The Evolution of Immigration to the United States between 1870 and 1900

      This week’s discussion post concentrates on changes in immigration to the United States (U.S.) between 1865 and 1900, with a focus on two periods – 1870-1880 and 1890-1900. These periods reflect distinct differences in the immigrant flow's number and nations of origin. The U.S. experienced a significant increase in immigration between 1865 and 1900. The industrial revolution tied to the availability of natural resources and modern transportation created a high demand for a larger labor pool. Additionally, salaries in the U.S. were higher than in other parts of the world. These conditions attracted workers to the U.S. Cities became hubs of commerce and trade, which brought workers and their families including immigrants, into growing urban areas.[1]

     Related to the selected research methodologies, this post includes two primary ones - comparative studies and case studies. For comparative studies, two different periods reveal insights into immigration policies and the economic, political, and industrial situations in Europe and the United States that affected immigration flow to the U.S. For case studies, the rise of Jewish immigration beginning in 1881 and the complete halt of Chinese immigration beginning in 1882, highlight immigration changes. Related to sources, a variety of secondary sources provided context related to both research methodologies, using Sabin Americana and Bloomsbury’s Daily Life through History from our readings among other sources. Primary source information came from the U.S. Census Bureau.

     Between 1870 and 1880, more than two million immigrants arrived in the U.S., mostly from Northern and Western European countries. Between 1880 and 1900, nine million people immigrated to the U.S. After 1890, the nationalities of most immigrants shifted to Central and Eastern European countries. In 1850, 9.7 percent of the American population was foreign-born; by 1890, 14.7 percent of the population was foreign-born.[2]

Map of immigration to the United States between 1870 and 1900. (Map courtesy of the National Geographic Society[3])

 

     The percentage of foreign-born people living in the U.S. differed by region. For example, in 1870, 18 percent of the New England population was foreign born while 33 percent of the population of the Pacific West was foreign born. By 1900, 25.8 percent of those living in New England were foreign-born, while 22.5 percent of the population of the Pacific West was foreign-born.[4]

     Immigration laws in the 1800s affected the size, composition, and nationality mix of the immigrant population flow. For example, Chinese immigrants arrived in large numbers from the 1850s until 1882 when this immigration came to a full stop. During this time, there was growing resentment against Chinese immigrants, seen as competitors to the American labor force. Anti-Chinese demonstrations and state and locally emplaced restrictions on Chinese people reflect this sentiment. As a result, Congress passed the Chinese Exclusion Act (CEA) in 1882, which ended Chinese immigration; this law remained in place until 1943. This was the first time in U.S. history that an immigration law targeted a specific ethnic group. In 1892, the Geary Act strengthened the CEA, adding restrictions for Chinese residents, including the need to carry a resident permit.[5]

     Between 1870 and 1880, 5.5 million immigrants arrived in the U.S. from Northern and Western European countries. There were more (2.7 million) from the British Isles than any other part of these regions. Between 1890 and 1900, 7.2 million immigrants arrived from Northern and Western European countries. There were more (3.2 million) from Germany than any other country in these regions. This is a 24 percent increase in immigrants from Northern and Western European countries between these time windows.[6]

     Between 1870 and 1880, 250,000 immigrants arrived from Southern and Eastern European countries. There were more (85,000) from Czechoslovakia than any other country in these regions. Between 1890 and 1900, 1.6 million immigrants arrived from Southern and Eastern European countries. There were more (480,000) from Italy than any other country in these regions. This is an 86 percent increase in immigrants from Northern and Western European countries between these time windows.[7]

     Most Southern European immigrants came to the U.S. motivated by economic opportunity, while Eastern Europeans, primarily Jews, fled religious persecution, demonstrated by the increase in the number of emigrants after each new wave of pogroms. For example, migration from the Russian Empire increased after pogroms targeting Jews in the early 1880s. In 1881, about 111,000 Jews entered the U.S.; 137,000 arrived in 1882. This is more than double the average of about 50,000 in previous years.[8]

     In conclusion, there were changes in the number and nationality of immigrants to the U.S. between 1865 and 1900. Two distinct periods - 1870-1880 and 1890-1900 – highlight the reasons. There was a significant increase in the number of immigrants between the periods; industrialization led to rapid economic growth which drove the need for more workers. The nationalities of immigrants shifted from Northern and Western Europe to Eastern and Southern Europe between the periods.

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     [1] Naomi R. Lamoreaux, “Entrepreneurship in the United States, 1865-1920,” in The Invention of Enterprise: Entrepreneurship from Ancient Mesopotamia to Modern Times, eds. David S. Landes, Joel Mokyr, and William J. Baumol (Princeton: Princeton University Press, 2010), https://www.degruyter.com/document/doi/10.1515/9781400833580-017/html.

     [2] “Immigration to the United States, 1851-1900,” Library of Congress, accessed May 21, 2024, https://www.loc.gov/classroom-materials/united-states-history-primary-source-timeline/rise-of-industrial-america-1876-1900/immigration-to-united-states-1851-1900/; Pooja-Accamma Somaiah, “Immigration (1865-1900),” Sutori, accessed May 21, 2024, https://www.sutori.com/en/story/immigration-1865-1900--CnrJ1ZhtWoUg4ruub9nAHJuu; Hasia Diner, “Immigration and Migration,” The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History, accessed May 22, 2024, https://www.gilderlehrman.org/ap-us-history/period-6#immigration-migration.

     [3] “Immigration to the U.S. in the Late 1800s,” National Geographic Society, accessed May 22, 2024, https://education.nationalgeographic.org/resource/immigration-1870-1900/.

     [4] Campbell J. Gibson and Emily Lennon, Historical Census Statistics on the Foreign-born Population of the United States: 1850-1990, United States Census Bureau (Washington, D.C: Government Printing Office, February 1999), https://www.census.gov/library/working-papers/1999/demo/POP-twps0029.html#sources.

     [5] Jane Hong, “The History of US Immigration Laws: What Students Should Know,” The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History, accessed May 22, 2024, https://www.gilderlehrman.org/ap-us-history/period-6#immigration-migration; “U.S. Immigration in the 1800s,” Ancestry.com, accessed May 21, 2024, https://www.ancestry.com/c/family-history-learning-hub/1800-us-immigration#:~:text=In%20the%20years%20between%201880,escape%20increasing%20oppression%20and%20violence; “Immigration to the United States, 1851-1900,” Library of Congress, accessed May 21, 2024, https://www.loc.gov/classroom-materials/united-states-history-primary-source-timeline/rise-of-industrial-america-1876-1900/immigration-to-united-states-1851-1900/; “Early American Immigration Policies, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, last updated July 30, 2020, accessed May 21, 2024, https://libguides.depauw.edu/c.php?g=73436&p=472574.

     [6] Gibson and Lennon, Historical Census Statistics.

     [7] Gibson and Lennon, Historical Census Statistics.

     [8] Elijah Alperin and Jeanne Batalova, “European Immigrants in the United States,” Migration Policy Institute, August 1, 2018, https://www.migrationpolicy.org/article/european-immigrants-united-states-2016; Shmuel Ettinger, “Jewish Emigration in the 19th Century,” My Jewish Learning, accessed May 22, 2024, https://www.myjewishlearning.com/article/jewish-emigration-in-the-19th-century/; “From Haven to Home: 350 Years of Jewish Life in America,” Library of Congress, accessed May 22, 2024, https://www.loc.gov/exhibits/haventohome/haven-century.html#:~:text=Impelled%20by%20economic%20hardship%2C%20persecution,%22Golden%20Land%22%20of%20America; Jonathan D. Sarna and Jonathan Golden, “The American Jewish Experience through the Nineteenth Century: Immigration and Acculturation,” National Humanities Center, last updated October 2000, https://nationalhumanitiescenter.org/tserve/nineteen/nkeyinfo/judaism.htm.

SOURCE LIST

Primary Sources

Carpenter, Niles. Immigrants and Their Children. United States Census Bureau. Washington, D.C: Government Printing Office; 1927. https://www.census.gov/library/publications/1927/dec/monograph-7.html.

Gibson, Campbell J. and Emily Lennon. Historical Census Statistics on the Foreign-born Population of the United States: 1850-1990. United States Census Bureau. Washington, D.C: Government Printing Office; February 1999. https://www.census.gov/library/working-papers/1999/demo/POP-twps0029.html#abstract.

Johnson, James. “Chinese Immigration Speech.” Speech, U.S. House of Representatives, January 25, 1870. Gale Primary Sources. https://go.gale.com/ps/retrieve.do?tabID=Monographs&resultListType=RESULT_LIST&searchResultsType=SingleTab&retrievalId=11af78fc-2e63-4463-ae03-48778cdf77d8&hitCount=4773&searchType=BasicSearchForm&currentPosition=3&docId=GALE%7CCY0110452569&docType=Monograph&sort=Relevance&contentSegment=SBN-2011&prodId=SABN&pageNum=1&contentSet=GALE%7CCY0110452569&searchId=R1&userGroupName=vic_liberty&inPS=true.

 Secondary Sources

Alperin, Elijah and Jeanne Batalova. “European Immigrants in the United States.” Migration Policy Institute. August 1, 2018. https://www.migrationpolicy.org/article/european-immigrants-united-states-2016.

Bergquist, James M. "Ebb and Flow of American Immigration: 19th Century." Daily Life through History, Bloomsbury Digital Resources ABC-CLIO. Accessed May 22, 2024. dailylife2.abc-clio.com/Search/Display/1380888.

Diner, Hasia. “Immigration and Migration.” The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History. Accessed May 22, 2024. https://www.gilderlehrman.org/ap-us-history/period-6#immigration-migration.

“Early American Immigration Policies.” U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Last updated July 30, 2020. Accessed May 21, 2024. https://libguides.depauw.edu/c.php?g=73436&p=472574.

Ettinger, Shmuel. “Jewish Emigration in the 19th Century.” My Jewish Learning. Accessed May 22, 2024. https://www.myjewishlearning.com/article/jewish-emigration-in-the-19th-century/.

“From Haven to Home: 350 Years of Jewish Life in America.” Library of Congress. Accessed May 22, 2024. https://www.loc.gov/exhibits/haventohome/haven-century.html#:~:text=Impelled%20by%20economic%20hardship%2C%20persecution,%22Golden%20Land%22%20of%20America.

Hong, Jane. “The History of US Immigration Laws: What Students Should Know.” The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History. Accessed May 22, 2024. https://www.gilderlehrman.org/ap-us-history/period-6#immigration-migration.

“Immigration to the United States, 1851-1900.” Library of Congress. Accessed May 21, 2024. https://www.loc.gov/classroom-materials/united-states-history-primary-source-timeline/rise-of-industrial-america-1876-1900/immigration-to-united-states-1851-1900/.

“Immigration to the U.S. in the Late 1800s.” National Geographic Society. Accessed May 22, 2024. https://education.nationalgeographic.org/resource/immigration-1870-1900/.

Lamoreaux, Naomi R. “Entrepreneurship in the United States, 1865-1920.” In The Invention of Enterprise: Entrepreneurship from Ancient Mesopotamia to Modern Times, eds. David S. Landes, Joel Mokyr, and William J. Baumol. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 2010. https://www.degruyter.com/document/doi/10.1515/9781400833580-017/html.

Sarna, Jonathan D. and Jonathan Golden. “The American Jewish Experience through the Nineteenth Century: Immigration and Acculturation.” National Humanities Center. Last updated October 2000. https://nationalhumanitiescenter.org/tserve/nineteen/nkeyinfo/judaism.htm.

Somaiah, Pooja-Accamma. “Immigration (1865-1900).” Sutori. Accessed May 21, 2024. https://www.sutori.com/en/story/immigration-1865-1900--CnrJ1ZhtWoUg4ruub9nAHJuu.

“U.S. Immigration in the 1800s.” Ancestry.com. Accessed May 21, 2024. https://www.ancestry.com/c/family-history-learning-hub/1800-us-immigration#:~:text=In%20the%20years%20between%201880,escape%20increasing%20oppression%20and%20violence.