immigrants+-+new+american+century+2

Terms to Define- Click on Links to research what these terms mean. Please create a summ ary for each  one and place it in your wikispace. I suggest that you do this first in order to learn more for your letter. [|The Huddled Masses] , This article is on the Statue of Liberty. The structure is 151 feet high and weighs 225 tons. It was built by Edouard de Laboulaye and was a gift from French Republicans. It was modeled after the goddess Libertas. It originally was intended to express opposition to slavery but is now a symbol of hope for immigrants and refugees.

[|The New Immigrants], In 1886, 334,203 immigrants arrived in America, which was the same year of the statues dedication. In 1900, 14% of the population was foreign, compared to 8% 100 years later. The cost was 10$ to get a boat ride here and passports were not needed. Many immigrants settled in New York.

[|The Chinese Exclusion Act]Chinese immigrants were barred entrance to the United States between 1882 and 1943. All Chinese excluding travelers, merchants, teachers, students, and those born in the U.S. were barred entrance. Smugglers transported Chinese to Victoria, British Columbia, where they entered into the U.S. The Geary Act required Chinese aliens to carry residence certificates or be deported.

[|Contract Agreement]Demand for manual labor in the 1800s grew a lot. Indentured workers, who work with a contract, or workers in the credit ticket system worked in many places and many were immigrants. Most workers were male. Less slavery also caused a rise in these workers.

[|Immigration Restriction]Nations started imposing stricter immigrant policies. Some the U.S. did excluded Asians, contract laborers, illiterates, criminals, those with diseases, and pauper. Later, many countries imposed immigration restrictions. Many nations barred certain Asian groups.

[|United States's Changing Face]Immigration is at it’s highest since the early twentieth century. 10 million immigrants entered in the 1980s, exceeding previous records between 1900 and 1910. Most immigrants are now Hispanic and Asian. California now has no ethnicity higher than 50% of the population. Many immigrants are poor and some native-borns are afraid of their influence on services like welfare and unemployment.

Letter From America Dear Mama and Papa, The earthquake has changed our family so much. I am just so glad we were all alive after Messina was destroyed. Italy will always be my home, but I must say that America is very rewarding. Our ship was not very comfortable. The waves were unforgiving and it was hard to get to sleep at times. There was nothing to do so I decided to help hoist the mass and tie knots whenever I could. It was packed with people, and in the lower decks it was hard to move around. When we entered the harbor in New York, the hardships we faced were washed away with the sight of the Statue of Liberty. It’s majestic beauty radiated in my heart and the other passengers’ hearts. The registration was finished pretty quickly compared to others around me. The life in Messina prepared me for life in New York City. I was healthy and relatively clean so they let me through easily. I did not have much money, so I slept in Central park, a piece of nature in the middle of the huge city! I found a job as a day laborer for the new subway system in New York. The work is hard and dangerous, but it is a living. I made two dollars a day. I find myself now in a tenement, which I share with four other day laborers. The room is scarce and it smells in here, but it is a place to go after work. We try to be clean to prevent diseases like Typhoid and Tuberculosis, which is rampant in tenement buildings. The rent is hard to make though, being twelve dollars a month. Life here has become better over time. I make more money, and there are enough people around me that I have plenty of friends and they are all good people. The women are beautiful, and the drinks are delicious. Also, the country has money, not like poor Italy. I am however, worried. Disease is widespread and quarters are very cramped. Four people is usually a very small amount for an apartment. The subway is risky as the foundations and tunnels could collapse. I am breathing in dust that I do not believe is good for me. I hope I will live to next summer. Mother and Father, I love you. I hope that some day I may visit you again, but I am happy here. Tell Benicio that his thoughts on America are true and he should come right away. America truly is the greatest country in the world.

Hugs and Kisses, Rigatoni