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.

• Southern and Eastern Europeans-Many immigrants left to avoid religious persecution. Others came to America to escape the rapidly increasing European population. Within a century the population doubled causing their to be a land shortage for farming. This left the farmers and laborers to fight for the already few industrial jobs. To these people jobs seemed to be plentiful in America.
• Chinese- Many came to the country in hopes of striking gold after they heard of the California gold rush. After they were done working on many of the nation's railroads, the Chinese turned to farming, mining, and domestic service. Some even became businessmen.
• Koreans- The book does not mention anything about Korea but there are numerous possible reasons for people to emigrate. Some reasons might be because there was political turmoil or jobs were scarce.
• Japanese-Once Hawaii joined the United States, Japanese immigration greatly increased. Before the Japanese were being recruited by Hawaiian planters. Many voyaged to America when they heard the wages were quite high there.

2. Describe the journey immigrants endured and their experiences at United States immigration stations.

The most common way to reach America was by steamship. depending on where your departing location was, a journey could last from approximately one to three weeks. This wouldn't be so bad if most of the immigrants didn't not have to travel in the cheapest accommodation, the steerage. Very little often were they allowed to go on the ship's deck. This left them in their quarters for most of the time without fresh air or exercise. Often were the bunks louse-infested and the toilets were to be shared by many. Disease was easily and quickly spreadable. Some passengers died before they arrived to America.

All were filled with excitement at the sight of America but it was soon silenced by the anxiety of being unsure if they would be admitted or not into the country. They first had to pass the inspection at the immigration stations. About 20 percent of immigrants were detained for a day or more before being inspected but only 2 percent were denied entry into the country. The processing of immigrants was not a quick process. Immigrants were first required to pass a physical examination by doctors. This made sure no diseases were brought along with passengers into the country. Those who passed then were sent to be inquired by a government inspector. He also checked documents making sure they met the legal requirements to enter. This process occurred in Ellis Island, New York.

For immigrants entering the United Stated through the west coast it was similar story. They were inspected in Angel Island. Although, there was a major difference in how the immigrants were processed. They were faced with harsh questioning and detained for many hours in dirty, old buildings until they heard of whether they were accepted or rejected.

Big Business and Labor Quiz

The ideas of Laissez Faire and Social Darwinism allowed people to believe that if they were rich or poor it was because they deserved this. Laissez Faire stated the ideas of power to the individual, individuals competing freely in the marketplace, and the marketplace not being man-made. Like we have no control over gravity the government has no control over the marketplace and who becomes rich and who remains poor. The main concept of Social Darwinism was "survival of the fittest". Like in breeding, if all the weak became extinct or had to adapt the breed or race would become stronger. They related this to the people by showing that if all the poor became "extinct" the economic system would become stronger as a whole. In my perspective one of the strongest reasons as to why the people accepted these beliefs was because the Protestant church related it to god. They said god made people rich or poor according to what they deserved and judging by how much work they did. Poor people were believed to be lazy even though they did do more work than the rich. Business owners used these ideologies to their advantage. Without any laws stopping them, they gave their workers very little pay, long shifts, and they had to work with dangerous conditions such as open machinery. One business owner who did exactly this was John D. Rockafellar.

Labor Unions & Big Business

the Knights of Labor
a. Identification-A labor union founded by garment cutters in 1860 but opened to others in the 1870's. Its grandmaster was Terrence V. Powderly.
b. Significance-It was the only labor union to survive the depression. They welcomed everyone from different races and of different craftsmenships. They opposed strikes because they were believed to be a loss more often than a win and they divereted attention from the long time goal of a cooperative society. Although they did participate in a few strikes. In the early 1880's they joined in the campaign for 8 hour a day shifts. The first day went by smoothly but there was a riot two days later that required police to break up. This resulted in the death of two unionists. This led to the Haymarket Riot which caused people, especially employers, to turn against workers' strikes.

the Haymarket riot
a. Identification- It was a result of the evening before at the McCormick plant in Chicago, in which two unionists were killed and more others wouned, by police because of a riot. At the Haymarket Riot they were rioting against police brutality. Ironically this also ended in violence when a bomb exploded killing seven and injuring sixty-seven. This led to many arrests of anarchists and unionists.
b. Significance- After this event people strongly disliked workers' strikes. They did everything in their power to prevent them. This included buying strike insurance and agreeing to resist strike. These strikes also revived the fear of radicalism within the middle-class.

the American Federation of Labor
a. Identification- It was a major workers' organization, which emerged in 1886. It was an allliance between national craft unions made up of mostly American-born skilled workers. Samuel Gompers, an immigrant, ran it. Some goals were to recieve higher wages, shorter hours, and the right to bargain collectively.
b. Significance- In July 1892 workers and members of the AFL and Amalgated Association of Iron and Steelworkers refused to accept cuts to their already low wages. This resulted in a strike in Homestead, Pennsylvania. The plant was closed due to the strike. Later gaurds were positoned but attacked by the strikers. After five months of continuous striking they gave up and quit. By now people were very upset and greatly disliked strikers.

Samuel Gompers
a. Identification- He was a pragmatic and oppurtunistic immigrant who headed the Cigar Makers' Union. He also led the AFL. Under his leadership the AFL grew to 1 million members by 1901 and 2.5 million by 1917.
b. Significance- The AFL grew quickly under his rule. They tried to recruit unskilled laborers so their group could grow. This would allow their ideas to be spread throughout a larger group of people.

the Homestead strike
a. Identification-In July 1892 workers and members of the AFL and Amalgated Association of Iron and Steelworkers refused to accept cuts to their already low wages. This resulted in a strike in Homestead, Pennsylvania. The plant was closed due to the strike. Later gaurds were positoned but attacked by the strikers. After five months of continuous striking they quit.
b. Significance- The public became disgusted with strikers. They did not like them at all especially because Henry C. Frick's life was at danger. (Frick was the president of Carnegie Steel Company that needed to be closed because of the strikers.)

the Pullman strike
a. Identification- The year of 1894 at the Pullman company town near Chicago, people protested against its policies. The whole town was run by Pullman. This meant they were not allowed to argue their rights and had to live a Pullman life by shopping at Pullman shops, living in Pullman homees, atttending Pullman schools, and etc. The town paid its' people the wages, had fixed rents, anf even spied on them.
b. Significance- Because workers were not allowed to argue their rights, they were outraged when he cut wages by 25 to 40 percent. This was the cause to the strike. When President Cleveland sent troops to disassemble the strike it showed how these workers were vital in everyday life. Without them the railway and mail systen would become backed up.

Eugene V. Debs
a. Identification- A leader in organizing the union strike on the Pullman wage cuts. He aided strikers by refusing to handle all Pullman cars but Pullman stood his ground and gave in. Only months after Cleveland's troops arrived the strike ended. Debbs was jailed for not following the order to stop striking.
b. Significance- Even though the strike was unsuccessful there was some light on the subject. Now the government had the attention of the laborers. They saw how important these workers were to the foundation of America. Without them supporting the big businesses and companies that helped America run, the country would be in chaos with backups such as the railway system and mail did.

the Industrial Workers of the World
a. Identification- A labor organization formed in 1905 by Colorado miners. They believed in violent strikes but they also tried to include all those of different levels of skills unlike the AFL.
b. Significance- The Knights of Labor and AFL greatly influenced unions like the IWW. With modernization of these unions they became more and more violent, which inevitably resulted in more deaths, throughout this century.

Significance of the Terms

• Andrew Carnegie went from rags to riches by working at the Pennsylvania Railroad. He began his own steel company which became into a major producer. Credit for his success should be given to his management practices which quickly were put into use by others.
• Social Darwinism is a scientific explanation of Carnegie's success. It stated that business was governed by natural law and no one could control it but many entrepenuers did all they could to make their business empire prosper.
• John D. Rockefeller had a different approach on mergers. He used trusts to gain control of the oil industry. At first he underpaid his workers and priced the oil very low to run his competitors out of business. After he had total control of the market he overpriced his oil. This led to the Sherman Antitrust Act being put into place for a while.
• Sherman Antitrust Act tried to make it illegal for trusts to interfere with free trade. As a result the trusts split up into single businesses but this act was difficult to enforced so after a while things went back to the way they were before.
• Samuel Gompers was president of the American Federation of Labor who liked to use negotiating. Their main tactic was to use strikes. This was very effective because workers' wages rose and hours declined.
• American Federation of Labor (AFL) this union was different from the Knights of Labor. They instead used strikes which helped them to reach their goal of higher weekly wages and lower weekly hours.
• Eugene V. Debs formed the American Railway Union which won a strike for higher wages. Although they had more than 150,000 members the group never recovered after failing a major strikes. On the bright side it did add momentum to union organizing. She later turned to socialism.
• Industrial Workers of the World waas another laborere union that was ope to African Americans although it did not gain more than about 100,000 supporters. This was mainly an unskilled workers union. It gave the members a sense of pride and dignity.
• Mary Harris Jones supported the Great Strike of 1877 and helped to organize the United Mine Workers of America. She inluenced the passing of child labor laws.

Railroad Development

The government was so eager to promote the growth of railroads because they made local transit reliable and westward expansion possible for business and people. Many of the working conditions the laborers faced were difficult bu the end result was revolutionizing. Railroads helped to transform diverse regions of the country into a united nation. This promoted trade and interdependence. Railroads also had an influence on the American nation. Different industries grew as they tried to meet the railroad's demands for materials and parts. Not only did railroads connect diverse regions but it fostered the growth of towns and helped them branch. They also helped establish new markets and offered rich opportunities for both visionaries and profiteers.

Expansion of Industry

The three major factors that contributed to the immense technological boom that took place in the United States after the Civil War were a wealth in natural resources, government support of business, and a growing urban population that provided both cheap labor and markets for new products. When oil was first discovered it was not very important except for its use as kerosene. Not until after automobiles became widely used, because of the population that provided markets for new products, was it found to be vital. There were more natural resources other than oil. After the Bessemer process was found iron became very important in the manufacturing industry. Railroads became one of the major customers for steel. After the construction of the Brooklyn Bridge, steel paved the road for innovative construction. Without the government's support and open market many of the inventions we have today might not have been made possible.

Westward Expansion Questions

1. What are some of the main reasons that the federal government's policy of assimilation failed?

A) The Native Americans had a very different style of life from the American settlers. They were taught to hunt and live off of it; it was reasonable for the Natives to need the space. Everyone had a role. The men became hunters and warriors. Meanwhile the women took care of the buffalo meat and made clothing. There wasn't a specific person who dominated the group. Lastly they believed everyone shared the land.
B) Secondly there were major cultural differences. The Americans wore clothes, farmed, lived in a house, owned private property, and sent their children to school. The Natives did not have much clothing, hunted, lived together, believed everyone shared the land, and did not send their children to school. Also the Native americans did not believe in God.
C)Another reason was the attitude of the Americans towards the Natives. They were hated and looked down upon. It seemed as if the Natives were treated like dirt. The Americans also claimed the Natives' land with the belief that the Natives had forfeited their rights to the land because they didnt settle down to "improve" it.
D) Finally the government did a really bad job of keeping its promises. An example is in the Dawes Act the Natives were promised land and any land that was not occupied would be sold to the Americans and the profit would be returned to them in order to buy farming equipment. In the end only one-third of the land set aside for the Natives was given to them and the rest was sold to American settlers. Also the profits from the sales was never returned to the Natives.

Also no one wants to be forced by foreigners to change all their ways and customs.


2. How successful were government efforts to promote settlement of the Great Plains? Give examples to support your answer.

The government was greatly successful in promoting settlement of the Great Plains. Examples:

• Homestead Act -From 1862 to 1900 it gained 600,000 families
• Number of people living west of the Mississippi grew from 1% of the nation's population to 30% within 50 years
• Railroads connected both sides of the United Staes, the west coast and the east coast. This made doing business with each other possible and even easier.

Iraq War Q & A

Short Response

1. Where do most Kurds, Shi'a, and Sunnis live in Iraq?

Kurds: In the northern mountainous region of Iraq and Kurdistan
Shi'a: In the south mostly near the oil reserves
Sunnis: Primarily where there are less oil reserves

2. Which ethnic group(s) hold(s) power over the majority of oil reserves in Iraq?
Shi'a

3. What is the main reason Britain become involved in Iraq?
Iraq was rich in oil.

4. What did pan-Arabists advocate after World War II?
They sought independence for the entire Midle East and encouraged Iraq to sever ties to Britain.

5. How was Saddam Hussein able to gain power and popularity in the 1970s?
The rapid increase in the price of oil provided him money to fund different programs causing his power and popularity to increase.

6. Why did the United States become involved in the Iran-Iraq War?
The Reagan asministration didn't want Iran's Islamist government to be victorious.

7. Why did President George H.W. Bush (1989-93) bring the ground portion of the First Persian Gulf War to a halt? List two reasons.

a. The president and his advisors worried about the consequences of controlling a completely destabilized Iraq.

b. Iraq's military presented few obstacles to the advance of the coalition forces.

Extended Response:

8. What are the different ethnic and religious groups in Iraq? Why is it important to understand these differences?
The different ethnic and religious groups in Iraq are the Shi'a, Kurds, and Sunni. These religious differences are a major part in the making of iraq's history. To understand these divisions gives us the knowledge to understand the reasoning behind the violence. It is also important to understand these differences so the U.S. can make good decisions on the difficulties it's facing in Iraq.

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Part II Questions:

Short Response

9. What dangers did President George W. Bush (2001-09) say Iraq posed to the region and the world? Name two.

a. sponsorship of terrorism

b. Iraq's allleged weapons program

10. What were the U.S. government's declared goals in sending troops to Iraq?

a. end Saddam Hussein's regime

b. uncover weapons of mass destruction

11. List two reasons violence continues in Iraq.

a. the people are angry at the U.S. for being in Iraq

b. they are also distrustful of their new government

Extended Response:

12. Describe the different groups involved in the ongoing conflict in Iraq. What are their goals? (Reasons for fighting)

Shi'a: Political and military group whose goal is to resist the U.S. and Sunni dominance to increase power within Iraq.

Sunni: Military group whose goal is to resist U.S. and Shi'i dominance. Some have recently joined U.S. forces fighting al-Qaeda in Iraq.

Kurd: Political and military group whose goal is Kurdish self-determination.

al Qaeda: Military group whose goal is to instigate a civil war in Iraq and drive the U.S. out of Iraq.