Immigration and city growth, 1880–1920

Grade 11 Social Studies Worksheet - Challenge Me

Circle the best answer.

1. Read this first

   Use this

   Cities and foreign-born people (cards A and B). Card A: Table "Urban and rural people, in thousands", columns Census year | Urban | Rural: 1880 | 14,130 | 36,026; 1920 | 54,158 | 51,553. Data: US Census Bureau, Historical Statistics of the US (1975), series A 57-72. Counts are in thousands of people. Card B: Table "People born abroad living in the United States", columns Census year | Foreign-born people | Share of all people (percent): 1900 | 10,341,276 | 13.6; 1910 | 13,515,886 | 14.7; 1920 | 13,920,692 | 13.2. Data: US Census Bureau, Working Paper 29 (1999), Table 12. Shares are the Census Bureau's.

2. 1.

   A textbook says immigrants caused the growth of American cities. What do cards A and B let Ari say?

   • Immigrants were part of the story, but the cards cover different years, so no share follows.
   • The claim is wrong, since rural people also grew by about 15.5 million between 1880 and 1920.
   • The claim is wrong, since the urban gain of 40 million is far larger than the foreign-born gain.
   • The claim is right, since the foreign-born count rose by 3.6 million while cities were growing.

3. Use this

   A Chicago ward. Card A: "Jane Addams on her Chicago ward". Who made it: Jane Addams. When: 1910. Where: Chicago. For whom: readers of her book. Why: to describe the ward around Hull-House, looking back. Excerpt (Twenty Years at Hull-House, chapter V; Twenty Years at Hull-House, 1910, pp. 98-99): "The streets are inexpressibly dirty, the number of schools inadequate, sanitary legislation [health laws] unenforced, the street lighting bad, the paving miserable and altogether lacking in the alleys and smaller streets, and the stables foul beyond description. Hundreds of houses are unconnected with the street sewer. The older and richer inhabitants seem anxious to move away as rapidly as they can afford it. They make room for newly arrived immigrants who are densely ignorant of civic duties."

4. 2.

   Addams writes that older, richer residents move away "as rapidly as they can afford it" and newcomers "make room." What does Bo take that to show?

   • The ward's people were turning over, so one snapshot of it cannot show who stayed or why.
   • Immigrants were fully settled in the city, since they filled the homes the older residents left.
   • The ward grew in size, since each leaving household was replaced by a larger newcomer household.
   • Immigrants drove the older residents out by taking their jobs, since newcomers made room for themselves.

5. Use this

   New York and Brooklyn. Card A: Table "New York and Brooklyn", columns City | 1880 | 1920: New York | 1,206,299 | 5,620,048; Brooklyn | 566,663 | part of New York. Data: US Census Bureau, Working Paper 27 (1998), Tables 11 and 15 and its notes on individual places. The Census notes that New York annexed Brooklyn in 1898.

6. 3.

   New York's 1920 count includes Brooklyn, annexed in 1898. What does this show Esme about city growth figures?

   • A rise in a city's count can mix new residents with annexed land, so it needs a fixed boundary.
   • New York grew faster than any other city, since its 1920 count was 5,620,048 people.
   • Annexation cancelled growth, since Brooklyn's people had already been counted in the 1880 total.
   • Annexed areas should be dropped from the 1920 count, since they were not in the city in 1880.

7. Use this

   Arrivals from Europe (cards A and B). Card A: "The Immigration Commission on settlers and temporary workers". Who made it: United States Immigration Commission, created in 1907. When: 1911. Where: Washington. For whom: Congress and the public. Why: to describe how the "new" immigration differed from the "old". Excerpt (Abstracts of Reports of the Immigration Commission, vol. 1; Immigration Commission, Abstracts, vol. 1, 1911, p. 24): "The old immigration movement was essentially one of permanent settlers. The new immigration is very largely one of individuals a considerable proportion of whom apparently have no intention of permanently changing their residence, their only purpose in coming to America being to temporarily take advantage of the greater wages paid for industrial labor in this country. This, of course, is not true of all the new immigrants, but the practice is sufficiently common to warrant referring to it as a characteristic of them as a class." Card B: "European arrivals in two years, in brief". Who made it: the Immigration Commission, 1911, with figures as it printed them. When: today. Where: the United States. For whom: readers today. Why: to count arrivals from Europe. Summary in our words, not a quotation: In the fiscal year 1882, 648,186 European immigrants arrived, and 84,973 of them (13.1 percent) came from southern and eastern countries. In the fiscal year 1907, 1,207,619 arrived from Europe, and 979,661 of them (81 percent) came from southern and eastern countries. The Commission's list of southern and eastern countries includes Austria-Hungary, Italy, Russia and Turkey in Asia. Counts from the Immigration Commission's report of 1911.

8. 4.

   Southern and eastern share of arrivals rose from 13.1 to 81 percent, 1882 to 1907. What is true about the counts, Jun asks?

   • Other European arrivals stayed about the same, since the total nearly doubled over the span.
   • Their arrivals rose about 6 times, found by dividing 81 percent by 13.1 percent.
   • Their arrivals rose about 11.5 times while other European arrivals fell by about 60 percent.
   • Other European arrivals fell by about 68 percent, found by subtracting 13.1 from 81.
9. 5.

   Card A says many new immigrants "apparently" meant to stay briefly. What would let Kira test that claim?

   • The share of arrivals from southern and eastern countries in 1907, since 81 percent is large.
   • Wage rates in industrial jobs, since the Commission says wages drew them.
   • More quotations from the Commission's report, since repeated claims show a pattern.
   • Counts of people leaving, by country, set against arrivals from the same countries.

10. Use this

    Foreign-born people from two parts of Europe. Card A: Table "Foreign-born people from two parts of Europe", columns Census year | Northern and western Europe | Southern and eastern Europe: 1880 | 5,499,889 | 248,620; 1900 | 7,204,649 | 1,674,648; 1910 | 7,306,325 | 4,500,932; 1920 | 6,241,916 | 5,670,927. Data: US Census Bureau, Working Paper 29 (1999), Table 4.

11. 6.

    A note says: "By 1920 southern and eastern Europe had passed northern and western Europe in foreign-born residents." Check it, Luz.

    • False, since the gap in 1880 was 248,620, the southern and eastern count.
    • True, since southern and eastern grew at each census and northern and western fell after 1910.
    • False, since northern and western was ahead at each census and its count did not drop.
    • False: 5,670,927 is still below 6,241,916, though the gap shrank to under 0.6 million.

12. Use this

    The 1924 act and the foreign-born (cards A to D). Card A: "The Immigration Act of 1924, in brief". Who made it: us, from the State Department's Office of the Historian. When: today. Where: the United States. For whom: readers today. Why: to sum up what is known. Summary in our words, not a quotation: Congress set yearly quotas of two percent of the number of people of each nationality counted in the United States census of 1890. The earlier plan, for a three percent quota, used the census of 1910. The act also excluded any alien "ineligible for citizenship" by race or nationality, which barred Japanese immigrants; Japan protested that this broke the Gentlemen's Agreement. Card B: Table "Foreign-born people from two parts of Europe", columns Census year | Northern and western Europe | Southern and eastern Europe: 1880 | 5,499,889 | 248,620; 1900 | 7,204,649 | 1,674,648; 1910 | 7,306,325 | 4,500,932; 1920 | 6,241,916 | 5,670,927. Data: US Census Bureau, Working Paper 29 (1999), Table 4. Card C: Compare chart "Four answers to immigration, 1882 to 1917", columns Problem | Who pushed for change | Law or result | Date: Anti-Chinese feeling and job competition in the West | Advocates of exclusion in the western states | Chinese Exclusion Act suspends the coming of Chinese laborers for ten years | 1882; Anti-Japanese feeling in California | President Theodore Roosevelt and Japan's government | Gentlemen's Agreement: Japan limits laborers coming to the United States, and San Francisco desegregates its public schools | 1907; Widespread worry about the new immigration | Congress | Immigration Commission studies immigrants and publishes its reports | 1907 to 1911; Support in Congress for further limits on immigration | Congress, over President Wilson's veto | Immigration Act of 1917 adds a literacy test | 1917. Our summary of the sources named on the sheet. Card D: Made-up case, not from any source: Ardonia is a made-up country. The census of 1890 counted 120,000 people of Ardonian nationality in the United States, and the census of 1910 counted 400,000.

13. 7.

    Milo checks the cards. Table B counts foreign-born people. Why would an 1890 base instead of 1910 shrink the quotas for southern and eastern countries?

    • Two percent is smaller than three percent, so each country's quota fell by the same share.
    • Their count in 1880 and 1900 was far below the 1910 count of 4,500,932, so an 1890 base is smaller.
    • The 1890 census counted these nationalities less carefully, which gave their countries lower totals.
    • The law sets quotas by country of birth in 1920, which shrinks the counts of eastern countries.
14. 8.

    Which revision of the student's note on card B fits the chart on card A, Ren?

    • "The 1901 act moved toilets inside buildings, and the 1902 act built new tenements."
    • "The 1901 act tore down the poorest tenements and left the rest standing."
    • "The 1901 act set rules for new tenements, such as a window for each room."
    • "The 1901 act put city housing under one new department the same year."

15. Use this

    The Chinese Exclusion Act (cards A and B). Card A: "The Chinese Exclusion Act, 1882". Who made it: Congress of the United States. When: May 6, 1882. Where: Washington. For whom: customs officers, courts and the public. Why: to suspend the coming of Chinese laborers. Excerpt (Chinese Exclusion Act, chapter 126 (22 Stat. 58); Statutes at Large, vol. 22, 1883, pp. 58-59): "Whereas, in the opinion of the Government of the United States [here, Congress] the coming of Chinese laborers to this country endangers the good order of certain localities within the territory thereof: … That from and after the expiration of ninety days next after the passage of this act, and until the expiration of ten years next after the passage of this act, the coming of Chinese laborers to the United States be, and the same is hereby, suspended [put off for a time]; and during such suspension it shall not be lawful for any Chinese laborer to come, or, having so come after the expiration of said ninety days, to remain within the United States." Card B: "The Chinese Exclusion Act, sections 14 and 15". Who made it: Congress of the United States. When: May 6, 1882. Where: Washington. For whom: courts, customs officers and the public. Why: to bar Chinese immigrants from citizenship and to define "laborers". Excerpt (Chinese Exclusion Act, chapter 126 (22 Stat. 58); Statutes at Large, vol. 22, 1883, p. 61): "Sec. 14. That hereafter no State court or court of the United States shall admit Chinese to citizenship; and all laws in conflict with this act are hereby repealed. Sec. 15. That the words "Chinese laborers", wherever used in this act, shall be construed to mean both skilled and unskilled laborers and Chinese employed in mining." Card C: A student's note, made up and not from any source: "The 1882 act banned all Chinese immigrants and let state courts admit Chinese to citizenship."

16. 9.

    Which revision of the student's note on card C fits the Act's words on cards A and B, Tala?

    • "It suspended the coming of Chinese skilled workers and let unskilled laborers come, and it barred state courts."
    • "It suspended the coming of Chinese laborers for ten years and barred courts from admitting Chinese to citizenship."
    • "It suspended the coming of Chinese laborers for twenty years and barred Chinese from citizenship."
    • "It suspended the coming of Chinese laborers for ten years and said nothing about citizenship."

17. Use this

    Reform in two cities (cards A to C). Card A: "Jane Addams on what a settlement is". Who made it: Jane Addams. When: 1910. Where: Chicago. For whom: readers of her book. Why: to explain what a settlement is, looking back on Hull-House. Excerpt (Twenty Years at Hull-House, chapter VI; Twenty Years at Hull-House, 1910, pp. 125-126): "The Settlement, then, is an experimental effort to aid in the solution of the social and industrial problems which are engendered by the modern conditions of life in a great city. It insists that these problems are not confined to any one portion of a city. It is an attempt to relieve, at the same time, the overaccumulation [too much wealth] at one end of society and the destitution [extreme poverty] at the other; but it assumes that this overaccumulation and destitution is most sorely felt in the things that pertain to social and educational advantages." Card B: "Jane Addams on her Chicago ward". Who made it: Jane Addams. When: 1910. Where: Chicago. For whom: readers of her book. Why: to describe the ward around Hull-House, looking back. Excerpt (Twenty Years at Hull-House, chapter V; Twenty Years at Hull-House, 1910, pp. 98-99): "The streets are inexpressibly dirty, the number of schools inadequate, sanitary legislation [health laws] unenforced, the street lighting bad, the paving miserable and altogether lacking in the alleys and smaller streets, and the stables foul beyond description. Hundreds of houses are unconnected with the street sewer. The older and richer inhabitants seem anxious to move away as rapidly as they can afford it. They make room for newly arrived immigrants who are densely ignorant of civic duties." Card C: "Robert W. de Forest on how the new law worked". Who made it: Robert W. de Forest, chairman of the 1900 state commission. When: 1903. Where: New York. For whom: readers of the book. Why: to report on how the 1901 law had worked. Excerpt (The Tenement House Problem, Introduction; The Tenement House Problem, vol. 1, 1903, p. xvi): "The new-law houses have been an unqualified success. Builders and owners who were at first bitterly opposed to the law are now outspoken in its approval, and many of them state that the new houses are more remunerative [profitable] than the old ones." A student's note, made up and not from any source: "By 1903 reformers had solved the problems of American cities."

18. 10.

    Which revision of the student's note fits cards A to C, Zee?

    • "A New York law improved new tenements, and Addams describes one ward's problems; no card shows cities solved."
    • "Reformers solved New York's housing problem, but Addams shows Chicago had not started on reform."
    • "Reformers had solved Chicago's problems by 1910, since Addams writes in 1910 about her ward."
    • "Addams and de Forest agree reform failed, since both describe how much remained to be done in the city."