I. Changing Pattern
of Immigration--2nd Great Immigrant Stream (1890-1924)
A.
Begins after Civil War, when dramatic increase in immigrants from East/South
Europe
B.
However, first stream from Northern/Western Europe peaks 1880-1889.
C.
2nd stream becomes dominant after 1890: Italians and Russian Jew foremost,
but also
Austro-Hungarians,
Bohemians, Bulgarians, Serbs, Croatians, Greeks, Slovaks, etc.
D.
Over 10 million immigrants (E/S Eur.)source of labor for emergent industrial
economy
II.Italian
Immigrants (most important in 2nd stream)
A.
3 million 1890-1920
B.
Come from Southern region: contadini (landless, ignorant peasants)
C.
Do they go into farming? No, frontier closed: go into factories.
Also,
9 times more likely to be barbers or hairdressers, 8 x likely hucksters/peddlers
D.
Trapped in dirty, squalid slums; Italian culture rather than structural
conditions blamed
E.Criminal
Stereotype: every pizza parlor seen as front for Mafia
1.
No more crime-prone than other immigrants; crime-rate lower than natives
F.Ethnogenesis:
(ethnic emergence) process of forming broader ethnic identity (e.g., as
Italians)
due to common experience in host country, namely discrimination.
1.
Formerly see identity in terms of locality (Neopolitans, Calabrians, Sicilians)
rather
than nationality.Parallel experience
of Latins in Southwest US (Latinos)
III.Jewish
Immigrants (3 waves--first two predating 2nd immigrant stream)
A.
First wave--Sephardic Jews: from Holland, Spain, Portugal in colonial times
B.
2nd wave--Ashkenazaic Jews from Germany in mid-19th century (e.g., @1848).
1.Because
Assimilate, identify as Germans; Almost follow 3 generations model
2.Reform
Jews (vs. Conservative and Orthodox) econ prosperous, seek assimilate
3.Embarrassed
by 3rd wave, which interrupts assimilation
C.
Third wave--Ashkenazies from Pale of Settlement in Russia/Poland
1.
Largest wave overwhelms first two: 1½ to 2 million 1880-1924
2.
Why exodus to US?: pogroms beginning Easter 1881 (riots against Jews)
3.
Resist assimilation because many died for culture: Orthodox Jews
a.Noticeable:
distinctive dress (top hat, etc.), diet, Yiddish language
D.Entrepreneurial
mode of adaptation: create economic enclave in garment industry
1.
Cottage industry/sweat shops: exploitive piece-rates (paid by dress completed)
2.
Similar to Asians, Cubans, Greeks--create own businesses to be upward mobile
IV.Third
Great Immigrant Stream (1946-present): Mainly third world
A.Distinctive
because of political refugees and labor migration from Third World
B.New
ethnic mix: from Europe (60% 1920-1959) to ½ Latin and 37% Asian
1981-1990
1.Only
10% European in 1981-1990
C.Why
Hispanics mainly blue-collar and uneducated, Asians white-collar and educated?
1.1965
immigration law (Hart-Cellar) priority on skills, PhD; Hispanics illegal
V.1965
amendments to INA (Hart-Cellar) revolutionary: end national origins principle
A.
Ceiling of 290,000 in 1968; 170,000 from Eastern Hemisphere; 120,000 Western
Hem.
B.20,000
from each nation regardless of size; extended to W. Hem. In 1976.