Immigration

1. Describe the causes of the immigration of Southern and Eastern Europeans, Chinese, Koreans, and Japanese to America in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
2. Describe the journey immigrants endured and their experiences at United States immigration stations.

1. The causes of immigration of southern and eastern Europeans is because a lot of them wanted to escape religious persecution, some of them left because of the increasing population and some Europeans sought independent lives in America. The causes for the Chinese immigration was that some wanted to find their fortunes in searching for gold after the California gold rush. The cause for the Japanese immigration was because Hawaiian planters were able to recruit Japanese people to work for them.

2. Most of all the immigrants after the 1870s traveled by steamship, across the Atlantic from Europe the trip took one week, and across the Pacific from China it took about three weeks. The conditions on the steamboats were awful, the immigrants were often crowded together in very small spaces because they could only afford to travel in the steerage, the cheapest part of the boat. Some did not survive. Immigrants had to pass through Immigration stations like that of Ellis Island. There they were physically examined by a doctor and then reported to a government inspector. Those who were deathly sick were not admitted in to the country. The government inspector checked documents and question immigrants to see if they met the legal requirements to gain entry into the country. Requirements were like so, they could not be convicted of a felony, had to have proof that they could work, and had a little money. Twenty five dollars after 1909. While Ellis Island dealt with the Europeans, Angel Island dealt with the Chinese, Japanese, and Koreans. Angel Island was just like Ellis Island in the way that they examined the immigrants.