RESPONSES to Immigration in the GILDED AGE [APUSH Review Unit 6 Topic 9] Period 6: 1865-1898

Summary

This video script from Heimler's History delves into the American responses to international immigration during the period 1865-1898, a time when millions of European and Asian immigrants, particularly the Irish and Chinese, arrived in the U.S. Settling in urban industrial areas, these immigrants faced hazardous working conditions and low wages. The script discusses the rise of nativism, led by figures like Henry Cabot Lodge, who advocated for the protection of native-born Americans against what they perceived as an 'inferior' immigrant threat. Groups like the American Protective Association opposed the influence of Catholicism, which was associated with the Irish immigrants. Labor unions also resisted immigrants, fearing they would accept lower wages and weaken their bargaining power. Social Darwinism further fueled anti-immigrant sentiment, with some believing that Irish immigrants were racially inferior. The Chinese faced similar hostility, culminating in the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882, which banned Chinese immigration. Despite these challenges, Jane Addams and others provided support through the establishment of settlement houses like Hull House, which aimed to help immigrants assimilate and improve their social and economic conditions. The video concludes by highlighting the hardships immigrants faced during the Gilded Age and the efforts of individuals like Addams to aid their integration into American society.

Takeaways

• 📚 **Period of Immigration**: The time between 1865-1898 saw a massive influx of European and Asian immigrants to the United States, particularly to urban industrial centers.
• 🏭 **Working Conditions**: Immigrants often worked in factories under dangerous conditions and were paid very little for their labor.
• 🗣️ **Cultural Concerns**: There was widespread debate over the cultural impact of immigrants, who were perceived as not fitting the American identity.
• 🧩 **Identity Struggles**: Immigrants themselves grappled with whether to assimilate or maintain ties to their native cultures, often choosing a balance between the two.
• 🤬 **Nativism**: Nativists, like Henry Cabot Lodge, argued against the 'inferior races' intermingling with 'pure-blooded' Americans, leading to the formation of groups like the American Protective Association.
• 💼 **Labor Unions' Opposition**: Labor unions were concerned that immigrants, willing to work for low wages, would undermine their bargaining power and the potential for strikes.
• 🧬 **Social Darwinism**: The pseudoscientific concept of Social Darwinism influenced views on immigration, with proponents believing that certain immigrant groups, like the Irish, were racially inferior and a threat to the gene pool.
• 🚫 **Chinese Exclusion Act**: The Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 was a significant piece of legislation that banned further Chinese immigration, marking a low point in U.S. immigration policy.
• 🌐 **West Coast Immigrants**: Despite a common misconception, immigrants on the West Coast, particularly those from Asia, faced similar hostility and challenges as those on the East Coast.
• 🏗️ **Transcontinental Railroad**: Chinese immigrants played a crucial role in the construction of the transcontinental railroad, taking on difficult jobs that others were unwilling to do.
• ⛩ **Jane Addams and Hull House**: Jane Addams established settlement houses, like Hull House, to help immigrants assimilate and improve their economic and social conditions through education and social opportunities.

Q & A

What was the period discussed in the video regarding American responses to international immigrants?

The period discussed in the video is from 1865 to 1898, which covers the Gilded Age.

Why did immigrants during the Gilded Age often settle in urban industrial centers?

Immigrants often settled in urban industrial centers because they provided job opportunities in factories, despite the dangerous working conditions.

What was the main concern of Americans regarding the influx of immigrants during the Gilded Age?

The main concern was the potential loss of American identity due to the large number of non-American immigrants who looked, acted, and spoke differently from the native-born population.

What is nativism, and how did it manifest during the Gilded Age?

Nativism is a policy that protects the interests of native-born individuals over immigrants. During the Gilded Age, it manifested through groups like the American Protective Association, which opposed immigration, particularly from Catholic and Chinese populations.

Why were labor unions opposed to the influx of immigrants?

Labor unions were opposed to immigrants because they were willing to work for lower wages, which threatened the unions' ability to negotiate better wages and conditions with manufacturers.

What was the role of Social Darwinism in shaping attitudes towards immigrants?

Social Darwinism, a pseudoscientific idea, was used to argue that immigrants, particularly the Irish, were racially inferior and that their integration would degrade the American gene pool.

How did the Chinese immigrants contribute to the development of the United States during the Gilded Age?

Chinese immigrants played a significant role in the construction of the transcontinental railroad and took up jobs that others were unwilling to do, contributing to the nation's development.

What was the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882, and why was it significant?

The Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 was a law that banned any further Chinese immigration to the United States. It was significant because it was the only law in U.S. history to target a specific nationality for exclusion from immigration.

Who was Jane Addams, and what was her contribution to helping immigrants during the Gilded Age?

Jane Addams was a social worker who established settlement houses, most notably the Hull House in 1889, to help immigrants assimilate into American society by providing education, social opportunities, and support.

What was the general attitude towards immigrants on the West Coast of the United States during the Gilded Age?

The attitude towards immigrants on the West Coast was similar to that on the East Coast, with hostility and resistance from nativists, despite the significant contributions of immigrants, particularly the Chinese, to the local economy and infrastructure.

What were the challenges faced by immigrants during the Gilded Age, and how did some Americans, like Jane Addams, try to alleviate these challenges?

Immigrants faced challenges such as dangerous working conditions, low wages, and societal discrimination. Some Americans, like Jane Addams, worked to alleviate these challenges by establishing support systems like settlement houses, which provided education, social integration, and advocacy for immigrants.

Outlines

00:00

🌊 Immigration and American Responses (1865-1898)

This paragraph discusses the American reactions to the massive influx of immigrants during the period of 1865-1898. It highlights the challenges faced by immigrants, particularly from Europe and Asia, who settled in urban industrial areas and worked in factories under hazardous conditions for low pay. The text explores the societal debates on immigration, the concerns over American identity, and the dilemmas faced by immigrants regarding assimilation versus maintaining their cultural identities. It also touches on the rise of nativism, led by figures like Henry Cabot Lodge, and its impact on groups like the American Protective Association, which was particularly opposed to Catholics. Furthermore, it mentions the opposition from labor unions due to wage competition and the influence of Social Darwinism, which perpetuated the idea of racial superiority and inferiority among immigrants, notably the Irish. Lastly, it addresses the plight of Chinese immigrants on the West Coast, their significant contribution to the transcontinental railroad, and the discriminatory Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882.

05:02

🏡 Jane Addams and the Support for Immigrants

The second paragraph shifts the focus to the support and assistance provided to immigrants, particularly in the form of settlement houses established by Jane Addams. It emphasizes the hardships immigrants faced during the Gilded Age and how figures like Addams helped to alleviate these challenges. The narrative underscores the establishment of the Hull House in 1889 as a pivotal moment in providing immigrants with resources to integrate into American society. The settlement houses offered English lessons, early childhood education, exposure to democratic values, and recreational activities. The paragraph concludes by acknowledging the efforts of individuals like Jane Addams in countering the negative effects of nativism and supporting immigrants in finding better economic and social opportunities in America.

Keywords

💡Immigration

Immigration refers to the movement of people from one country to another with the intention of settling, residing, or working there. In the video, it is the central theme as it discusses the large waves of immigrants, particularly from Europe and Asia, who moved to the United States during the period of 1865-1898. The video explores the various American responses to this immigration, highlighting the challenges and debates it sparked within American society.

💡Nativism

Nativism is a policy or sentiment that favors the interests of native-born inhabitants over those of immigrants. In the context of the video, nativism is shown as a significant response to the influx of immigrants, with groups like the American Protective Association opposing immigration, particularly from Catholic Irish immigrants, under the belief that it threatened American culture and identity.

💡Labor Unions

Labor unions are organizations that aim to protect the rights and interests of workers. In the video, labor unions are mentioned as entities that opposed immigration due to concerns that immigrants, willing to work for lower wages, would undermine the unions' bargaining power with manufacturers during strikes and negotiations.

💡Social Darwinism

Social Darwinism is a pseudoscientific theory that applies the concept of natural selection from biological evolution to human societies. The video discusses how proponents of Social Darwinism viewed immigrants, particularly the Irish, as racially inferior and a threat to the American gene pool, reflecting the philosophical racism of the time.

💡Chinese Exclusion Act

The Chinese Exclusion Act was a U.S. federal law passed in 1882 that prohibited further Chinese immigration. It is highlighted in the video as a significant piece of legislation that targeted a specific nationality for exclusion, reflecting the high levels of anti-immigrant sentiment and nativism during that era.

💡Assimilation

Assimilation is the process by which immigrants adopt the cultural traits of the society in which they live. The video describes how many immigrants during the Gilded Age partially assimilated to American society while also maintaining aspects of their ethnic identities, reflecting the complex interplay between integration and cultural preservation.

💡Gilded Age

The Gilded Age refers to a period of rapid economic growth and industrialization in the United States, marked by significant social issues and inequalities despite the outward appearance of prosperity. The video uses this term to frame the time period when the discussed immigration and responses to it occurred.

💡Urban Industrial Centers

Urban industrial centers are cities that have a high concentration of industry and manufacturing. In the video, these centers are noted as the locations where many immigrants settled and found work in factories, often under dangerous conditions and for low pay.

💡Hull House

Hull House was a settlement house established by Jane Addams in 1889 in Chicago. The video describes it as a place that aimed to help immigrants assimilate into American society by providing education, promoting democratic ideals, and offering social and recreational opportunities. It serves as an example of positive responses to the immigrant population during a time of widespread anti-immigrant sentiment.

💡Jane Addams

Jane Addams was a social worker and reformer who is known for her role in establishing Hull House. The video presents her as a figure who recognized the hardships faced by immigrants and worked to improve their conditions, offering a counterpoint to the negative responses of nativists and others.

💡Panic of 1873

The Panic of 1873 was an economic crisis that led to a severe depression in the United States. The video mentions this event as a time when Californian nativists blamed their economic troubles on Chinese immigrants, who they claimed were willing to work for low wages, thus depressing wages for all workers.

Highlights

The video discusses the American responses to international immigrants between 1865-1898.

During the Gilded Age, millions of European and Asian immigrants arrived in the U.S., settling in urban industrial centers.

Immigrants often worked in factories with dangerous conditions and received low pay.

Nativists were concerned about the impact of immigrants on American identity and culture.

Immigrants faced the dilemma of assimilating to American society or maintaining their native culture.

Many immigrants chose a path of partial assimilation while retaining elements of their ethnic identity.

Nativists, such as Henry Cabot Lodge, argued against the 'inferior races' intermingling with 'pure-blooded' Americans.

The American Protective Association was formed to protect the interests of native-born Americans against Catholics.

Labor unions opposed immigrants due to concerns over undercutting wages and undermining their bargaining power.

Social Darwinism influenced some to view immigrants, particularly the Irish, as racially inferior and a threat to the American gene pool.

Despite being white, Irish immigrants were considered by Social Darwinists to be of a different race due to their socio-economic status.

On the west coast, Asian immigrants, especially the Chinese, faced similar hostility as their eastern counterparts.

Chinese immigrants contributed significantly to the construction of the transcontinental railroad.

The Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 was a response to economic pressures and halted further Chinese immigration to the U.S.

The act was the only U.S. law to specifically target a nationality for exclusion from immigration.

Jane Addams established settlement houses, such as Hull House, to help immigrants assimilate and find better opportunities.

Settlement houses provided English lessons, early childhood education, and exposure to democratic ideals and recreational activities.

Despite hardships, figures like Jane Addams helped mitigate the negative impact of nativism on immigrants.

Transcripts

Well hey there and welcome back to Heimler’s  History. We’ve been going through Unit 6 of  

the AP U.S. History curriculum, and in the  last video we talked about the huge waves  

of immigrants and migrants moving into and  around the United States. In this video it’s  

time to talk about the American responses  to international immigrants, and if you can  

already taste the sauce, then get them brain  cows ready because I’m about to milk them.

SO in this video I’m basically  trying to do one thing:  

I’m trying to explain the various responses  to immigration in the period 1865-1898.

So just as a refresher, during the Gilded Age  European and Asian immigrants were arriving  

in America by the millions. Many of them  settled in urban industrial centers and  

took up work in factories where they were  exposed to dangerous working conditions,  

but don’t worry, they got paid  a pittance for such risks.

And right along with this wave of immigration,  debates sprang up over what to do about all  

these immigrants. I mean, they don’t look  American, they don’t act American, and they  

shore as Moses don’t speak American. And  so many Americans began to grow concerned  

over the identity of America with all these  non-Americans running around. Additionally,  

the immigrants themselves were grappling with  their own identity in American society. Should  

they assimilate to American society or hold on  to their native society, or some mixture of both?  

Ultimately, many immigrants partially assimilated  and partially held on to their ethnic identities.

But it was the nativists who were nigh unto  having an apoplectic stroke about what they  

considered to be the immigrant attack on American  culture. Now nativism, when being defined, is  

essentially a policy of protecting the interests  of native born folks over against the interests  

of immigrants. And nativism reached a fever pitch  in the hands of Protestant ministers like Henry  

Cabot Lodge who argued that white Anglo-Saxon  Americans were committing, and I quote, “race  

suicide” by allowing so many members of “inferior  races” to intermingle with pure-blooded Americans.

Nativists formed groups like the American  Protective Association which was a powerful  

organization against Catholics. Wait, I thought we  were talking about resistance to immigrants, why  

were they against Catholics? Well, as it happened,  the millions of Irish immigrants who were coming  

to America just so happened to be Catholic in  large measure, and so you can see why the APA  

was resisting Catholicism. Now, if you asked  them, they would say that they had no quarrel  

with Catholicism, per se, they just couldn’t  handle the fact that with many Irish Catholics  

being voted into office, the Catholic Church was  clearly planning a hostile takeover of America.

But it wasn’t only nativists who opposed  immigrants, it was also labor unions. At  

the end of the day, labor unions feared this  huge influx of immigrants precisely because  

they were desperate for work and would therefore  agree to be hired for meager wages. Union leaders  

in particular worried that immigrants would  undermine their ability to negotiate with  

manufacturers, because if the union decided  to strike, then manufacturers could just  

fire all the unionized workers and  replace them with underpaid immigrants.

But it wasn’t only labor unions that  opposed immigrants, so did the thinky-thinky  

people. Owing to the growing popularity of a  pseudoscientific idea called Social Darwinism,  

immigrants had to bear the brunt  of philosophical racism too. Now,  

proponents of Social Darwinism applied biological  Darwinism to societal realities. In nature,  

they argued, the strong eat the weak and only the  fittest survive. Why wouldn’t that also apply to  

culture as well? And so Social Darwinists believed  that immigrants, especially Irish immigrants,  

were racially inferior to the true standard of  American whiteness, and that if they were allowed  

to intermingle with our American ladies, then the  gene pool would be forever degraded. Now, as I’ve  

mentioned before, this is kind of an astonishing  theory because the Irish immigrants showing up to  

America were, in fact, white. But under the  auspices of this kind of thinking, Social  

Darwinists actually came to believe that the  Irish were in fact a different race altogether.

Now those were the responses people had  to immigrants mainly on the east coast,  

but the immigrants on the West coast were  treated with utmost dignity and honor.  

Wouldn’t that be hilarious if that’s how  it went? No, it was the same in the west.

Now remember that on the west coast, the bulk  of immigrants arriving there were from Asia,  

and no small portion of those people  were Chinese. By 1852 something like  

20,000 Chinese were living in California,  for example. By 1870, it was over 50,000.  

Chinese immigrants were responsible for  the lion’s share of the work done on the  

transcontinental railroad and others largely took  up jobs that no one else was willing to do anyway.

Even so, Chinese immigrants experienced the  same kind of hostility from nativists that  

we talked about earlier. When the Panic of  1873 hit, Californian nativists blamed their  

economic troubles on the Chinese because since  they were willing to work for such low wages,  

that, they argued, depressed wages for everyone  else. And so the nativists got to work and  

one of their crowning achievements against the  Chinese was the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882.

This law banned any further Chinese  immigration to the United States. Like,  

all of it. And this act represents the only law in  U.S. History to target a specific nationality to  

be excluded from immigration. So, you know, not  one of our prouder moments in American history.

However, even with all the bleakness I just  mentioned, there was a little light with respect  

to immigrants, and now is where I introduce you  to Jane Addams. She could see that the immigrants  

streaming in to Chicago were suffering, and  therefore she sought to do something about  

it. Addams’s solution was the establishment of  settlement houses, the most famous of which was  

the Hull House which she opened in 1889. The  purpose of these settlement houses were to  

help immigrants better assimilate to American  society so they could find better economic and  

social opportunities. In the settlement houses  immigrants were taught English and their children  

were enrolled in early childhood education  programs. Immigrants were taught democratic  

ideals and given opportunities to attend  recreational outings in, for example, theaters.

So the point of all of this basically comes  down to this: immigrants had it hard during the  

Gilded Age, and many people worked against  their inclusion in American society. But  

folks like Jane Addams softened the nativist  blow and helped them get on their feet.

Okay, that’s what you need to know about  Unit 6 Topic 9 of the AP U.S. History  

Curriculum. If you need help getting an A  in your class and five on your exam in May,  

and want me to keep making them, then  let me know by subscribing. Heimler out.