Immigration Wave 1870-1920
Immigration Wave (1870-1920) transformed Philadelphia from a predominantly Anglo-American city into one of the most ethnically diverse urban centers in the United States. During this half-century, millions of immigrants arrived in Philadelphia from Ireland, Italy, Poland, Russia (particularly Jewish immigrants fleeing persecution), Germany, and dozens of other countries, seeking economic opportunity and freedom from oppression. These newcomers settled in distinctive ethnic neighborhoods, established churches, synagogues, mutual aid societies, and cultural institutions, and provided the labor force that powered Philadelphia's industrial economy. By 1920, over half of Philadelphia's population was either foreign-born or had at least one foreign-born parent. The immigration wave created the ethnic mosaic that characterized Philadelphia through the 20th century and whose legacy persists in neighborhood identities, cultural traditions, and demographic patterns today.[1]
Push and Pull
[edit | edit source]Immigration to Philadelphia reflected both "push" factors driving people from their homelands and "pull" factors attracting them to America. In Ireland, the Great Famine of the 1840s had created a culture of emigration that continued even after the immediate crisis passed; poverty and limited opportunity continued to drive Irish migration through the end of the century. In southern Italy, agricultural crisis and political instability pushed millions to seek better lives abroad. In Eastern Europe, Jews faced persecution, discrimination, and periodic violence (pogroms) that made emigration a matter of survival. Poles, Ukrainians, Slovaks, and others fled poverty, military conscription, and political oppression. Each wave of immigrants had its own particular reasons for leaving, but all shared the hope that America would offer something better.[2]
Philadelphia's attractions included its industrial economy, which offered jobs for both skilled craftsmen and unskilled laborers. The textile mills, foundries, machine shops, and factories of Kensington, Northern Liberties, and other industrial districts provided employment for newcomers willing to work hard. Philadelphia's relatively low cost of living compared to New York allowed immigrants to stretch their wages further. The city's established ethnic communities provided networks of support—earlier arrivals from the same village or region could help newcomers find housing, jobs, and assistance navigating an unfamiliar society. Chain migration—where established immigrants sponsored and assisted relatives and neighbors—created concentrated ethnic settlements throughout the city.[3]
Ethnic Neighborhoods
[edit | edit source]Immigrants settled in neighborhoods that became identified with particular ethnic groups, creating a patchwork of communities across the city. South Philadelphia became the center of Italian Philadelphia, with Italian immigrants establishing shops, churches, and social clubs along streets like 9th Street, where the Italian Market remains a reminder of this heritage. Polish immigrants concentrated in Port Richmond and Bridesburg, establishing St. Adalbert's and other Polish Catholic parishes. Jewish immigrants settled initially in the area around South Street and gradually moved northward into neighborhoods like Strawberry Mansion and, later, the Northeast. Irish immigrants, who had been arriving since the famine era, continued to dominate neighborhoods like Kensington and Grays Ferry.[1]
Each ethnic group established institutions to serve its community and preserve its culture. Catholic parishes were organized along ethnic as well as geographic lines, with separate churches serving Irish, Italian, Polish, and other immigrant communities—sometimes within blocks of each other. Jewish immigrants established synagogues reflecting the diverse traditions of their homelands: German Jews, Lithuanian Jews, and Russian Jews maintained distinct congregations. Mutual aid societies provided insurance, burial benefits, and social networks for members from the same region or occupation. Newspapers in Italian, Yiddish, Polish, and other languages served immigrant readers. These institutions helped preserve ethnic identity while also facilitating adaptation to American life.[2]
Labor and Industry
[edit | edit source]Immigrant labor powered Philadelphia's industrial economy during the age of mass production. Factory owners actively recruited immigrant workers, who would accept wages and conditions that native-born Americans might reject. The textile mills of Kensington employed Italian and Jewish women alongside Irish workers who had arrived earlier. Construction projects drew on gangs of Italian laborers. Machine shops and foundries employed skilled workers from Germany and other European countries with strong industrial traditions. The division of labor often followed ethnic lines, with particular groups concentrated in particular industries or occupations—patterns that reflected both employer preferences and the ethnic networks through which jobs were obtained.[1]
Working conditions in Philadelphia's factories were often harsh. Long hours, low wages, dangerous conditions, and authoritarian management characterized much industrial employment. Labor organizing was difficult when workforces were divided by ethnicity and language, and employers sometimes deliberately mixed ethnic groups to prevent solidarity. Yet workers did organize, and immigrant workers participated in the labor struggles that characterized the era. The General Strike of 1835 had won the ten-hour day, but enforcement was inconsistent and longer hours remained common. Progressive Era reforms—child labor laws, workplace safety regulations, workers' compensation—gradually improved conditions, though much remained to be done.[3]
Nativism and Assimilation
[edit | edit source]The massive immigration wave provoked nativist backlash from Americans who feared that foreign newcomers would change the country's character. The Nativist Riots of 1844 had targeted Irish Catholics; by the late 19th century, new immigrants from southern and eastern Europe faced similar prejudice. Nativists argued that these newcomers were racially inferior, culturally alien, and threatening to American institutions. The American Protective Association and other organizations campaigned against immigration and against the political participation of immigrants. These attitudes eventually triumphed with the Immigration Acts of 1921 and 1924, which established quotas that dramatically reduced immigration from southern and eastern Europe.[2]
Meanwhile, immigrants and their children were becoming Americans. The second generation—born in America, educated in American schools, fluent in English—often distanced themselves from their parents' "old country" ways while retaining elements of ethnic identity. Intermarriage across ethnic lines increased over generations, though religious differences often remained barriers. The process of assimilation was gradual and uneven, varying by ethnic group and by individual circumstance. By the mid-20th century, the children and grandchildren of the great immigration wave had become simply "Americans"—though ethnic identity persisted in neighborhood allegiances, food preferences, religious practices, and family memories.[1]
Legacy
[edit | edit source]The immigration wave of 1870-1920 created the Philadelphia that existed through most of the 20th century—a city of ethnic neighborhoods, each with its distinctive character and institutions. The Italian Market, Polish churches of Port Richmond, Jewish delis of the Northeast, and Irish bars of Grays Ferry all reflect this heritage. The decline of immigration after 1924 meant that these communities aged without being renewed by new arrivals; by mid-century, the grandchildren of immigrants were moving to suburbs, and the old ethnic neighborhoods were changing. New immigration from Asia, Latin America, and other regions has transformed Philadelphia's demographics since the 1965 immigration reform, creating new ethnic communities alongside the remnants of the older ones. The 1870-1920 immigration wave remains foundational to understanding Philadelphia's neighborhoods, its culture, and its identity.[3]