Immigration has played a major part in American History.

Millions have migrated to this

country looking for many different things such as jobs, freedom, and new lives. During the early
nineteenth century, many Western Europeans immigrated to America looking to start their new
lives. In the late nineteenth century, Eastern Europeans did the same thing. Both groups came in
hopes of a new start but had different experiences upon their arrival. The experience of the new
immigrants in the late nineteenth century was partially the same but also very different to the
experience of proceeding groups due to an escalation of negative treatment, political influence,
and anti-immigrant groups.
There was negative treatment inn both the old and new immigration, however it was
much more prominent in the new. In old immigration, only Irish Catholics were discriminated
against. For the most part old immigrants assimilated quickly and they were found spread out
across the United States. The new immigrants had a completely different experience. Now all
immigrants were being discriminated against. People did not approve of their religions, which
were mainly Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, and other non-traditional religions. There was also fear
over the isms that the new immigration brought, this included socialism, communism, and
annarism. These immigrants were also being used as strike breakers which only added to the
dislike from the American people. This caused Americans to discriminate against all immigrants
unlike before when it was only Irish Catholics. Even though there was negative treatment in both
old and new immigration, it was much more apparent in the new immigration. This made it much
harder for the new immigrants to assimilate into American life.
The old and new immigrants also had very different political experiences. In the old
immigration politicians were very interested in the Irish. During the 1830s and 1860s over two
million Irish entered America. Since they voted as a block, politicians would direct their

campaign toward them. Politicians during this time would say anti-British slurs in hopes of
gaining Irish favor. During the late nineteenth century immigrants were pouring into America.
Political bosses would promise jobs in exchange for votes. During this time, political bosses
were targeting all immigrants not just the Irish. For example, Tammany Hall would bring in
thousands of immigrants and clothe, shelter, and feed them. Political bosses used this to their
advantage though and used it to bribe immigrant votes. Therefore, many believe that places like
Tammany Hall were corrupt. This political influence was apparent in both ages of immigration
but the escalation of it in the new immigration gave those immigrants a very different
experience.
These two groups of immigrants also had very different experiences dur to antiimmigrant groups. During the old immigration, there was the No-Nothing party who believed
very much in Nativism. They were mainly anti-Catholic so they mainly ignored the other
immigrants. However, in new immigration the APA formed. They were also anti-Catholic but
they also tried to get literacy restrictions and poverty restrictions passed on immigration. They
also tried to get laws passed that if you said something disagreed with, you could be deported.
The new immigration and anti-immigrant groups were much more prominent and relentless,
making it much harder for the new immigrants to adapt into their new lives.
New immigration was harsher of an experience due to an escalation of negative
treatment, political influence, and anti-immigrant groups. New immigration was a much harder
process to adapt. People tried to make immigration much harder process just like how the alien
and sedition tried to make becoming a citizen a longer process. Even through negative treatment,
political influence, and anti-immigrant groups existed in old immigration, it was more prominent

in new immigration, making the new immigrants have a very different experience than their
proceeding groups. The new immigrants experienced discrimination now in their everyday lives.