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Nativism in America
in the 1800's and early 1900's: What caused Nativism in America?
Concerns about immigration during
the historical period referred to as the
Gilded Age (1865 - 1900), led to the rise in
Nativism in America. Advocates of Nativism hold the belief that
certain skills or abilities are "native" or engrained into the brain
at birth. Nativism encompassed the
conviction that the interests of established US residents should be
given a favored status compared to new immigrants. The policy of Nativism was adopted protecting the interests of native-born or
established US residents against those of immigrants. The
rise in Nativism in America was due to the following and and explains why Nativists disliked immigrants and feared the growing levels of
immigration and what caused Nativism in America.
What caused Nativism in
America?
Nativism in
America: The belief in the
"Manifest
Destiny" of America, based on the belief of cultural
and racial superiority over other nations, was deeply
rooted in the minds of many Americans and helped sew the
seeds of Nativism.
Nativism in
America: Various US Laws
were passed aimed at the Restriction of
Immigration, which to many Americans sanctioned the
belief in Nativism. The
US Immigration
Laws were first aimed at restricting "undesirable"
immigrants, then specifically targeted the Chinese, then
unskilled foreigners, then European immigrants when, in
1892,
the
Ellis Island
Inspection Process
was adopted.
Nativism in
America: The
Gilded Age, and the
Industrialization
of America, had
seen the emergence of new industries that clamored for cheap labor, which fed
the surge
in
Immigration
Nativism in
America: The massive increase in
immigration is shown in the following statistics:
● 1881 - 1890, a total
of 5,246,613 immigrants arrived in the United States
● 1891 - 1900, a total
of 3,687,564 immigrants arrived in the United States
● 1901 - 1910, a total of 8,795,386 immigrants arrived in the
United States
Nativism in
America: The massive increase in immigration
gave rise to significant social changes and huge disparities in wealth between the rich and the
poor. Attempts were made to justify this by citing the
theory of
Social Darwinism that
embraced the belief that some races were superior to
others due to their inherent characteristics and moral
attributes and advocated the "survival of the fittest"
and the adoption of unfair business practices.
Nativism in
America: Squalid, appalling working conditions led to riots,
strikes and anarchy which were blamed on new immigrants.
Nativism in
America: Immigrants came from
different parts of Europe and Asia and flocked to urban city
areas where they congregated in poor, congested neighborhoods
created by the unplanned and rapid
Urbanization in
America.
Nativism in
America: The terrible working
conditions imposed by the Robber Barons during the Gilded Age saw the emergence of the
Labor Unions
whose members were opposed to the
employment of immigrants who worked for lower wages and
undermined American workers
Nativism in
America: The
Assassination of the
President McKinley in 1901 had spread the fear of Marxism (a form of communism) that advocated revolution and anarchy (hence the 1901
Anarchist Exclusion Act).
Nativism in
America: The
Immigration Act of
1907 was passed further
restricting the number of immigrants and established the Dillingham
Commission to investigate the
effects of immigration in the US.
Nativism in
America: The subsequent Dillingham Commission
report discriminated between "Old" and
"New" Immigrants concluding that immigrants from
southern and eastern Europe posed a serious threat to
American society and should therefore be greatly
reduced.
Nativism in America for kids:
Nativism, Xenophobia and Ethnocentrism
The rise in the Nativism doctrine and
the belief that preference should be given to existing American
citizens was often accompanied by xenophobia. The term xenophobia
relates to the irrational fear of foreigners or strangers leading to
racism, ethnic conflict and ethnocentrism. The term 'Ethnocentrism'
is the belief in the inherent superiority of one culture based on
judgmental comparisons to different, alien cultures. Xenophobia,
Ethnocentrism and Nativism in America was made worse by the
widespread newspaper coverage that was given to the Dillingham
Commission Report.
Nativism in America for kids:
The Dillingham Commission Report and the 'Dictionary of Races of
People'
The
Dillingham Commission Report
contained a volume entitled 'A Dictionary of Races of
People' which was compiled 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.'
The dictionary classified immigrants in racial terms and people were
placed into ethnic groups. The Dillingham Commission Report favored "old immigrants"
who had come from North and West of Europe and opposed "new'
immigrants" who came from the east and south of Europe and other
parts of the world. The 1911 Dillingham Commission Report further
fuelled Xenophobia, Ethnocentrism and Nativism in America during the
1900's by concluding that immigrants from southern and eastern
Europe posed a "serious threat to American society and culture" and
should therefore be greatly reduced. This opened the debate on "Old
immigrants vs New Immigrants"
The
Effects and Significance of the Nativism in America
The effects
and significance of Nativism in America
were highly significant and impacted US immigration policy for many
years: ● Nativism
in America spawned a powerful political movement
called the Know Nothing Party, which made
anti-immigration central to its political agenda
● The belief
in Nativism led to the formation of the
Immigration Restriction League in 1893
●
Immigration restriction laws were passed
●
The
Resurgence of the 1920's Ku Klux Klan
occurred following and attracted 4 - 5 Million KKK members
who believed in Nativism in America. The KKK
advocated a strong racist and anti-immigration policy
and was strongly supported by Protestants and
advocated the hatred of Jews and Catholics
●
Ethnocentrism, Xenophobia and Nativism in
America are significant in America as they run
counter to the nation’s founding principles and
ideals
● Despite
the Civil Rights Movement many elements of
Nativism still resonate in American society of
today.
Nativism in America for kids: Related Topics
Visitors interested
in Social Darwinism might also be interested in
the following articles:
Black
History for kids: Important People and Events
For visitors interested in African American History
refer to
Black History - People and Events.
A useful resource for
teachers, kids, schools and colleges undertaking
projects for the Black History Month.
Nativism in America for kids - President Theodore Roosevelt Video
The article on the Nativism in America 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.
Nativism in America for
Kids
●
Facts about the Nativism in America for kids and schools
●
Summary of the Nativism in America in US history
●
The Nativism in America, a major
event in US history
●
Nativism in America during the 1800's and early 1900's
●
Fast, fun facts about the Nativism in America
●
The cause and effect of the
Nativism in America
●
Theodore Roosevelt Presidency and
rise of Nativism in America for schools,
homework, kids and children
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