Immigration, cities

1) Describe the causes of the immigration of Southern and Eastern Europeans, Chinese, Koreans, and Japanese to America in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

Europeans: Many of the Europeans (at first, it was mainly Eastern Europeans, but soon Southern Europeans followed suit) left their home country to get away from religious oppression. This was a particular problem for Jews, and many Jewish immigrants flocked to the US after being kicked out of their villages. Europe was also rising in population; simply by necessity, people were forced to leave in order to find work and enough food for their families. A final reason that many Europeans came to the US was because of new political movements in their homelands - individualism was being pushed, and America was a place where they could start over as individuals.

Chinese: The Chinese immigrants mainly went to the West Coast. Poverty in their old country drove them to look for lucrative jobs, and the California Gold Rush (as well as the railroad business boom) drew in millions of Chinese immigrants looking to make any amount of money they could earn. This was a similar path for other Asian immigrants, such as Koreans to take.

Japanese: The Japanese immigration wave was mainly caused by the Japanese government - they agreed to let Hawaiian planters recruit Japanese citizens to work on their farms. This chance at a "new life" seemed like an incredible opportunity, and the Japanese began to pour into the US.

2) Describe the journey immigrants endured and their experiences at United States immigration stations.

The journey itself was incredibly dangerous - immigrants packed on to steamships, paying for the cheapest passage possible. This meant that hundreds of people were stuffed into limited space below the deck, without fresh air. Disease spread like wildfire, since there was little sanitation. From Europe, immigrants could be stuck on the boat for a week; from Asia, it could take three weeks.

If they even survived the boat ride, immigrants were still not safe once they reached American shores. Each immigrant had to pass through an immigration station, where they would be examined for hours by government officials and doctors. There was a possibility that they could be sent back to their home country if their documents did not match up. Some detention centers were better than others; Angel Island, on the West Coast, for example, had very poor conditions compared to Ellis Island on the East Coast.

Big Business and Labor Quiz

The business ideologies of Laissez Faire and Social Darwinism had a terrible effect on workers' conditions. Both of these theories were used widely by business moguls; it was not, logically, the poor who thought they were poor because they were not in god's favor. As ruthless businessmen like John D. Rockefeller clawed to the top, the workers under them were easily forgotten. The businessmen in charge of companies were so concerned with making enough money to buy out their competition and survive in the jungle of the business world that they viewed their workers as pawns whose rights were not a major concern. In order to survive, as per the theory of Social Darwinism (which stated that Darwin's "survival of the fittest" theory was applicable not only to nature but to the business world as well), companies often lowered their laborers' pay while upping the price of their product. This raised their profits exponentially, and because the workers' conditions did not register with them, the businessmen could do this without guilt. Laissez Faire only encouraged this guilt-free treatment of the laborers; that theory stated that "whatever happened, happened" and the free market should not be interfered with. This meant that business moguls saw the poor treatment of workers as something that could not be helped. Workers were suddenly forced to look out for themselves, since many of their overseers followed a twisted version of Social Darwinism. This version stated that the poor were simply lazy and could not be helped, seeing as they were not in god's favor. This forced the workers to take matters into their own hands, and soon labor unions like the American Railway Union (for both skilled and unskilled workers) and the Wobblies (a much more welcoming group) began cropping up all over America. The Social Darwinism and Laissez Faire ideologies were certainly not formed for the benefit of the average laborers, but eventually they forced the workers to take a stand for themselves - an important step forward in workers' rights.

Labor Unions & Big Business

I have also shared a pdf file with you entitled Labor Unions.

• Identify each of the following events or people. Give an explanation or description of the item. Answer the questions who, what, where, and when.
• Explain the historical significance of each item in the space provided. Establish the historical context in which the item exists. Establish the item as the result of or as the cause of other factors existing in the society under study. Answer this question: What were the political, social, economic, and/or cultural consequences of this item?

the Knights of Labor

a. Formed in 1869 by Uriah Stephens , the Knights of Labor was a union that focused mainly on bringing many workers together. Unlike many other labor unions at the time, the Knights accepted all sorts of laborers - they did not discriminate based on gender, race, or amount of skill. This mean that workers who could not take part in other unions (women, African-Americans, unskilled laborers, etc.) now had a cause to rally for. The Knights bloomed in the late 1870s. The Knights did not support strikes, and especially criticized violent strikes, believing that these led to more harm than good. Their major idea was for workers to work for themselves, not the government or big businesses. they saw no reason as to why the average person could not be in charge of his own business, and pushed for this to happen, along with more basic benefits for workers.

b. The Knights created a broad sense of worker unity. While the Knights were still powerful, more workers than ever before banded together to work for common goals. In the South, a more militant branch of the Knights organized a strike against the major railroad manager Jay Gould. The strike turned into a massive cause that spread across many states, and severely impacted the railroad business in the South. Even after the leader of the Knights met with Gould, Gould refused to give in to the laborers demand for higher wages and union recognition. After this failure, membership within the Knights dropped severely, but he idea of worker unity had been planted firmly in the minds of many laborers.

the Haymarket riot

a. Occurring on May 4, 1186, the Haymarket Riot was one of the most infamous and bloody riots of the labor union movement. Outraged at an incident that had taken place at the McCormick Harvester Plant just days before, in which a protesting worker had been killed by the police and several others had been wounded, many people gathered in Haymarket Square in Chicago to protest against police violence against laborers. Towards the end of the protest, as people were starting to drift away, the police arrived. Some unidentified person threw a bomb into the police line, and suddenly the riot began. Police opened fire, and chaos ensued. Eight speakers and radicals at the event were arrested; four received the death penalty and one more killed himself in prison.

b. After the Haymarket Riot, the public began to fear the unions. Many of the participants had been adamant socialists or anarchists, and many were foreign. The public twisted these images and suddenly, the strikers were portrayed as desperate criminals who would do anything to get their way. The entire issue was viewed as a crisis, and after being pushed by public opinion, the federal government upped military response to union actions. More so than ever, the government and big business focused on disbanding strikes and splitting up unions.

the American Federation of Labor

a. Formed by Samuel Gompers in 1886, the AFL was one of the first major craft unions to be formed. Craft unions were unions that accepted skilled workers from many different trades. Gompers had been a member of the Cigar Makers' International Union. He joined this union with a few others to form the AFL, and then became president of it. the AFL focused heavily on both strikes and peaceful negotiation. The AFL worked mostly towards concrete goals - shorter hours, higher wages - rather than broader ideas.

b. The AFL's efforts to improve worker condition proved to be vastly successful. In just 25 years, wages for workers in some unions rose by an average of $6.50, and the hours that these laborers were forced to work dropped from 54.5 hours a week to about 49. These may not seem like huge changes, but the AFL inspired hope for unions all around the nation. It showed that with hard work, things could change for the better, even if it took years.

Samuel Gompers

a. Formerly a member of the Cigar Makers' International Union, Gompers used his intellectual skills and entrepreneurial ideas to form the AFL. It was the first of its kind, and it achieved remarkable things for its time. Gompers himself was a remarkable man, simply for forming this union - up until this point, unions had generally been segregated by craft. Gompers was able to create a sense of togetherness between skilled workers all over the country.

b. This banding together of workers would inspire many other craft unions to form. Gompers also was a perfect example of the pragmatic union leader, a figurehead who could inspire change throughout the country. Many people at the time were skeptical or fearful of unions, but Gompers showed that unions could achieve their goals, without causing outbursts of violence.

the Homestead strike

a. The Homestead Strike happened on June 29, 1892, after the president of the Carnegie Steel Company's Homestead plant announced a wage cut to his workers. The workers struck in response, and the president acted defensively, calling in hundreds of guards from the Pinkerton Detective Agency to break the strike. The strikers fought back, rather successfully, against the guards, and the state militia was called in. The strike continued for five months, but eventually the workers were forced to give in.

b. The violence against the guards, a threat to the president of the plant's life, and the length that the strike went on for meant that the strikers received little support from the general population. On one hand, the Homestead strike showed the passion of the laborers for their cause. This strike made it clear to the country and the government that the unions were not going anywhere anytime soon, and they were not afraid to fight for their cause, even if it meant extreme violence. On the other hand, though, the strike lent a negative view to the unions. To the public, this particular strike looked over the top, especially because of the threat to the president of the company's life.

the Pullman strike

a. After the economic crash of 1893, the Pullman company began laying off many of its employees and severely cutting wages. When conditions had not improved a year later, the workers in the Pullman town in Chicago rebelled and went on strike. Pullman called in strikebreakers, and when that made the situation even worse, the President sent in federal troops. Eventually, the majority of the workers who had participated were simply fired, and many were blacklisted so that they could not be re-hired.

b. The Pullman strike raised much hostility among the workers. The involvement of federal troops and the blacklisting of workers made this particular strike stand out. Also, the Pullman strike caused the boycotting of many Pullman trains by the American Railway Union; this had severe economic consequences for the Pullman company.

Eugene V. Debs

a. Having been involved in the world of labor unions practically all his life, it is no surprise that Debs formed one of the most well known unions - the American Railway Union. The ARU was made up of mostly semiskilled or unskilled laborers, although some skilled workers joined too. The ARU met great success soon after its start, and continued to build momentum for the labor movement. This can be largely accredited to Debs, who was passionate about his work. Later on in life, he became a strong socialist and eventually became nominated as the candidate for the Socialist Party of America.

b. Debs was a driving force of the labor movement. He was involved in many of the major strikes of the 19th century, and organized the ARU. Debs was an inspiration to many; a worker all his life, he was just an average man. Because of this, he was able to effect many people in a way that other leaders could not. His organizations drew great success, and even after his prison sentence, he continued to make waves - he was one of the biggest proponents of socialism in the US during the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

the Industrial Workers of the World

a. Also known as the Wobblies, the Industrial Workers of the World was formed mainly by a group of Colorado mine workers in 1905. They were big proponents of worker unity, much like the Knights, but unlike that group, they strongly supported violent means to get their points across. William D. Haywood, along with others, led many powerful strikes in the Western territories. Also tied to these strikes was a woman known as Mother Jones, who supported these mine worker unions but also focused strongly on women and child workers' rights.

b. The IWW was significant for two reasons - one, it was the most major union in the Western lands, and two, its ties to Mother Jones pushed women and child workers' rights into the public eye. Up until this point, the union movement had mainly been concentrated in the North, with some action in the South. The IWW brought significant attention to the workers in the West. Also, until Mother Jones began pushing for them to be recognized, women were vastly ignored by unions. The fact that Mother Jones worked so closely with William Haywood was a huge step in itself for women, let alone what Mother Jones would do later on for their rights.

Important People (Chapter 14-3)

ALL CLASSES: Read Chapter 14-3 and then identify the significance of each of the following terms / names: (Post your answers in your blog before the beginning of class.)

Andrew Carnegie - Andrew Carnegie started out as an average secretary for a railroad company. When he began investing in stocks and bonds, he became on of the first in the nation to make their fortune through the stock market. He eventually started his own business in the steel industry, and redefined the American view of big business. He used many techniques, such as buying out his competition and gaining as many resources for himself as possible, to make a huge business tycoon.

Social Darwinism - Social Darwinism, based on Darwin's principle of survival of the fittest, is a philosophy that ties in closely with the laissez faire doctrine. According to social Darwinism and laissez faire, the market need not be regulated. Social Darwinists believed that hard work would get you were you wanted to go, but it was really those who were in god's favor who made it big. The poor were obviously just lazy scum who deserved what they got, seeing as they were not in god's favor.

John D. Rockefeller - Rockefeller set up a new form of business - a group of businesses run by a committee of trustees who controlled all the stocks for those companies. Rockefeller used this method to totally take over the US' oil business. Rockefeller paid his workers extremely poor wages, but bought out competition by selling his oil at low prices. He then started raising the price of oil, earning huge profits for himself.

Sherman Antitrust Act - This act made it impossible to form a trust that the government deemed would interfere with the nation's free trade, whether it was between countries or states. However, it was difficult to put into effect because the trusts could easily disband and avoid prosecution if they felt they were under government scrutiny.

Samuel Gompers - Samuel Gompers was a leader of the Cigar Makers' International Union. He led this union to join with the other craft unions. He eventually became the president of the AFL. This was a new kind of union for the country: not just one kind of worker banding together, but many different kinds of workers coming together for the good of them all.

American Federation of Labor (AFL) - The AFL used techniques such as strikes to get better wages and hours for many different kinds of workers. They negotiated many treaties which regulated working conditions across the board. This combination of techniques worked surprisingly well, and the AFL had great success.

Eugene V. Debs - Debs formed the American Railway Union, a union for both skilled and unskilled laborers. It was the first of its kind; it quickly gained popularity. Debs began to support socialism, a belief that was spreading throughout the country at a rapid rate. Socialism called for the governmental distribution of wealth; it was a step down from the theory of communism.

Industrial Workers of the World - The IWW, also known as the Wobblies, was made up mostly of unskilled workers. It admitted African Americans, unlike many other unions, and although it never grew as large as the ARU or the AFL, it gave a sense of hope to the unskilled laborers who had previously been unspoken for.

Mary Harris Jones - Often referred to as Mother Jones, Mary Jones was an advocate for workers rights, especially women and children's rights. She is most famous for her organized walk of (maltreated and injured) mill children to President Roosevelt's house. This significantly improved child laborers' conditions.

Railroad Development

The federal government gave land and made loans to the railroad companies. Why was the government so eager to promote the growth of railroads?

The government was eager to settle the western lands, and they knew that providing easy access to these lands was the best way encourage prospectors and businesses to move out to the new land. Having settlers in the west made the government feel secure about its land ownership, not to mention the fact that open space meant room for many, many new businesses. With each new railroad, another part of the country was able to connect with the rest of the US. This heavily promoted interstate trade, which of course benefited the government. Railroads easily gained government support, since the federal powers knew that they would prove to be highly lucrative in the long run, thanks to the new business and trade opportunities that they would open up.

Expansion of Industry

Question:

What were the three major factors that contributed to the immense technological boom that took place in the United States after the Civil War? Explain how two of these factors helped to bring about this technological boom.

The three major factors that contributed to America's post-Civil War technological boom were government-backed businesses, more natural resources, and the fact that there were large amounts of people available to perform manual labor, and to be interested in new products.

As more and more natural resources were discovered throughout the country, the need to mine and refine them became huge. Resources such as oil, iron, and coal were found in vast amounts throughout the country, especially in the new western territories. With each new discovery, a new method of extracting that resource needed to be developed. Soon, technology to mine these resources began popping up all over the US. The need for new technology was so great that the process of developing said machines became very quick, and soon America was pushed into its technological age.

The fact that there were many people performing manual labor (and available to perform this labor) also contributed to America's technological boom. Machines such as typewriters, sewing machines, and telephones all improved the world of business. Typewriters created many new job opportunities - especially for women - as did sewing machines. Inventors were eager to create products that would be widely used, and there were many niches to fill at this point in history.

Westward Expansion Questions

Westward Expansion following the Civil War

1. What are some of the main reasons that the federal government's policy of assimilation failed?

The federal government's policy of assimilation was doomed to fail from the very beginning. First and foremost, the white and Native American cultures were so fundamentally different that there was little to no way any sort of compromise could have been reached. The Native Americans did not believe that land could be owned or acquired; the concept of white settlers taking over their land could not be comprehended by them. The theory of assimilation may have seemed good in concept, but in practice, it floundered and eventually failed. Part of this had to do with the fact that as the government broke more and more of the promises it had made to the Native Americans, the Native Americans became less and less willing to cooperate with the white man. The government set aside specific lands for the Native Americans, but these lands often violated traditional hunting grounds, and of course the government did little to stop racist army officials from massacring many, many Native Americans in the name of Westward Expansion. Many whites resented any Native Americans who would not assimilate (and even after some Native Americans tried to assimilate, they faced prejudice and hatred). What the whites simply could not make sense of was that asking the Native Americans to adapt to their way of life was just as ridiculous as asking the whites to completely change their culture to comply with the Native American societies. The majority of the whites were a settled, farming society, who focused deeply on Christian or Catholic religion. The Native Americans were a more rural, free-roaming society, who focused on their traditional spiritual and cultural religions and used hunting as their primary source of food. Neither side could mesh easily with the other, and the federal government simply refused to believe this until it was too late.

2. How successful were government efforts to promote settlement of the Great Plains? Give examples to support your answer.

The government efforts to promote settlement of the Great Plains were extremely successful; perhaps even too successful. As it became easier to access the West, the population in said area boomed. People had heard tales of poor farmers who had made their fortunes almost overnight finding gold, or of all the free land available to create enormous farms. Many Americans viewed the West as a chance to start a new, financially sound life. The government encouraged this view, and in a push to get the land settled, began handing out passels of land with abandon. The Homestead Act is the most well known government effort; Americans jumped at the chance for free land. Soon, people were moving out West even before they had officially received land. The railroads played a major part in this rush to the West, as well - not only did they make it easier for people to get out West, they created millions of job opportunities towards the Great Plains. The government did not have to give very much encouragement to get people to move out West, seeing as there was already a craze to head West, but their efforts exponentially increased the number of people who could settle successfully. All in all, the government's efforts worked very well.

Conflict In Iraq Q&A

Directions: Read Part I (Pages 1 - 12) and answer the short answer and extended response questions below. Then, read Part II (Pages 13 - 29) and answer the questions that follow. All answers are due either on your blog (label the post Iraq) or you can submit them in writing on Tuesday. (NOTE: There are two graphic organizers at the end of the readings to help you organize your information for Part II.)

Part I Questions:

Short Response

1. Where do most Kurds, Shi'a, and Sunnis live in Iraq?

Kurds: Most Kurds live in Northern area of Iraq, in the mountains and hills.

Shi'a: Most Shi'a populate the southern portion of Iraq, where there are vast oil reserves.

Sunnis: The majority of the Sunni population lives in the central, oil-poor part of Iraq.

2. Which ethnic group(s) hold(s) power over the majority of oil reserves in Iraq?
The Kurds and the Shi'a hold power over the majority of Iraq's oil reserves, since they inhabit the north and the south (respectively), where the large part of Iraq's oil lies.

3. What is the main reason Britain became involved in Iraq?

The main reason Britain became involved in Iraq was to take advantage of Iraq's plentiful oil reserves, a commodity of which Britain had none.

4. What did pan-Arabists advocate after World War II?

After World War II, pan-Arabists pushed heavily for a fully independent Middle Eastern world, free from all external rule. They also specifically advocated for the Iraqi government to cut all its ties to England.

5. How was Saddam Hussein able to gain power and popularity in the 1970s?

The price of oil rose dramatically during this time period, giving Hussein the excess money that he needed to start many influential programs in Iraq. He set up a health care system, a free system of education, and worked to reform Iraq's agriculture. All of these were steps forward for Iraq, and they served to increase both Hussein's popularity among the people and his power in the government.

6. Why did the United States become involved in the Iran-Iraq War?

Although the US was officially "neutral" during the Iran-Iraq War, it actually dealt with both sides. In order to prevent the Islamist state of Iran from taking hold of the entire Middle East, they provided aid to Iraq and its allies. However, the US also dealt secretly with Iran, providing them with weapons and supplies in a hope to gain Iran's help in freeing U.S. captives held in Lebanon.

7. Why did President George H.W. Bush (1989-93) bring the ground portion of the First Persian Gulf War to a halt? List two reasons.

a. Both the President and his cabinet did not want to completely remove Iraq's government, seeing as they were hesitant about needing to support a suddenly leaderless country.

b. He wanted to leave the last remnants of the Iraqi army intact, so that they would not leave Iraq completely defenseless.

Extended Response:

8. What are the different ethnic and religious groups in Iraq? Why is it important to understand these differences?

There are three main ethnic and/or religious groups in Iraq. One major Iraqi ethnic grouping is the Kurds, who populate an area referred to as Kurdistan. Kurdistan takes up the northern portion of Iraq, as well as portions of Iran, Turkey, and Syria. The Kurds, a nomadic people, have been around for centuries, and have tried many times to gain independence, without success. Another main Iraqi ethnic grouping is the Arabs. Arabs mainly practice the religion of Islam, which creates further groupings in the country. Muslims divide into two main categories, with sub-groupings under one of these categories. The Sunni muslims believe that after the Prophet Mohammed died, all of the caliphs that succeeded him were legitimate. They strongly emphasize conformity and social stability, and make up the minority of Muslims in Iraq, although worldwide, more Muslims are Sunni than Shi'i. Shi'i Muslims believe that only the caliph Ali was a legitimate leader, because he was a direct descendant of Mohammed. They further split into Twelvers, who recognize all 12 leaders after Ali, and Seveners, who recognize only the 7th leader after Ali. Most Muslims in Iraq are Shi'i. Shi'i emphasize themes such as equality, social justice, and martyrdom.

It is important to understand these differences to get a clear picture as to why Iraq is so unstable and internally divided. There is little separation of church and state, so when one religious group holds power, they tend to think that it is due to their faith, and penalize the other religious group. Also, the fact that the Kurds are constantly fighting for their independence creates major tension in the region. Combine all of these factors, and you get a constantly unstable region and shifting array of power, making it hard for external nations to get involved in Iraqi affairs without getting far more than they bargained for.


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Part II Questions:

Short Response

9. What dangers did President George W. Bush (2001-09) say Iraq posed to the region and the world? Name two.

a. President Bush said that Iraq had a (supposed) program of WMDs.

b. President Bush said Iraq's sponsorship of terrorism was a great danger.

10. What were the U.S. government's declared goals in sending troops to Iraq?

a. To end the reign of Saddam Hussein in Iraq.

b. To uncover and remove any and all Iraqi WMDs.

11. List two reasons violence continues in Iraq.

a. The Iraqi law enforcement and army are so weak and new that they cannot do much to maintain peace throughout the country as of yet.

b. Because the national army is not very effective, small towns are forced to rely on their own defenses. This means that illegal weapon smuggling runs rampant.

Extended Response:

12. Describe the different groups involved in the ongoing conflict in Iraq. What are their goals? (Reasons for fighting)

Shi'a: The Shii'a have similar concerns to the Sunni, only in the other direction: they fear a Sunni controlled Iraq. At the same time, they resent being controlled by the U.S. and are also fighting to have more power for the Iraqi government in general.

Sunni: Sunni Muslims are mainly concerned with defending their presence in the Iraqi government. They greatly fear a Shi'a dominated government, and feel that this is what the U.S. is pushing for. They do not want a democracy, for fear that this will mean that the Shi'a will be able to seize control of the government.

Kurd: The Kurds, who are mainly Shi'i Muslims, if they practice that faith, also fear a Sunni ruled government. Their main concern, though, is setting up a country of their own. Some want to break away from Iraq completely, while others want to simply be an individual presence within Iraq, but all agree that something needs to be done to assert their presence.

al Qaeda: The members of al-Qaeda are attempting to instigate an Iraqi civil war in order to break apart and overthrow the Iraqi government. Some members are also looking to set up one single Muslim state, including many countries in the Middle East. This plan is generally only supported by the more intense members, but the majority of al-Qaeda share another goal: removing the U.S. presence from Iraq.