US History

The Emergence of Modern America (1890-1930)

Migration

This collection uses primary sources to explore immigration and Americanization of immigrants from southern and eastern Europe between 1880 and 1930.

A photograph of immigrants arriving at Ellis Island, ca. 1900. 

A photograph of immigrants arriving at Ellis Island, ca. 1925. 

An excerpt from a 1913 play for community or church groups to stage about the immigrant experience. 

An excerpt from an 1892 text discussing the critique of Chinese and Irish immigration. 

An excerpt from a 1925 text describing the medical examination of potential immigrants by officials. 

An excerpt from a summary of the era’s arguments for and against immigration policy reform, designed for debate teams, 1920. 

An excerpt from a 1919 pamphlet from the National Conference of Social Work in defense of immigration. 

An excerpt from a patriotic speech delivered by a German immigrant in 1917.

An excerpt from a 1917 pamphlet by an immigrant, calling on new arrivals to America to embrace an American identity. 

An excerpt from a memoir published in 1918 about an immigrant’s journey and life in America.

A postcard of a Saturday night street scene in New York City’s Lower East Side, 1904.

A postcard of a street scene in New York City’s Lower East Side, ca. 1900.

Questions

1. After reading the text discussing the [critique of Chinese and Irish immigration](http://dp.la/primary-source-sets/immigration-and-americanization-1880-1930/sources/927), the summary of [arguments for and against immigration](http://dp.la/primary-source-sets/immigration-and-americanization-1880-1930/sources/929), the pamphlet in [defense of immigration](http://dp.la/primary-source-sets/immigration-and-americanization-1880-1930/sources/930), the [speech delivered by a German immigrant](http://dp.la/primary-source-sets/immigration-and-americanization-1880-1930/sources/931), and the [pamphlet calling on immigrants to embrace an American identity](http://dp.la/primary-source-sets/immigration-and-americanization-1880-1930/sources/932), how would you define “Americanization?” 
2. After reading the text discussing the [critique of Chinese and Irish immigration](http://dp.la/primary-source-sets/immigration-and-americanization-1880-1930/sources/927), the text describing [medical examination of potential immigrants](http://dp.la/primary-source-sets/immigration-and-americanization-1880-1930/sources/928), the summary of [arguments for and against immigration](http://dp.la/primary-source-sets/immigration-and-americanization-1880-1930/sources/929), and the [pamphlet calling on immigrants to embrace an American identity](http://dp.la/primary-source-sets/immigration-and-americanization-1880-1930/sources/932), summarize the arguments that were presented against immigration. Who mounted this opposition?
3. After reading the summary of [arguments for and against immigration](http://dp.la/primary-source-sets/immigration-and-americanization-1880-1930/sources/929) and the [pamphlet in defense of immigration](http://dp.la/primary-source-sets/immigration-and-americanization-1880-1930/sources/930), summarize the arguments that were presented in favor of immigration. Who favored immigration and why?
4. Considering the two photographs, the [play](http://dp.la/primary-source-sets/immigration-and-americanization-1880-1930/sources/926), the [memoir](http://dp.la/primary-source-sets/immigration-and-americanization-1880-1930/sources/933), and the two postcards, how would you describe the process of immigration? What did individuals and families experience?


Activity

Ask groups of three to four students to read over different portions of the play. Have each group discuss and then outline their plan for a contemporary version of such a production. Which immigrant groups would they spotlight? What aspects of their experience would they hope to capture? What broader message would they hope to convey through the production?

Teaching Guide: Exploring Immigration and Americanization, 1880-1930

Resources

1. [*Leaving Europe: A New Life in America*](http://exhibitions.europeana.eu/exhibits/show/europe-america-en/europe-america) online exhibition, Digital Public Library of America and Europeana. 
2. [Ellis Island Museum of Immigration](http://libertyellisfoundation.org/immigration-museum). 
3. [Education Resources](https://tenement.org/education_lessonplans.html), The Tenement Museum.
4. [Destination America: US Immigration](http://www.pbs.org/destinationamerica/usim.html), PBS. 


Overview

Between 1880 and 1930, approximately 28 million immigrants entered the United States. In contrast to earlier waves of immigrants, most of whom had originated in western and northern Europe, this group arrived from eastern and southern Europe. As they entered through Ellis Island in New York Harbor and made their way into various new lives—in cities and rural areas coast to coast, from urban tenements to Midwestern farms to seaside towns— they encountered mixed reactions from existing Americans. They also entered into a political climate that was charged by the sweeping immigration restrictions placed on the Chinese in 1882 through the Chinese Exclusion Act. While some Americans favored immigration, many opposed it, and responded during the 1920s by pressing for a tightening of the nation’s borders. This set of photographs, plays, and primary sources allows users to immerse themselves in the debates that surrounded turn-of-the-century immigration and to consider the nature of Americanization.

English

Immigration and Americanization, 1880-1930

immigration-americanization_02_9f2d30480ba68992a356ab5d0b650d11.jpg

Courtesy of New York State Archives via Empire State Digital Network.

“Immigrants on Deck of Steamer Awaiting Debarkation at Ellis Island,” Digital Public Library of America, https://dp.la/item/1be8431734c5ddde6792bac75215797d. 

A photograph of immigrants arriving at Ellis Island, ca. 1925.

Cite this item

Tips for Students

Item 2 of 12 in the Primary Source Set Immigration and Americanization, 1880-1930