Immigration and Ethnic Neighborhoods Affect Urbanization

Immigration and Ethnic Neighborhoods Affect Urbanization

Throughout the late 1800’s and early 1900’s, America was inevitably changing. Industrialization was becoming popular, mass transportation aided in the growth of the nation, and the population change all had a hand in creating the United States an urban living environment. Immigration played an extreme part in the future of America. Without, America would not be diverse, culturally and physically.

In the beginning of the 1800’s, the US population was at 23.2 million, towards the start of the 20th century, it reached a staggering high of 76.2 million. Immigration showed a huge role in this number, contributing 16.2 million people. There were multiple reasons to why immigrants came to America, many wanted to get away from their homeland, and others saw better opportunities in the United States. The many who fled from Europe left because of the poverty, overcrowded cities, lack of jobs, and religious persecution. America could offer religious freedom, economic opportunities, and the improvement in transatlantic traveling.

Those who arrived in the Americas at the time between 1815 and 1880’s were able to fit in with most of the population, they were known as Old Immigrants. These people came from western Europe, and were English speaking. The Old Immigrants expressed high levels of literacy and occupational skills, and were mostly of the Protestant religion. Following the Old Immigrants came the New Immigrants. These travelers arrived during the 1880’s and 1915. They came from eastern and southern Europe and west China. These New Immigrants were generally poor and illiterate peasants who were not accustomed to democracy, most of this group crowded into poor ethnic neighborhoods.

Ethnic neighborhoods became very normal throughout America. These neighborhoods were where immigrants could maintain their culture and their beliefs. It was here that