Not Like Us: Immigrants and Minorities in America, 1890–1924

American Ways Series

by Roger Daniels

In the thirty-five years after 1890, more than 20 million immigrants came to the United States―a greater number than in any comparable period, before or since. They were often greeted in hostile fashion, a reflection of American nativism that by the 1890s was already well developed. In this analytical narrative, Roger Daniels examines the condition of immigrants, Native Americans, and African Americans during a period of supposed progress for American minorities. He shows that they experienced as much repression as advance. Not Like Us opens by considering the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882, the hinge on which U.S. immigration policy turned and a symbol of the unfriendly climate toward minorities that would prevail for decades. Mr. Daniels continues the story through the 1890s, the so-called Progressive Era, the opportunities and conflicts arising out of World War I, and the “tribal twenties,” when nativism and xenophobia dominated American society. An epilogue points out gains and losses since the 1924 National Origins Act. Throughout Mr. Daniels's focus is on legislation, judicial decisions, mob violence, and the responses of minority groups. The record is scarcely one of unalloyed progress.

Genres: Immigration, History, Nonfiction, School, Race

192 pages, Paperback

First published August 25, 1997

About the author

A past president of the Society for Historians of the Gilded Age and Progressive Era as well as the Immigration History Society, Roger Daniels is the Charles Phelps Taft Professor Emeritus of History at the University of Cincinnati. He served as a consultant to the Presidential Commission on the Wartime Relocation and Internment of Civilians and is a planning committee member for the immigration museum on Ellis Island.

Reviews

[Peyton Forbes · Rating 2 out of 5]

dcush assignment. not the most interesting, but enjoyed it to an extent

[Jenelle Boyce · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very informative book on the struggles/ lifestyles/ victories of all minority groups in the U.S however the organization of the subtopics were all over the place which interrupted my flow of reading multiple times. But in general, it was a good read!

[Faith :) · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a book about the history of immigrants and minorities in America and their political advancements and setbacks from the Gay Nineties to the time of its publication. It's interesting at times, but mostly just fact after fact after fact, which isn't really my style.