How were French Immigrants treated when they first came to America?
For my multicultural class we need to find out how French Immigrants were treated and if they had any problems or if there were stereotypes against them when they first came to america and i am having a hard time finding anything, thanks!
Where did new U.S. immigrants come from in the late 1800s?
The late 1800s is when U.S. immigration shifted from Britain and western Europe to central and southern Europe. Many Italian Americans and Polish Americans can track their ancestry in the country to that point.The shift was so notable that the federal government took over responsibility for immigration (Ellis Island opened in 1892) and a commission was set up to analyze it in 1907: United States Congress Joint Immigration Commission. Starting in the early 1900s, the gates came down on immigration, starting with an English literacy test.
What were the conflicts caused by German immigrants in the 1800s when arriving in the U.S.?
The Germans and the Irish arrived at around the same time, driven by parallel but distinct catastrophes. The Year of Revolution, 1848, blew through continental Europe like a hurricane. Germany, not yet a country, contributed a sizable wave of immigrants to expanding America. Meanwhile, Queen Victoria felt England should have Ireland’s harvest, and a million Irish starved as their food was exported and a potato blight hit. And equal number fled to America. The two concurrent waves of immigrants clashed in New York and then in ripples as they spread across North America. The Germans moved to populate cities in the Midwest — Chicago, Milwaukee — and the Irish became a power to reckon with in New York, fighting against hideous labor abuses and discrimination comparable to what other immigrants (from Europe and the South) later faced.
Are Germans in general unhappy about the immigrants?
I am from Austria and we share a same history. Germany and Austria lost WWII. Moreover this war was extremely cruel and that the Nazis tried to extinguish other nations and people. There is some kind of guilt feeling visible, also from those who never participated in the war such as the generation that came after.It often happens that if a German or Austrian says something patriotic, he has to face the "Nazi-Keule" (nazi club). People state that even minor statements against migrants are a clear sign that nothing has changed and in fact Germans/Austrians are Nazis. Also foreigners who do not feel treated right call them Nazis. There is even one situation, where it gets really ridiculous. Germany invests a lot in helping refugees. Other countries, however, have an extremely intolerant policy against foreigners. It sometimes happens that people from those countries call the Germans Nazis.The consequence is a very unhappy immigration politics. One the one hand, people are aware that too much migration might cause social conflicts, on the other hand people feel a historic responsibility. So often we get the worst system of all. We have a system that is in the middle of strict and lenient. Very much depends on the people you come to... There are people who feel this guilt and try support migrants in many ways (even if they are illegal), others want to get rid of migrants and try to enforce strict rules. Very often this system is called unfair. There are people who have to fight hard to get accepted here and others get a citizenship soon as some consider they should not have gotten it. The increase of people with low education, often with a muslim background and some crime statistics or personal experiences with earlier time, make Germans/Austrians vary. One thing that we are afraid of is the fact that when we look at schools, we often see a majority with names that have no Austrian/German root. Lots of people are afraid that at some time they will become a minority in their own land and call for strict rules like exit the EU or closing the borders. As User said it... there are assholes in every country. I believe many Austrians/Germans can be in the beginning sceptic, but they would be to other people too sceptic who do not represent their ideal stereotype. Very often these kind of people can get really friendly once they realize they do not have to be afraid of you.
How did Americans respond to World War 1?
At first Americans did not want any part in that war. It was not on our soil. It was mostly going on in Europe. There was a long standing policy in America of "avoiding entangling alliances" with European nations. We had a very large population of German immigrants, who did not want us to go and fight Germany. Still as time went by public opinion changed. The Germans were doing submarine warfare to cut off Britain from getting war supplies. American ships were getting sunk, American passengers and sailors dying. The Germans did many war crimes that people did not like. And they tried to enlist Mexico on their side and have them attack the American Southwest. All these things eventually turned the public in the U.S. to want to put an end to the German war machine. President Wilson went to Congress and asked them to declare war. Once we were in the war the people were very much behind our troops. I had three great uncles and my grandfather fight in France. My great aunt told me about how people were put on food rationing in the whole country. There were days when people could not eat meat for example. People could not buy new clothes without a ration coupon that allowed them to. The day the war ended was greeted with massive celebrations, factories dismissed all the workers, there was dancing in the streets and parties that lasted for many days. They called it, "The war to end all wars." that was actually believed at the time. Would that it were true. But our idealism was there and you can't fault that.