Slide US history The Making of the Nation

Slide 1 American Studies, HULIS, VNU Doan Thi Thu Trang General facts Major waves of immigrants Native Americans Issues related to immigration CONTENTS GENERAL FACTS A nation of immigrants Admitted more immigrants than any country in history, more than 50 million GENERAL FACTS Still admits between 500,000 and 1 million persons a year Immigrants come for wealth, land, and freedom An image of ‘a melting pot’ CONTENTS General facts Major waves of immigrants Native Americans Issues related to immigr.

American Studies, HULIS, VNU

Doan Thi Thu Trang

GENERAL FACTS

• A nation of immigrants

• Admitted more immigrants than any country in history, more than 50 million

GENERAL FACTS

• Still admits between 500,000

• Immigrants come for wealth, land, and freedom

• An image of ‘a melting pot’

MAJOR WAVES OF

IMMIGRANTS

2.1 First immigrants 2.2 Old immigrants 2.3 New immigrants/Southern Europeans 2.4 Recent Immigrants

Why New

World’s gold

Wealth Colonizati

on, profit, religious freedom

1500s About 1500s and1700s1600s after thatSoon

OLD IMMIGRANTS

• were northern and western Europeans

• arrived before Civil War, between

1840-1880

• Immigrated to escape poor harvest,

famines or political unrest

OLD IMMIGRANTS

NEW IMMIGRANTS/

SOUTHERN EUROPEANS

• began in the late 1800s (after Civil War)

• were Latin, Slavic, Jewish people from southern and eastern Europe (Italy, Hungry, Russia,

Rumania, etc.)

• headed to largest cities (New York, Chicago)

• formed ethnic neighborhoods – ‘Little Italys’,

‘Chinatown’

NEW IMMIGRANTS

NEW IMMIGRANTS/ SOUTHERN EUROPEANS

Chinatown in NY City

RECENT IMMIGRANTS

Recent Immigrants

Refugees Illegal aliens

Mexico, Latin America (Cuba), Asia (Vietnam,

Cambodia …)

fled from poverty, war in Mexico, Latin America.

Illegal Aliens

NATIVE

AMERICANS

• Columbus (1492) discovered ‘New World’ with 1.5

million, called Native Americans ‘Indians’

• During the next 200 years, Native Americans suffered from the influx of Europeans

ISSUES RELATED TO

IMMIGRANTS

4.1 Assimilation process 4.2 Immigration restriction 4.3 Identity crisis

- Spoke mostly English

- Practiced fewer ethnic traditions

3 rd generation

No longer to speak their grandparents’ language:

- Nostalgic about family heritage

- Desired to regain ethnic identity

4 th or 5 th generation

Intermarriage between ethnic groups were

accepted

IMMIGRATION

RESTRICTION

• Tightening immigration should be made:

• Overpopulation is a threat

• Nativist sentiment aroused

• Quality of may be lowered

• American’s national identity is preserved

• Some Americans optimistically

emphasize cultural wealth and diversity

of the immigrants

IDENTITY CRISIS

• In the past, majority of Americans

• Newcomers expected to assimilate

IDENTITY CRISIS

• 1990s, Mass migration brought a new heterogeneity challenged WASPs to acknowledge Americans: Catholic or Jewish, almond-eyed or olive-skinned

IDENTITY CRISIS

• 1960s, American’s attitudes towards

ethnic and religious differences altered, pressure to Americanize relaxed

American Studies, ULIS, VNU