Question

How did nativism affect ethnic relations in the Gilded Age?

Answer 1

Nativism during the Gilded Age contributed to heightened racial animosity and discrimination against immigrants, leading to the advancement of restrictive immigration policies such as the Immigration Act of 1924. Prejudices fueled by nativist groups created a xenophobic climate that saw new immigrants as threats to economic stability and cultural values. Ethnic segregation and prejudices against 'new' immigrants from southern and eastern Europe were rampant during this time.

Step-by-step explanation:

Effects of Nativism on Ethnic Relations in the Gilded Age

The term 'nativism' refers to the policy of protecting the interests of native-born or established inhabitants against those of immigrants. During the Gilded Age, a period marked by rapid industrialization and economic growth in the United States, nativism significantly influenced ethnic relations, leading to heightened racial animosity and discrimination against immigrants, particularly those from eastern and southern Europe. This was fueled by a sense of superiority among native-born Americans and fear of a foreign threat, exacerbated by events like anarchist assassinations and the Bolshevik Revolution. Nativists advocated for restrictive immigration policies, leading to the passage of legislation such as the English language literacy test in 1917, the Chinese Exclusion Act, the Emergency Quota Act of 1921, and the Immigration Act of 1924, which was based on quotas from the 1890 census, thereby discriminating against 'new' immigrants.

Influential nativist groups like the American Protective Association and the Immigration Restriction League promoted prejudicial legislation and literacy tests aimed at curbing immigration. This xenophobic climate also resulted in competitiveness for jobs, where native-born laborers, fearing job insecurity and wage reduction, resented the willingness of new immigrants to work for less. Consequently, this period saw an intensification of anti-immigrant sentiment, ethnic segregation, and unfavorable conditions for immigrant and nonwhite populations.

Answer 2

Many of these new immigrants were coming from eastern and southern Europe and for many English-speaking, native-born Americans of Northern European descent the growing diversity of new languages, custom, and religions triggered anxiety and racial animosity.