The Open Door policy and immigration to 1928New immigrants
At the end of World War One there were three main ethnic groups in the USA - White Anglo-Saxon Protestants, 'new' immigrants from Eastern European and Mediterranean as well as Black Americans.
From the 1890s onwards a new wave of immigrants began to arrive in the USA from Eastern Europe and the Mediterranean.
These new immigrants came from countries such as Italy, Poland, Russia and Lithuania.
These immigrants were generally poorer and less well-educated than the more established old immigrants.
Many found it difficult to obtain well-paying jobs, and instead had to accept lower wages. They were also often used to break strikes. Slum housing was another problem faced by this group.
Many new immigrants lived in communities with people from their native country.
Neighbourhoods with names such as ‘Little Italy’ and ‘Irish Town’ started to appear in American cities.
New immigrants faced many obstacles in their pursuit of the American Dream. These obstacles included:
