Final answer:
The term “old immigration” refers to immigrants from Northwest Europe in the early 19th century, who assimilated more easily due to cultural similarities. “New immigration” describes the late 19th and early 20th-century wave from Southern and Eastern Europe, facing discrimination and nativism. Each wave had different cultural impacts and faced varying levels of societal acceptance and policy restrictions.
Step-by-step explanation:
Differences Between Old and New Immigration
The terms “old immigration” and “new immigration” refer to two distinct waves of immigrants arriving in the United States. Old immigration typically describes those who came predominantly from Northwest Europe, particularly England, Ireland, and Germany, during the early to mid-19th century. These immigrants were mostly Protestants and seamlessly blended into American society, in part because their cultures had much in common with the English-speaking majority.
In contrast, new immigration signifies the wave of immigrants that arrived from the 1880s to the early 20th century, mostly hailing from Southern and Eastern Europe, including Italians, Poles, and Russian Jews. These immigrants were different in their religious practices, languages, and cultures. Consequently, they faced more discrimination and hostility, becoming targets of nativist groups who opposed their arrival. Nativists were concerned with preserving the existing predominant Anglo-Saxon culture and believed the new immigrants posed economic threats and challenges to social cohesion.
Addressing the importance of each, older immigrants contributed significantly to the industrialization of the United States, while newer immigrants provided essential labor for America's growing cities and industries. However, the arrival of new immigrants led to nativism and restrictive policies, including quotas and literacy tests in the 1920s designed to curb immigration from certain countries.
Immigrants in America have faced discrimination throughout history, with many Americans denying that prejudice influenced the treatment of immigrants and nonwhite citizens. Close-knit immigrant neighborhoods helped maintain cultural traditions, but they also highlighted differences that fueled discrimination.