SETTLEMENT & IMMIGRATION

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bDNKHWzQiz8&ab_c
hannel=HISTORY
We hold these truths to be self-evident,
that all men are created equal, that they
are endowed by their Creator with certain
inalienable rights, that among these are
Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.

The Declaration of Independence

 Discussion Questions

1. Why do some people want to come

and live in the United States?
2. What is the “American Dream”?
 American
Dream

m a n y
e fo r
Tru a n ts
g r
immi

⚫ Abundant natural resources 🡪 land of

plenty 🡪 seek the fortunes
⚫ Raise the standard of living 🡪 having a
better life
⚫ If not successful 🡪 the children would
have the opportunity
The Colonial Era
⚫ The first successful English colony was found at
Jamestown, Virginia, in 1607. Early settlements
developed in New England, in the Middle
Colonies and the Southern Colonies
⚫ A few years later, English Puritans came to
America.
⚫ In 1620, the Puritans founded Plymouth Colony
(nowadays Massachusetts).
⚫ In 1636 an English clergyman named Roger
William founded the colony of Rhode Island.
The First Settlers
⚫ By 1733 English settlers had founded 13
colonies along the Atlantic Coast, from New
Hampshire in the North to Georgia in the South.
⚫ In North America, the French controlled Canada
and Louisiana, which included the vast
Mississippi River watershed.
⚫ The end of the Seven Years' War between
England and France in 1763 left England in
control of Canada and all of North America east
of the Mississippi.
The Road to Independence
⚫ In 1773 a group of patriots responded by
staging the Boston Tea Party to protest against
tea taxation.
⚫ Revolutionary war broke out on April 19, 1775
⚫ On July 4, 1776, the Continental Congress
adopted a Declaration of Independence.
⚫ The war officially ended with the Treaty of
Paris in 1783, by which England recognized
American independence.
The Immigration
⚫General facts
⚫Major waves of immigrants
⚫Issues related to immigration
General Facts
⚫ A nation of immigrants
⚫ Admitted more immigrants than
any country in history, more than
50 million
⚫ Still admits between 500,000 and
1million persons a year.
⚫ Immigrants come for wealth,
land, and freedom.
⚫ An image of ‘a melting pot’
Major waves of immigrants

⚫ First immigrants
⚫ Old immigrants
⚫ New immigrants/Southern Europeans
⚫ Recent Immigrants
The Immigration

⚫General facts
⚫Major waves of immigrants
⚫Issues related to immigration
First immigrants
Who Spanish French fur English Others:
explorers traders German
farmers,
Swedes,
Dutch, etc.

Why New World’s Wealth Colonization,

gold profit,
religious
freedom

When About 1500s About 1500s 1600s Soon after

and1700s that
Old immigrants

⚫were northern and western Europeans

⚫arrived between 1840-1880
⚫Immigrated to escape poor harvest,
famines or political unrest
New immigrants/ Southern Europeans
⚫ began in the late 1800s
⚫ were Latin, Slavic, Jewish people from
southern and eastern Europe (Italy, Hungry,
Russia, Rumania, etc.)
⚫ headed to largest cities (New York, Chicago)
⚫ formed ethnic neighborhoods – ‘Little Italys’,
‘Chinatown’
Recent immigrants
Recent
Immigrants

Refugees Illegal aliens

Mexico, Latin America

fled from poverty, war in
(Cuba), Asia (Vietnam,
Mexico, Latin America.
Cambodia …)
Chinatown in NY City
Immigration

⚫ General facts
⚫ Major waves of immigrants
⚫ Issues related to immigration
Issues related to immigrants

⚫ Assimilation process
⚫ Immigration restriction
⚫ Identity crisis
Assimilation process
Intermarriage between
ethnic groups were accepted

4th or 5th generation

No longer speak their grandparents’
language:
- Nostalgic about family heritage
- Desired to regain ethnic identity

3rd generation

Better able to identify as Americans:

- Spoke mostly English
- Practiced fewer ethnic traditions

2nd generation
Obstacles from both sides:
- Society discrimination
- Their reluctance to give up their
language and culture

1st generation
Immigration restriction
⚫ Tightening immigration should be made:
• Overpopulation is a threat
• Nativist sentiment aroused
• Quality of may be lowered
• American’s national identity is preserved
● Some Americans optimistically
emphasize cultural wealth and diversity
of the immigrants
Identity crisis
⚫ In the past, majority of Americans
considered themselves WASPs
⚫ Newcomers expected to assimilate
⚫ 1990s, Mass migration brought a new
heterogeneity challenged WASPs to
acknowledge Americans: Catholic or
Jewish, almond-eyed or olive-skinned
⚫ 1960s, American’s attitudes towards
ethnic and religious differences
altered, pressure to Americanize
relaxed
Discussion
⚫ Describe the characteristics of ONE of the
four major waves of immigration and
discuss causes for the kind of reception
the newcomers received