In his farewell address to the nation, George Washington cautioned the United States to not become involved in the affairs of Europe and the rest of the world, and to instead be concerned with its own issues. As the nation developed, however, that advice fell to the wayside; the country instead became more powerful and more connected to the world. Especially since the late 19th century, the United States became increasingly more connected with worldwide systems of labor, migration, and economics. The country’s connection to worldwide economic systems led to American industries becoming incredibly powerful, forever changing American markets. This growth of industry also lead to social evolution, a reaction to the change brought on by industry.
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As transportation became easier, more Europeans moved to the United States, especially from southern and eastern Europe. These immigrants were resisted by those who considered themselves natives, people who thought the immigrants were taking jobs and changing America for the worse. This anti-immigrant sentiment gave rise to laws such as the Immigration Act of 1921 and the Immigration Act of 1924. These laws established what were called “immigration quotas,” which in the case of the Act of 1924, restricted immigration visas to two percent of the number of people of a nationality who were already living in the US as of the 1890 census. Anti-immigrant sentiment, often a common theme in America, was put on full display by these laws. Despite these restrictive laws, millions of people immigrated to America. They provided a cheap and plentiful workforce for American industries, so much so that industry became depended on European immigrants for labor. When World War One started, immigration from Europe slowed down significantly, and there was a labor shortage in northern factories. As a result, many African Americans moved to cities in the North during the early 20th century, looking to work in those vacant jobs. This mass movement of millions of African Americans has come to be called the Great Migration. The Great Migration had significant impacts on the demographics of American cities, and on the attention paid to the rights of African Americans, as many of the migrants were able to vote and influence politics for the first time once they were out of southern areas that restricted their voting rights. The effects of these migrations, both domestic and foreign, impacted American policy and attitudes for decades, even up to the present
As transportation became easier, more Europeans moved to the United States, especially from southern and eastern Europe. These immigrants were resisted by those who considered themselves natives, people who thought the immigrants were taking jobs and changing America for the worse. This anti-immigrant sentiment gave rise to laws such as the Immigration Act of 1921 and the Immigration Act of 1924. These laws established what were called “immigration quotas,” which in the case of the Act of 1924, restricted immigration visas to two percent of the number of people of a nationality who were already living in the US as of the 1890 census. Anti-immigrant sentiment, often a common theme in America, was put on full display by these laws. Despite these restrictive laws, millions of people immigrated to America. They provided a cheap and plentiful workforce for American industries, so much so that industry became depended on European immigrants for labor. When World War One started, immigration from Europe slowed down significantly, and there was a labor shortage in northern factories. As a result, many African Americans moved to cities in the North during the early 20th century, looking to work in those vacant jobs. This mass movement of millions of African Americans has come to be called the Great Migration. The Great Migration had significant impacts on the demographics of American cities, and on the attention paid to the rights of African Americans, as many of the migrants were able to vote and influence politics for the first time once they were out of southern areas that restricted their voting rights. The effects of these migrations, both domestic and foreign, impacted American policy and attitudes for decades, even up to the present