Who Are the New Immigrants?
These immigrants came to America from areas that had not traditionally supplied settlers to the US. The lands of southern Europe and eastern Europe such as Italy, Russia, Poland and Greece, as well as Asian locales such as China and Japan.

Why Did They Come?
Immigrants came to America during these eras mostly for economic opportunities. As the United States saw unprecedented industrial growth following the Civil War an unprecedented demand for labor, mostly cheap and unskilled, also grew. The vast majority of these "new immigrants" came here seeking work and the dream of going from "rags to riches".

• Political Reasons - Some New Immigrants such as Russian and Ukrainian Jews came seeking refuge from religious oppression by governments at home.
• Social Reasons - One idea that gave motivation to many immigrants leaving their homelands for America was the social mobility offered by the "rags to riches" American dream. This popular idea viewed America as the land of opportunity where anyone willing to work hard, save money and be smart could become rich. These notions were reinforced by the rags to riches stories of Horatio Alger jr., many of which feature industrious immigrants becoming successful by hard work and perseverance. 
• Economic Reasons - By far the greatest reason for new immigration was for employment. The southern and eastern European nations most new immigrants fled were in dire economic times with high unemployment and limited opportunity. The stunning growth in US industrial development fueled a seemingly endless demand for workers, which the desperate immigrants willingly fulfilled. The reality of the immigrants life was far from the roads paved with gold many envisioned. Industrial jobs paid low wages, demanded long hours and offered no benefits or security. The tenement housing most immigrants could afford in the near-bursting American cities proved crowded, expensive, dangerous and unsanitary. This experience is best chronicled by photographer and reporter Jabob Riis in his expose of New York City "How the Other Half Lives".

What Issues Did They Face?

• Many newly arrived immigrants found themselves at the mercy of corrupt political forces like those running Boss Tweed's Tammany Hall in New York City. Political Machines such as these used the votes of newly arrived immigrants to dominate and corrupt the political process in many of Americas growing cities.
• Language, customs, religions and traditions clashed with those prevailing in the US at the time, based on the culture brought my the older immigrants. This social conflict led to discrimination against such groups and the Irish on the east coast and the Chinese/Asians on the western coast. This also aided in the neighborhood distinctions (i.e. Chinatown, Little Italy, etc..) that developed in large cities, as immigrant groups clustered together and continued to speak, worship and practice the traditional ways of their homelands.
• Labor unions feared and opposed the influx of new immigrants, with whom they feared a competition for jobs and a lowering of wages as new arrivals proved willing to work for lesser pay.
• Restrictive laws also became a barrier to immigration, as the Chinese were excluded from immigrating and quotas and limits began to further restrict arrivals.

What Impact Did They Have?
The contributions of the new immigrants were transformative to America. The ethnic diversity of the immigrants changed America into a more multi-cultural society with varied language, traditions and practices. The cultural contributions of the new immigrants can be seen in the art, food, music and culture of modern America.