The Immigration Restriction Movement

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Four factors had a great significance of the making and shaping of the immigration restriction movement (78). The first factor was the development of a reform movement aimed at solving the problems of an urban, industrial society. This factor played an important role in the establishment of a campaign. The second factor was the new immigrants, which was “the flow of peasants and ghetto people from Italy, Austria-Hungary, the Balkans, and Russia.” (78). This influx of populations began around the early 1800’s. The third factor was the Roman Catholic Church experienced a high rise of activity during the early 1800’s as well. The last factor was the extreme social and economic disorder from 1885 to 1897. It was a period in which anger and desolation …show more content…
The Roman Catholic Church allowed immigrants to come to services and actually work in the church. In fact, primarily all workers in the church were immigrants (83). During the time in which immigrants worked there, there were 21 new dioceses, many parochial schools, the establishment of the Catholic University of America, and the appointment of the first Apostolic Delegate to the United States (83). However, even with all these accomplishments, other religious groups despised the Roman Catholic Church for the acceptance of immigrants. The Protestant groups, and many others, were anti-foreign and now, anti-Catholic (83). To others, the growing power given to the Irish Catholics was alarming, causing the Roman Catholic Church to be viewed as alien. Many did not side with the Roman Catholic Church because of the fear people and natives had of the immigrants rising to power …show more content…
Xenophobia, the fear of people from other countries, took over the country. It caused a crisis in the American social order and economic standards from 1885 to 1976. The people of America seemed to be apprehensive about immigrants, but it wasn’t confirmed until the riot which occurred at Haymarket Square in Chicago in 1886 (85). Labor radicals, many of which were immigrants from Germany, were protesting the work environment and the low pay. It soon turned into a riot, however, when someone threw a bomb at the police. The bombing caused panic all over the country of the thought of immigrant anarchists (85). This incident is what caused the most adamant provocation of the restriction movement in which no other incident even compared. For years, the thought of lawless, immigrant anarchists lurked in the back of Americans’ minds. Many targeted the immigrants, saying they were the cause of any riot or major strikes