Final DBQ

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Immigration has always been a controversial and widely debated subject in

America and nowhere is this more prevalent then the years between 1880 and
1925.Though immigration restrictions in the United States were lax before the
1880’s the hostility towards many immigrants that was observed in the late 19th
century forced American lawmakers to pass, and enforce, legislation that severely
limited immigration on both the East and West coasts and tensions due to a
perceived takeover of the job environment and city politic by immigrants.

The attitude the federal government exhibited towards many workers was
often subpar; big business interests remained the prime focus of lawmakers, and it
was big business that most legislatives measures supported. This leniency towards
the plight of the common American worker led to many businesses exploiting first
or second generation immigrants, who were willing to work for pennies on the
dollar; forcing many American citizens out of a job. These feelings of hostility
quickly led to the adoption of anti-immigration platforms among many late 19th
century political parties. Indeed, the Peoples Party condemned government
immigrant regulations that, “opens our ports to the pauper and criminal classes of
the world” (Doc C). This perceived stealing of ‘American’ jobs was the primary
reason for the hostility towards immigrants. But even as anti-immigration sentiment
grew many minority groups were growing in power.

In Boston, Irish members of congress commented on the

administration of the city; the police commissioner and even the Mayor were of
noticeable Irish decent (Doc F). This ruling of ‘foreigners’ was also a source of
hostility towards immigrant groups. Many Blacks, most noticeable Booker T.
Washington, believed that immigrants were fulfilling the roles that naturally should
fall to members of the black community who had, “proved their loyalty in the past,”
(Doc D), and touched upon the racism prevalent in America, even pledging the
“devotion” of Negros to white southerners. Though the racism can be seen in the
policies and immigration restrictions passed by ‘Native’ Americans, most notably
the 3% quota that limited European immigration after World War I (Doc H), nowhere
is it more apparent than Madison Grant’s, The passing of a Great Race, where Grant
praises the superiority of the “blue-eyed, fair haired peoples of the north of
Europe,” (Doc G). These opinions were often substantiated with scientific racism,
such as Literacy and IQ tests, that were often falsified and portrayed Americans as
intellectually and mentally superior to immigrants of different races. Groups clashed
during race and immigrant riots, which led to even more tensions of the
conflagrated subject.
 These clashes forced the government to act which they did, primarily, by
limiting immigration. Prior to 1880 immigration policy was very open, as
demonstrated by Puck magazine (Doc A). The flood of immigrants came from both
the East and the West, many of them passing through the famous Ellis Island. Many
of those coming through Ellis Island came to stay but a large percent of Italians,
Germans, and Slavs simply came for economic opportunities, “returning to their
native villages after a moderate sum of money had been accumulated,” (Doc B)
This wasn’t the case with many west coast immigrants, most of them Japanese. To
prevent unchecked immigration, which the Japanese government had previously
encouraged, the United States began talks with a few Japanese officials, to make
such efforts “as effective as possible,” (Doc E).