“Why Did Americans Fear Mass Immigration between 1890 & 1920?”
(12 marks)
There were three main causal factors for Americans to fear mass immigration: cultural differences, between newly arriving immigrants and the American population; economic tension due to the changes in people’s work situations as America’s population grew, and the effects of the First World War. It is important to note that all these factors influenced each other, even if, for the purpose of this essay, they are looked at in isolation.
Cultural differences are easily argued to have been the greatest cause of fear in America towards immigrants. Many immigrants had been sold the idea that America was a ‘Melting Pot’ of cultures, but upon arriving in America, they’d realise this was not the case. Although nearly all Americans at that time had only recently immigrated themselves, Anglo-Saxon Superiority was prevalent. White Anglo-Saxon Protestants (WASPs), especially those of British or German descent were looked upon as elite. Many WASPs did not drink at all; this made many immigrants – especially the in coming Catholics from Southern Europe Italy, who practiced drinking wine at church – to be considered heavy drinkers or drunks. Another fear of immigrants was the idea that the newly migrated citizens would be left –wing and socialists. Americans at the time feared spies, in particular Russian spies. This came to a head after a Polish immigrant assassinated a US president. What intensified the American society being at odds with mass immigration were the ghettos in which the immigrants lived. Many cities had a “Little Italy”, for example and cities like Boston and Chicago received large numbers of Irish and Polish immigrants. As so many people sought out communities of similar backgrounds and languages, this perpetuated a cultural gap. This America is better described as a Mosaic: a wide range of racial and ethnic elements living segregated from one another.
