Twenty seven million white immigrants entered the United States between 1880 and 1924. Two thirds of these so-called
new immigrants came from different parts of Europe that were economically
underdeveloped. In the first decade of the 20th century, about six
million immigrants arrived from Russia, Austria, Hungary and Italy. They
were drawn by the flourishing manufacturing sector of the economy.
They not only brought their labour force but also their skills that
were vital to industries such as construction and textile.
Nevertheless, their customs and culture struck native-born, Americans
who considered them as impossible to assimilate.
That phenomenon did not last forever.
With the end of the colonial empires in the fifties and sixties and
emergence of independent Asian and African countries, a new law was
voted:
The 1964 Hart-Cellar Act. This law gave equal access to
Asians, Africans, Latin-Americans and Europeans. Since then, over
eight million legal immigrants have entered the United Stated, about
half of them from the Third World.
The new immigrants are likely to change the composition of the American
population. Some demographers predict that by 2030, American and
Europeans roots will not be a majority. Even the dominance of the
English language is seen as uncertain. The problem is whether the
diversity of origins will continue to maintain American Society as
united as it has been so far.
A.
Find in the text the synonyms of …
- attracted (§1)
- keep (§ 3)
B.
Fill in the chat with information from the text.
number of immigrants | country of origin | period |
1 ……………………………
| 2 from ………………………
| between 1900 and 1910
|
3 ……………………………
| from: the Third World
| 4 from ……… until ………
|
C.
True or false? Justify.
- Native-born Americans reacted against the new immigrant’s culture and customs.
- The Haart-Cellar Act continued to favour European immigrants.
D.
Answer the questions.
- How did the new immigrants contribute to the development of the industry?
- Is the American population likely to cha
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