By 1840 there were about 60,000 immigrants in the United States.

This number
quadrupled by the 1850s when over a million and a half Irish immigrants and nearly as many
Germans left their homes to escape famine, poverty, and oppression. With the exception of IrishCatholics, these old immigrants were usually Protestant, had a high rate of literacy, adjusted to
society easily, and were accepted by American born citizens. However, the new immigrants
arrived after 1880 and were from Southern and Eastern Europe, bringing different religions,
languages, and ideas with them. They were mostly Catholic, poor, could not speak English and
did not conform to American society. This statement is correct when comparing the experience of
the new immigrants to the old immigrants because except for the Irish Catholics, the new
immigrants faced more discrimination than the old immigrants when they arrived in the United
States seeking freedom and equal opportunity. German immigrants adjusted to an American
lifestyle easily and were accepted into society, but the new immigrants were not, causing their
experiences in the United States to differ. This statement is false because Irish immigrants and
the new immigrants both had to overcome racist antiforeignism groups: The Know-Nothing
Party and the American Protective Association (APA).
The German immigrants and the new immigrants were welcomed by American born
citizens differently when they arrived. Both groups were approached by political bosses hoping
to gain their votes. However, the Germans were less potent politically because their strength was
scattered across the country. The new immigrants were approached by politicians who promised
them jobs and cheap housing in exchange for their vote. When the Germans arrived they were
literate, had a modest amount of material goods, and pushed to the Middle West- specifically
Wisconsin, where they established small farms. When the new immigrants arrived they were
poor, illiterate, and settled in coastal cities where they struggled to find factory jobs.

By 1850 there were 1.8 million Catholics in the United States, alarming Protestants to
rally for political action. In 1849 the Order of the Star-Spangled Banner was formed, which
became more widely known as the Know-Nothing Party. The group strived for laws restricting
immigration and supporting deportation. They also produced books that were pure fiction,
claiming to expose the secrets of Catholicism. A group similar to this would be revived in the late
1880s.
One million members joined the APA to pursue their nativist goals of oppressing the new
immigrants. They urged people to vote against Roman-Catholic candidates and argued that
American workers should be protected from foreign laborers willing to work for less. The APAs
persistence caused Congress to pass its first restriction law preventing the poor, convicts, and
criminals from being allowed to enter the United States. They also urged for literacy tests that
were not enacted until 1917.
The similarity between the treatment of immigrants in the 19th century and the attitude
toward immigrants today shows that many Americans are still living with an old fashioned and
sometimes racist mindset. Groups like the Know-Nothing Party and the APA share the same
goals of building a wall across the United States border; to preserve this nation for English
speaking, American-born citizens only. The fear that the United States will be taken over by
different languages, religions, and races through immigration has been instilled in the minds of
Americans from as early on as the 19th century and is still relevant today.
The experience of each immigrant is different based on where they come from, their
adjustment to American society, and the time of their arrival. More specifically, the Irish
immigrants of the mid 1800s and the new immigrants of the 1880s both faced racist
antiforeignism groups and discrimination based on their religion and ways of life. The German

and British immigrants faced little discriminated when they arrived in the middle of the 19th
century because they had more money and adjusted to American society. Will the United States
always have a fear of its way of life being taken over, and an expectation of all immigrants to
change their beliefs upon arrival, or will we learn to be open and accepting of immigrants,
creating the land of freedom and equal opportunity we were made for.