Old Immigrants vs New Immigrants
for kids:
Ethnic Groups
Ethnic groups tend to be
associated with shared cultural heritage, history, language and
ancestry and include shared aspects such as religion, rituals,
customs, cuisine and similar styles of dress. For many additional
facts and information refer to
Push and Pull Factors
of Immigration.
Old
Immigrants vs New Immigrants Chart for kids The Old
Immigrants vs New Immigrants chart provides a fast overview that
details and defines the differences between the two groups of
immigrants to the United States of America. The chart details the
differences between their countries of origin, their connections in
America, religion, symbols and traditions, levels of literacy,
physical characteristics, customs and lifestyles, culture, clothes,
politics, affluency and adaptability.
Old Immigrants vs New
Immigrants Chart
Old Immigrant Chart - New Immigrant Chart
Origination: Northern
or Western Europe - Southern
or Eastern Europe or Asia
Countries of Origin: Holland,
Germany, France, England, Ireland, Scotland, Wales and
Scandinavia - Russia,
Slovakia, Hungary, Russia, Poland, Croatia, Italy,
Greece, Lithuania, Serbia, China, Japan and Korea
Connections: Often
had friends or family established in America - No
connections to America or existing Americans
Religion: The
majority of Old immigrants were Protestant - The New
immigrants were Jewish, Catholic or non-Christian
religions
Symbols
and Traditions: Shared
religious symbols, rituals and traditions -
Different symbols, rituals and traditions
Literacy: Literate
and skilled -
Illiterate and unskilled
Physical
Characteristics: Tall and
fair with similar hairstyles - Short
and dark with different hairstyles
Customs
and Lifestyles: Similar
foods and jobs to existing Americans -
Different to existing Americans
Culture: Similar
tastes in literature, music and art -
Different tastes in literature, music and art
Clothes: Similar
clothing -
Different style of clothes
Politics: Adhered
to democracy - Were
used to autocracy or radical politics
Affluency: Many
came to America with some money - Most
were penniless and destitute
Adaptability: Able to
quickly 'fit in', adapt and adopt the ways of another
culture - Slower
to change
Old Immigrant Chart - New Immigrant Chart
Old Immigrants vs New
Immigrants Chart for kids
Old
Immigrants vs New Immigrants for kids: The Gilded Age Concerns about immigration during
the
Gilded Age had led to the rise in
Nativism in America and the
fear of the growing numbers of immigrants.
Industrialization in the Gilded Age, the mechanization of industry
and the emergence of the factory system, had
resulted in the ever increasing demand for cheap labor which fed
the surge
in
Immigration. This in turn led to the rapid
Urbanization in
America during the Gilded Age and the massive influx
of immigrants to the cities. The problems in the cities during the
Gilded Age fuelled the movement to place restrictions on
Immigration, the
Immigration Act of 1907 was passed and the Dillingham
Commission was established.
Old
Immigrants vs New Immigrants for kids: The Dillingham Commission Report The
Dillingham Commission was politically motivated to restrict
immigration to America. The Dillingham Commission
produced a report containing 41 volumes on the subject of Immigration
in the United States and kicked off the debate surrounding "Old
Immigrants vs New Immigrants" in the United States. The
1911 Dillingham
Commission Report detailed information about
immigrant occupations, living conditions and education.
Old
Immigrants vs New Immigrants for kids: The 'Dictionary of Races of People'
One volume of the Dillingham Commission report
provided 'A Dictionary of Races of People' which classified
immigrants in racial terms in an attempt to discover whether to
discover:
"whether there may not be certain races that are inferior to
other races... to show whether some may be better fitted
for American citizenship than others."
Old
Immigrants vs New Immigrants The Dillingham
Report made distinctions were made between the "old immigrant" and the
more recent "new immigrant". The report favored the "old immigrant"
who had come from North and West of Europe and opposed "new
immigrant" who came from the east and south of Europe and other
parts of the world.
Old
Immigrants vs New Immigrants for kids: The "Old immigrant" The
"Old immigrant" was defined as follows:
● They
were from Anglo-Saxon or Nordic races
● ● They came
from the West Northern areas of Europe such as Britain,
Ireland, Scotland, Holland, Germany, France and Scandinavia
● ● They shared similar ethnic and cultural backgrounds and it was
these people who initially populated America
● ● The very foundation of
America was built upon the ideas, skills and culture they
brought with them
Old Immigrants vs New Immigrants
for kids:
The "New immigrant"
The "New immigrant" was defined as follows:
● They included
Asian, Slovak and Jewish races
● They came from
countries in Asia and South eastern European countries such as
such as China, Japan, Korea, Slovakia, Hungary, Russia, Poland,
Croatia, Italy, Greece, Lithuania, Serbia and Russia
● ● They had
no connections to America or existing Americans
● ● Many had totally
different physical characteristics and were easily
identifiable as "New immigrants"
● ● Many had non-Christian
religions and adhered to different beliefs and had
experienced totally alien environments
● ● They wore
completely different clothes, had different hair styles,
spoke strange languages, had different tastes in music and
art and ate different food
Old
Immigrants vs New Immigrants Debate: The Dillingham Flaw
The contents of the Dillingham Commission Report was
given a huge amount of publicity in the newspapers that gave rise to
the Old Immigrants vs New Immigrants Debate. The report was
presented as a scientific argument to meet the political agenda of
restricting immigration to America and contained racist stereotypes
within immigrant ethnic communities. This established an artificial
and totally biased view of "old immigrant" and "new immigrant". This
highly prejudiced view is referred to as the 'Dillingham Flaw' that
made unfair comparisons of the "old" and the "new" immigrant.
Although the report contained many statistics and information it
failed to take into account that the new immigrants were recent
arrivals to America. It failed to take into account the short time
the "New Immigrant" had spent in America compared to the "old"
immigrant. This clearly impacted the "New Immigrant" in terms of
occupations, education, finances, environment, and the rate of
assimilation.
Old
Immigrants vs New Immigrants: "A Serious Threat to American
Culture and Society"
The 1911 Dillingham Commission Report concluded that
the "New Immigrants" to America were inferior, unskilled and
uneducated workers who failed to integrate with Americans. The
Dillingham Commission Report further concluded that the "New
Immigrant" posed a serious threat to American culture and society.
It recommended that immigration to America should be restricted.
Push
and Pull Factors
For visitors interested in the subject of immigration
refer to our website on
Push and Pull Factors
of Immigration which provides details of why people left their
homes in various countries and moved to the United States.
Old Immigrants vs New Immigrants - President Theodore Roosevelt Video
The article on the Old Immigrant vs New Immigrant provides detailed facts and a summary of one of the important events during his presidential term in office. The following video will
give you additional important facts and dates about the political events experienced by the 26th American President whose presidency spanned from September 14, 1901 to March 4, 1909.
Old Immigrants vs New Immigrants for
Kids
●
Facts about the Old Immigrants vs New Immigrants for kids
●
Definition of the Old Immigrants vs New Immigrants chart
●
The Old Immigrants vs New Immigrants, the Dillingham Commission
● Immigration in America for kids
●
Fast, fun facts about Immigration to the United States
●
The differences between the
Old Immigrants vs New Immigrants
●
Theodore Roosevelt Presidency and
Old Immigrants vs New Immigrants debate for schools,
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