Americans on the Move (College Board AP® US History)

Summary

During the Gilded Age, the United States experienced significant population shifts due to rising immigration and internal migration. Millions of immigrants, primarily from Southern and Eastern Europe as well as Asia, looked for economic opportunities and refuge from poverty. In addition, African Americans moved out of the South in search of new job opportunities and freedom from racial oppression. These migrations reshaped the cultural, economic, and social fabric of the nation.

Immigration, Internal Migration, & Exoduster Movement

Immigration

• The population of the United States increased by nearly 12 million people during the Gilded Age, largely due to immigration

  • Most immigrants came from:

    • Russia

    • Italy

    • the Balkans 

    • China

• Reasons for Europeans to immigrate to America included:

  • overcrowding of their homeland, particularly in rural areas

  • escaping poverty and seeking better economic opportunities in the United States

  • employment opportunities in booming industries, particularly in urban areas

  • fleeing religious persecution, especially Jews from Eastern Europe

• Immigration had an impact on cities, including:

  • rapid population growth in large cities, especially on the East Coast such as New York, Boston and Chicago

  • a diverse workforce 

    • Many immigrants worked as unskilled laborers in factories, railroads, and mines

  • cultural diversity, including a rise of Jewish and Catholic populations

Asian immigration

• Asians, especially those from China, also came to the United States during the California Gold Rush era (1840s and 1850s)

  • By 1870, 50,000 Chinese had immigrated to the United States

Reasons for Asian immigration 

• Asian immigrants came to the United States looking for employment opportunities, especially in the railroad industry

Effects of Asian immigration

• Although most Chinese immigrants were unskilled, they played an essential role in America’s industrial expansion

• Asian immigration had effects on American industries, including:

  • the labor force for the construction of the transcontinental railroad, where many Chinese immigrants worked under harsh conditions

Ethnic enclaves

• Immigrants developed ethnic enclaves

• An ethnic enclave is a region within a city with a high concentration of a specific ethnic group 

• Immigrants shared their culture, religion, language, foods, and festivals to help them preserve their cultural identity while adapting to American life

  • Immigrants created ethnic grocery stores, places of worship, and banks 

    • These were tailored to the needs of their communities

Internal Migration

• As cities expanded, wealthy and middle-class families moved out of the center of cities and towns 

  • This created suburbs to find more space and cleaner living conditions

• The poorer populations remained in the city centers, often living in tenements. Tenements were:

  • poorly constructed buildings with inadequate sanitation and ventilation

  • overcrowded with families sharing small cramped spaces in the same apartment

Exoduster Movement

• The Exoduster Movement was a mass migration of African Americans out of the South to the West, following the reconstruction

  • Between 40,000 and 60,000 African Americans migrated to states like Kansas, Oklahoma, and Colorado

• Reasons for migration:

  • African Americans were looking for employment opportunities and the potential to own land and farms in the West

  • Escaping the racial violence and oppression in the South, including Jim Crow laws and segregation

  • Fleeing the threat of the Ku Klux Klan and other violent groups 

• Outcomes of migration:

  • Many African American farmers were unsuccessful due to:

    • the high cost of farming

    • a lack of farming experience

    • unsuitable lands

• Most African Americans took jobs as domestic or unskilled labor in cities

• Although migration provided some hope and opportunity, it did not fulfill the dreams of prosperity for many