Before the 20th century America was like a ‘melting pot’ with an open-door policy to immigration, allowing millions of immigration, allowing millions of immigrants in who wanted to achieve the ‘American dream’ However in the 1920’s ‘old immigrants’ began to fear their way of life would be threatened by ‘new immigrants’ arriving from poorer ares of europe, which led to attitudes towards immigration changing and immigration laws being introduced for many reasons.
To some extent social fears were important in changing attitudes towards immigration in the 1920’s but the most important factor was prejudice and racism. However there was also other factors such as economic fears.
Social fears- changing attitudes.
Social fears were a fairly important reason for changing attitudes towards immigration in the 1920’s. In America ‘new immigrants’ often settled in poorer areas with other immigrants such as little italy and china town. These areas often had terrible living conditions and an increase in demand for housing led to a rise in rent prices.
This led to changing attitudes because ‘new’ immigrants were often blamed for these poor living conditions and the rent rise, and were treated with hostility, often leading to tension. These areas often had high crime rates, with pubs, gambling dens and brothels commonly being found there as they could not be set up elsewhere.
This included the association of these areas with gangs such as the Italian mafia. This led to changing attitudes because it led to the belief that new immigrants were criminals or causing crime, which led to increased suspicion and Americans viewing them as a threat. However, this was less important because many people felt sorry for the immigrants and their social situations that realised the poor living conditions and crime rates were not necessarily their fault.
Prejudice and racism- changing attitudes.
Prejudice and racism was the most important reason for changing attitudes towards immigration in the 1920’s. Concerns began to arrive about ‘new’ immigrants arriving from poorer areas of eastern Europe, after 1890, which led to the 100% Americanism movement by the native WASPs. This led to changing attitudes because Americans wanted to protect the American way of life and preserve American purity which led to an increase in demand for immigration restriction. These ‘new immigrants’ were often illiterate, unskilled, dressed differently and spoke different languages which made it difficult for them to assimilate into society.
This led to changing attitudes because their differences and failure to assimilate led to increased suspicion and hostility and more Americans began to want the introduction of government policies to stop. However this was less important because racist and prejudiced attitudes were not new in the 1920s as ‘new’ immigrants had been arriving since the 1890s, suggesting it was a now desire for tighter control on the type of immigrant rather than the number.
In evaluation, prejudice and racism was the most important reason for changing attitudie to immigration in the 1920’s because these attitudes underpinned all other fears and beliefs, about immigration in the 1920s because these attitudes underpinned all other fears and beliefs about immigration and were the most difficult to overcome, with pseudo scientific evidence being side spread by nativists to prove immigrants were racially inferior leading to a drive for further immigration, restriction and an increase in fear and hostility.
Economic fears.
Economic fears was a very important reason for changing attitudes towards immigration in the 1920’s. ‘New’ immigrants were unskilled and took hard, low paid work in industrial cities as they were desperate for any form of income and employment.
This led to changing attitudes because it led to immigrants being blamed for stealing jobs and lowing wages which increased hostility and hatred for them, as well as renewed calls for immigration restriction. Immigrants were often also used as strike breakers as they did not mind working long hours for low pay in poor working conditions. This led to changing attitudes as it annoyed many American workers and increased resentment for ‘new’ immigrants who were to strike, leading to further anti immigrant options.
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