political party in 1849, no movements had moved forward to resist migration into America. Congress passed the Chinese Exclusion Act in 1882. The exclusion act restricted Chinese immigrants since the white people blamed them for low wages. According to Keeling, the Chinese Exclusion Act in 1882 is the first law in American history to restrict certain immigration groups (9). More immigration and restriction Acts later followed the Exclusion Act. The immigration rules got implemented because native white-born Americans were afraid of stretching American resources with immigrants.
No person was considered as an illegal immigrant during 1870-1914. Migration was more of an investment as people used their money to travel and regain economic stability in America. Immigrants were free to get jobs and settle in any part of America. Unlike modern-day America, people who migrated to America in 1870-1914 did not live in fear of deportation as American natives coexisted peacefully with immigrants.
Immigration in modern-day America
At present, immigration in America is not as easy as in previous years. As stated earlier, immigration in America was comfortable, safe and readily available. However, as more immigrants flooded America, the natives felt the need to regulate how foreigners migrated to America. After the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882, more rules and policies followed, restricting free immigration.
In modern-day America, immigration is restricted by numerous rules. Unlike before, immigrants require to conform to multiple standards to be allowed to settle in America. Previously, immigrants arrived in America with their families and settled without requiring legal documentation. At present, a foreigner cannot be allowed into America without stating the purpose of their visit. Immigrants without proper documentation are regarded as illegal and deported immediately. Similarly, immigrants who fail to uphold the U.S. constitution are often deported. Thus, modern U.S. has strict immigration laws the look to reduce the number of foreigners in the US.
Modern America has a considerable percentage of illegal immigrants. Research has proven that the United States has the most immigrants in the world. However, only 77% of the immigrants in America are documented (Ewing et al. 15). Also, Mexico constitutes the largest percentage of undocumented immigrants in the United States. Although most immigrants are eligible to become U.S. citizens through naturalization, most Mexican immigrants remain undocumented and unlawful. The number of illegal immigrants from Mexico continues to increase despite numerous attempts to tighten border security by the American government.
Currently, most immigration policies are frequently shaped more by fear and stereotype than by empirical evidence (Ewing et al. 3). When President Donald Trump was campaigning, he promised to build a great wall which would separate America from Mexico. Such a proposal to build a wall was shaped by stereotype as most people believe that undocumented immigrants are criminals. Besides, President Trump is determined to deport all unlawful immigrants to protect American natives. President Trump also intends to eliminate the visa lottery, a lottery that gives foreigners to win U.S. citizenship, as long as they conform to all required standards. Although immigration policies in modern America are meant to protect native Americans from alienation, most of the systems criminalize and stigmatize undocumented immigrants.
Punitive and stereotype laws judge immigrants in the modern US. As stated earlier, U.S. immigrants who do not conform to the U.S. constitution are deported. Although deportation is an effective policy for preventing crime among immigrants, the deportation policy suppresses the rights of many immigrants. According to Ewing et al., Immigrants who experience even the slightest brush with the criminal justice system, such as being convicted of a misdemeanour, can find themselves subject to detention for an undetermined period, after which they are expelled from the country and barred from returning (4). Immigrants live in fear of deportation, making America inhabitable to foreigners.
Immigration in modern-day America and the period of 1870-1914 is different. In 1870-1914, immigrants moved freely into America. Immigrants did not require documentation to work, buy land or settle in America. At the time, America still had unexploited areas that needed immigrants to develop them. Furthermore, the rapid industrialization created numerous work opportunities for many people, some of whom were living in impoverished societies. Modern-day America, on the other hand, is not open to immigrants. Many rules and policies have been implemented to regulate the number of immigrants. The wall on the America-Mexico border is meant to prohibit entry of undocumented Mexican immigrants.
In conclusion, the attitude towards immigration in different periods is motivated by various reasons. In 1870-1914, America opened its doors to immigrants to ensure development in economy. The numerous factories needed workers, and the bare lands required investors. Modern-day America closed its doors to immigrants because of the influx of foreigners. Undocumented immigrants are a source of cheap labour. Business owners exploit unlawful immigrants since the American constitution does not protect them. Therefore, many employers prefer cheap labour from undocumented to standard-waged labour from legal Americans. Thus, most of the job opportunities are given to immigrants, leaving native-born Americans unemployed. The American government, therefore, sees the need to tighten immigration laws and protect their citizens.
Works Cited
Baily, S. L. (2004). Immigrants in the lands of promise: Italians in Buenos Aires and New York City, 1870-1914. Cornell University Press.
Ewing, W. A., Martinez, D., & Rumbaut, R. G. (2015). The criminalization of immigration in the United States. Washington, DC: American Immigration Council Special Report.
Keeling, D. (2011). Repeat migration between Europe and the United States, 1870–1914. In The Birth of Modern Europe (pp. 157-186). Brill.