Immigrants in the Gilded Age 1880-1920

Introduction

In the history of the United States, the gilded age is a period in the 19th century which ranged from around 1870s to about 1910. The name ‘Gilded Age’ which referred to this period, originated from novel writers Charles Dudley and Mark Twain which was entitled “The Gilded Age: A Tale of Today”. The novel satirically explored this era which was characterized by severe social issues that were covered with gold gildings. By briefly examining the gilded age, the historian would tell us that this age was associated with rapid growth in Economy of the U.S, especially in the West and North. During then, the wages from America were much higher as compared to those from European’s countries. These included the salaries for the skilled and unskilled labourers, which resulted in a millions influx of immigrants from European. Also, the growth of industrialization during that time facilitated to the increase in wages to about 60 percent that attracted a high labour force. This paper will provide a detailed course on the immigrants during the gilded age (1880-1920).

US immigrants in Colonial Era

As indicated above in the introduction part, a significant wave of immigration was experienced in the United States during the era of colonialism. In this case, the first phase occurred in the 19th century, and during the period from 1880 to 1920, many foreign people came to America in search of economic opportunities while others went to America as the pilgrims looking for the freedom in religion. Additionally, looking the immigration in the US from a general perspective, the immigrants did not only included the Europeans who searched for economic welfare but also there were Africans who came to the US as slaves in a will that was not theirs.

Taking a flashback on American immigrants, we find that, since time immemorial, America has always been a place inhabited by immigrants who were initiated by the original group that crossed a land bridge to connect the North Americans and the Asians in about one hundred thousand years ago. This continued over and over, and by 1550s, the French and Spanish who were the first Europeans immigrants had already started to establish settlements that in later days become the United States. In the year 1607, the first permanent settlement was established in Virginia at a place called Jamestown.

As indicated above some immigrants came to America searching for spiritual a freedom and practice their religious faith. In 1620, about 100 people who were later named Pilgrims arrived in Massachusetts in Plymouth after they fled from European religious persecution. When they came they formed a colony at that place and got huge followers especially from Puritans who were also looking for freedom of worship. They established a Massachusetts Bay colony which gained about 20,000 Puritans immigrants in about 20 years later.

During the Colonial period in America, there was another category of immigrants who came looking for an opportunity to improve their economic status. During the immigration at that time, it was not so easy to get a chance for this movement since there was the high price of passage. Some people opted to become indentured servant as a way of getting a voyage to America. Although some people got kidnapped from European towns to be treated as servants in America, some became indentured servants out of their own will. Their prime aim was to arrive in America and get work that pays at high wages. Additionally, some others Europeans were shipped as convicts, and this increased the population of immigrants in America.

The third major group of immigrants was the Africans who went there not out of their will but that of their enslavers. These black people came from the West Africa region, and they were to be slaves in America. Some Details from earliest slavery record in America shows that about 20 Africans acted under indentured servitude in Virginia, Jamestown at around 1620s. More time showed an increase in the number of Africans in America. By 1680, approximately seven thousand Africans were slaves in some colonies from America. According to some reports, this number increased to about 0.7 million Africans by the end of 1760. The increase in this number occurred despite the congress law which limited the slave importation in America.

As much as the labor force was necessary, for their economic growth, there was still some restriction that limited immigrants from some parts of the world. The federal legislation came out with an Exclusion Act that restricted immigrants from Chinese in the U.S. The Chinese Exclusion Act 1882, had the regulation from specific States before Ellis Island came to operation in 1882, which was the first federal station for immigrants. By 1965, there was an introduction of new laws some of which brought a balance on treatment to all immigrant and the quota system which favored immigrants from European only came to an end. The majority of immigrants in the U.S are those who hail from Latin America and Asia.

New Immigrants during Gilded Age

A large number of immigrants who came to America under their choice were looking somehow different from those who came in out other reasons apart personal willingness. However, there were any similarities they shared especially those who were from the same place of origin. A large portion of the immigrants had come from Western and Northern America, and their roots had a representative democracy. The exception to these groups were the immigrants from Irish who in many cases were, literate, Protestants and they had acquired a significant level of wealth.

The new immigrant’s group that arrived along the boat land during the age of gild had some common characteristics. Their nations of origin included Polish, Italian, Greek, Russian, Serb, and Croat among others. Chinese and Japs were relocated toward the West Coast of America until the federal decree was cut. None of these two groups had protestant dominion. However, the vast majority of the total immigrants were Eastern Orthodox and Roman Catholic. During then, the Jews in Eastern Europe were harshly persecuted, and most of them had to seek their relief from torment. Therefore, most of the immigrants during the gilded age were non-English speakers, illiterate and they only knew their mother tongue languages. There was little or no immigrant in these groups who came from countries that had a democratic regime. Consequently, the form of government formed in America was composed of amorphous of different cultures.

A total of about 20 million immigrant found their way to America and this population provided human labor and a there was a realization of a period of rapid growth in industrialization. In the 1890s, most of the new arrivals were from Southern, Eastern, and Central Europe. For just ten years about 600,000 Italians had come to America, and by the end of the gilded age, a total of 20 million immigrants had found their place in the United States. The year 1907 was the period when a large portion of immigrants got in America. About 1.3 million people from different origins had found a legal path into America. After a decade, the First World War which occurred from 1914 to 1918 resulted to a decline in the number of immigrants.

Before the War, new urban centers started to emerge some of which were the destinations of the most destitute. Some of these towns were beckoned families and friends of the new immigrants and were ethnically enclaved. Some of these towns included the Little Italy, the Greek town and the Chinatown. They resulted to patchwork that was based on ethnic urbans even under very little integration. The woes and dumbbell tenement were real to the new immigrants and they could last until there was enough savings that could be used for a positive move.

Although there were many challenges in the factory work and house tenement, most of the immigrants could be heard saying that the food they could eat, and the wages the earned were much better compared to what they would get in their former realities. However, 25 percent of the immigrants, could not fully agree to become the American citizens. What happened is that they became what was referred as the Birds of the passage, in that they could make earnings and send some to their families and after they get satisfied, they would return to their place of origin.

The Resistance to Immigrants.

The new Immigrants were not completely welcomed with open arms by all Americans. Most of the Americans acted contrary to what could be thought pleasant. Although the owners of the factories embraced the new laborers with zeal and honor, the existing competitors treated them with hostility. At some points, political cartoons would play arts that portrayed the fears that new immigrants had at those time. Some would show an animation of immigrants that had the standard issue associated with new immigrants such as baggage of Sabbath desecration, poverty, anarchy, and diseases. At these, most of the religious leaders were struck in awe by realizing how non-protestant immigrants increased. The Racial Purists were in a great fear regarding the genetic outcome that would occur after the final pool of new immigrants.

The nativists in this era successfully lobbied to restrict the flowing of immigrants in a gradual process. Such things were indicated by the Chines Exclusion Act of 1882, which was passed to curtail the group with Chinese ethnicity from their region. Later, 25 years after this Act, Japanese immigration was also barned through an executive agreement. The Chines and Japanese were the only ethnic groups from Asia to be completely barned from America. The rejection did not stop there, and other exclusions were gradually made to mentally ill individuals, contract workers, criminals, alcoholics and anarchists. Other regulations were made on the new immigrants before they got into America. For instance, in 1917, one was required to pass a literacy test for them to gain entry in America. All these restrictions continued until 1924 when the immigrant’s door was shut to prevent millions of people from getting into America. These were done by establishing a cap that was based on ethnicity and the 1890 US population. The cap was designed in such a way that it would favor the initial groups of immigrants.

However, millions of immigrants were already in America. At the time when the Liberty statute had beckoned the nations, the diversity in America had already mushroomed. During then, “huddled masses yearning to breathe free” had started to linger in the mind of these immigrants. They wanted to feel free and enjoy the wages in peace. Each ethnic group would bring in a piece of old culture that contributed to the formation of new American Culture. Even though most of the immigrants from European had a strong stand on maintaining their old cultural ways, their children went loose and adopted a new approach of life. In this case, they quickly learned English, lived a higher standard lives compared to those of their parents and would practice the lifestyles of America.

Impacts of Immigrants in America

The mass immigrants who gradually came to America for various reasons had a significant effect on the U.S especially in the transformation and growth of the American industries through the provision of the human workforce during the gilded age. The selectivity and the size of ethnic groups of immigrants, together with their disproportionate homes in big towns indicated that they were the primary source of the industrial workforce in America. The immigrants and their children contributed to half of the total workers in the manufacturing sectors by 1920 and had the estimators included the grandchildren in the list, maybe this number would have added to two-thirds of employees.

Considering a huge population of immigrants and their impacts they had in America, we can indeed conclude that it had the American history is incomplete without an acknowledging the contribution of these immigrants. To start with, the immigrant played a significant role in transforming the urban and industrialization in America. They were over-represented in all parts of economic growth such as skilled trade, merchants and laborers. The children of these immigrants contributed a lot in shaping the political Arena in the USA. For instance, the formation of the Roosevelt coalition was significantly accounted for by the immigrants. Besides politics, the immigrants had significant contribution information of the new culture which brought a clear representation image in the mind of Americans. The new religion was composed of different pieces of old cultures which originated from different ethnic groups. All these immigrants’ impacts can hardly be ignored whenever one gives out American history.

Conclusion

In conclusion, gilded age represents the period between 1880 and 1820 when new immigrants started to flow in America. A significant wave on the immigration was experienced in the United States during the era of colonialism. During the gilded age, many foreign people came to America in search of economic opportunities while others went to America as the pilgrims looking for the freedom in religion. Also, there were Africans who came to the US as slaves in a will that was not theirs. A large portion of the immigrants had come from Western and Northern America, and they were greatly associated with representative democracy. The year 1907 was the period when a large portion of immigrants was admitted in America. About 1.3 million people from different origins had found a legal path into America. The last restriction on immigrant occurred in 1924 when the immigrant’s door was shut to prevent millions of people from getting into America. Such was done by establishing a cap that was based on ethnicity and the 1890 US population. The cap was designed in such a way that it would favor the initial groups of immigrants.

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