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Jewish Immigration to the United States from 1881 to 1910 / Studies in History, Economics and Public Law, Vol. LIX, No. 4, 1914 cover

Jewish Immigration to the United States from 1881 to 1910 / Studies in History, Economics and Public Law, Vol. LIX, No. 4, 1914

Chapter 5: SAMUEL JOSEPH
By Samuel Joseph
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The study examines Jewish emigration from Eastern Europe between 1881 and 1910, analyzing economic, social, and political conditions in Russia, Romania, and Austria-Hungary that prompted departure. It surveys occupational and urban distribution of Jewish communities, legal restrictions, violent persecutions, and economic pressures such as land and trade exclusions. Statistical methods are deployed to estimate numbers and national origins of immigrants to the United States, including decade-by-decade and annual variation analyses. The work interprets how Eastern European policies and social structures shaped the character, skills, and settlement patterns of Jewish immigrants in the United States, and concludes with comparative summaries of causes and immigration trends.

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Title: Jewish Immigration to the United States from 1881 to 1910

Author: Samuel Joseph

Release date: February 27, 2011 [eBook #35415]

Language: English

Credits: E-text prepared by Jeannie Howse, Fritz Ohrenschall, and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team (http://www.pgdp.net)

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Transcriber's Note:


This document was produced from an AMS Press reprint. All modern material has been removed. The original, printed in 1914, is an article in a journal, with it's own page numbering (as well as the journal page numbering, which has been removed from this transcription).

Inconsistent hyphenation in the original document has been preserved.

Obvious typographical errors have been corrected. For a complete list, please see the end of this document.

 

 

 

 

4

JEWISH IMMIGRATION TO THE UNITED STATES






STUDIES IN HISTORY, ECONOMICS AND PUBLIC LAW

EDITED BY THE FACULTY OF POLITICAL SCIENCE
OF COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY

Volume LIX] [Number 4

Whole Number 145



JEWISH IMMIGRATION TO
THE UNITED STATES

FROM 1881 TO 1910


BY

SAMUEL JOSEPH











1914






To
MY FATHER AND MY MOTHER






PREFACE


In this survey of Jewish immigration to the United States for the past thirty years, my purpose has been to present the main features of a movement of population that is one of the most striking of modern times. The causes of Jewish emigration from Eastern Europe, the course of Jewish immigration to the United States and the most important social qualities of the Jewish immigrants are studied, for the light they throw upon the character of this movement. The method employed in this investigation has been largely statistical and comparative, a fact which is partly due to the kind of material that was available and partly to the point of view that has been taken. Certain economic and social factors, having a close bearing upon the past and present situation of the Jews in Eastern Europe and frequently neglected in the discussion of the various phases of this movement, have been emphasized in the examination into the causes of the emigration of the Jews from Eastern Europe and have been found vital in determining the specific character of the Jewish immigration to this country.

I desire gratefully to acknowledge my deep indebtedness to Mr. A.S. Freidus, head of the Jewish department of the New York Public Library, for his ever-ready assistance in the preparation of this work. Thanks are due as well to Dr. C.C. Williamson, head of the Economics department of the library, and to his able and courteous staff; to Professor Robert E. Chaddock for his many valuable suggestions and aid in the making of the statistical tables and in the reading of the proof; and to Professor Edwin R.A. Seligman for his painstaking reading of the manuscript.

Samuel Joseph.






TABLE OF CONTENTS.


PART I.—THE CAUSES OF JEWISH EMIGRATION.
    PAGE

CHAPTER I
Introduction.  
1. Character of Jewish immigration 21
2. Eastern Europe 22
3. Distribution of Jews in Eastern Europe 21
4. Uniform character of East-European Jews 22

CHAPTER II
Eastern Europe: Economic, Social and Political Conditions
I. Russia.  
  1. Medieval past 27
  2. Agricultural character 28
  3. Emancipation of serfs 29
  4. Reminiscences of serfdom 29
  5. Changes since the emancipation 30
  6. Epoch of transition 31
  7. Social orders: classes, the church 31
  8. Political order: autocracy, bureaucracy 32
  9. Political struggle: Russian liberalism 32
  10. Reaction since Alexander III 33
II. Roumania.  
  1. Social-economic classes 34
  2. Emancipation of the serfs: results 35
  3. Development of industry and commerce 36
  4. Growth of a middle class 36
III. Austria-Hungary.  
  1. Reminiscences of medieval economy 37
  2. Transitional nature of economic life 37
  3. Organization of industry and commerce 37
  4. Politico-economic struggles 38
  5. Galicia: economic and social conditions 39
IV. Summary.  

CHAPTER III
The Jews in Eastern Europe: Economic and Social Position
I. Russia.  
  1. Economic characteristics 42
  a. Occupational distribution of the Jews 42
  b. Comparison with the non-Jews 42
  c. Participation of the Jews in principal occupational groups 43
  d. Comparison of occupational distribution of Jews and non-Jews in the Pale 43
  e. Economic activities of the Jews 44
  2. Social characteristics 46
  a. Urban distribution of the Jews 46
  b. Comparison with the non-Jews 46
  c. Literacy: comparison with the non-Jews 47
  d. Liberal professions: comparison with the non-Jews 48
II. Roumania.  
  1. Economic characteristics 48
  a. The Jews as merchants and entrepreneurs 48
  b. The Jewish artisans 49
  c. Participation of the Jews in industry and commerce 49
  2. Social characteristics 49
  a. Urban distribution of the Jews 49
  b. Comparison with the non-Jews 49
  c. Literacy: comparison with the non-Jews 50
III. Austria-Hungary.  
  1. Economic characteristics 50
  a. Occupational distribution of the Jews 50
  b. Comparison with the non-Jews 51
  c. Participation of the Jews in principal occupational groups 51
     Galicia 51
  a. Occupational distribution of the Jews 51
  b. Comparison with the non-Jews 51
  c. Participation of the Jews in principal occupational groups 51
  d. Industrial and commercial position of the Jews in East and West Galicia 52
  2. Social characteristics 52
  a. Urban distribution of the Jews 52
  b. Comparison with the non-Jews 52
  c. Liberal professions: comparison with the non-Jews 52
III. Summary.  

CHAPTER IV
Thirty Years of Jewish History
I. Russia.  
  1. Treatment of the Jews after the partitions of Poland 56
  2. Pale of Jewish Settlement: special Jewish laws 57
  3. Attitude of Russian government toward the Jews 57
  4. Alexander II and liberalism 58
  5. Reaction: antagonism to the Jews 59
  6. Economic attack: the May Laws 60
  7. Effect of the May Laws 61
  8. Educational restrictions: the "percentage rule" 62
  9. Pogroms: pogroms of 1881-2 63
  10. Expulsions from Moscow 64
  11. Nicholas II: anti-Jewish agitation: Kishineff 64
  12. War and revolution: effect upon the Jews 65
  13. Pogroms as counter-revolution 66
  14. Results: economic and social pressure 67
  15. Jewish policy of reactionary régime 68
II. Roumania.  
  1. Early legal status of the Jews 69
  2. Convention of Paris 69
  3. Anti-Jewish activities of the government: Article VII 70
  4. Berlin Congress 70
  5. Article 44 of the Berlin Treaty 71
  6. The revised Article VII 71
  7. Legal status of the Jews fixed 72
  8. Campaign of discrimination 73
  9. Exclusion of Jews from economic activities 73
  10. Educational restrictions: restrictions to professional service 74
  11. Political basis of anti-Jewish policy 75
  12. Results: economic and social pressure 76
  13. Jewish policy of Roumanian government: Hay's circular note 76
III. Austria-Hungary.  
  1. Early legal status of the Jews: emancipation 77
  2. Jews attacked as liberals and capitalists 78
  3. Rise of political antisemitism: its triumph: the clericals 78
     Galicia 78
  1. Rise of a Polish middle class: displacement of Jews in industry and commerce 79
  2. Economic boycott of Jewish artisans and traders 79
  3. Anti-Jewish activity of local authorities 79
  4. Over-competition and surplus of Jews in industry and commerce 80
  5. Historical rôle of the Jews: antagonism of peasantry and clergy 80

CHAPTER V
Conclusion

PART II.--JEWISH IMMIGRATION TO THE UNITED STATES

A. Its Movement

CHAPTER I
Determination of Number of Jewish Immigrants
1. Construction of table: difficulties 87
2. Sources utilized: reports of Jewish societies 87
3. Rearrangement of numbers from 1886 to 1898 88
4. Determination of numbers by country of nativity: methods used 88
5. Determination of numbers from 1881 to 1885: methods used 90
6. Tendency to magnify numbers of Jewish immigrants 91
7. Results 92

CHAPTER II
Immigration of Jews from Eastern Europe
1. Jewish immigration East-European 95
2. Summary by decades of Jewish immigration from Russia, Roumania and Austria-Hungary 95
3. Annual contributions of Jewish immigration from Russia, Roumania and Austria-Hungary 96

CHAPTER III
Immigration of Jews from Russia
1. Russian Jewish immigration a movement of steady growth 98
  a. Summary by decades 98
  b. Annual variations: effect of the Moscow expulsions 98
2. Participation of Jews in the immigration from Russia 101
  a. Annual variations 101
  b. Summary by decades 102
  c. Relative predominance of Jewish in total 102
3. Intensity of Jewish immigration from Russia 103
  a. Rate of immigration 103
  b. Fluctuations of rate 104

CHAPTER IV
Immigration of Jews from Roumania
1. Roumanian Jewish immigration a rising movement 105
  a. Summary by decades 105
  b. Annual variations 105
2. Participation of Jews in the immigration from Roumania 107
  a. Jewish and total synonymous 107
  b. Annual variations 107
3. Intensity of Jewish immigration from Roumania 108
  a. Rate of immigration 108
  b. Fluctuations of rate 108

CHAPTER V
Immigration of Jews from Austria-Hungary
1. Jewish immigration from Austria-Hungary a rising movement 109
  a. Summary by decades 109
  b. Annual variations 109
  c. Comparison of Jewish with total 110
2. Participation of Jews in the immigration from Austria-Hungary 110
  a. Summary by decades 110
  b. Annual variations 111
3. Comparison of immigration of Jews from Austria and Hungary 111
  a. Numbers 111
  b. Participation in total 111
4. Immigration of Jews and other peoples from Austria-Hungary 112
5. Rate of Jewish immigration from Austria-Hungary 112

CHAPTER VI
Jewish Immigration
1. Total movement one of geometrical progression 113
  a. Summary by decades 113
  b. Summary by six-year periods 113
  c. Annual variations 114

CHAPTER VII
Participation of Jews in Total Immigration
1. Rise in proportion of Jewish to total 117
2. Summary by decades 117
3. Annual variations 117
4. Comparison of annual variations of Jewish and total immigration 118
5. Rank of Jewish in total immigration 119
6. Rate of immigration 120

CHAPTER VIII
Summary

B. Its Characteristics

CHAPTER I
Family Movement
1. Importance of sex and age distribution 127
2. Proportion of females in Jewish immigration 127
  a. Tendency towards increase 127
3. Proportion of children in Jewish immigration 128
4. Proportion of sexes in total and Jewish immigration 129
5. Proportion of children in total and Jewish immigration 129
6. Comparison of composition by sex of Jews and other immigrant peoples 130
7. Comparison of composition by age of Jews and other immigrant peoples 130
8. Comparison of composition by sex and age of Jews and the Slavic races 131
9. Comparison of composition by sex and age of Jews from Roumania and Roumanians 131
10. Comparison of composition by sex and age of Jewish and "old" and "new" immigration 132
11. Conclusion 132

CHAPTER II
Permanent Settlement
1. Emigration of Jews compared with immigration of Jews 133
2. Comparison of return movement of total and Jewish immigration 134
3. Comparison of return movement of Jews and other immigrant peoples 134
4. Emigration tendency of Jews from Russia, Roumania and Austria-Hungary 135
5. Comparison of return movement of Jews and Poles from Russia and Austria-Hungary 136
6. Comparison of return movement of Jewish and "old" and "new" immigration 137
7. Comparison of return movement of Jews and other immigrant peoples, 1908 137
8. Response of Jewish immigration to economic conditions in the United States 138
9. Comparison of Jews and other immigrant peoples who have been previously in the United States 138
10. Conclusion 139

CHAPTER III
Occupations
1. Occupational distribution of Jewish immigrants 140
2. Jewish immigrants reporting occupations 141
  a. Number and percentage of occupational groups 141
3. Skilled laborers 141
  a. Garment workers 141
  b. Other important groups 142
4. Participation of Jews in occupational distribution of total immigration 142
5. Comparison of occupational distribution of Jews and other immigrant peoples 143
6. Comparison of occupational distribution of Jews and Slavic peoples 144
7. Comparison of occupational distribution of Jewish and "old" and "new" immigration 144
8. Conclusion 145

CHAPTER IV
Illiteracy
1. Illiteracy of Jewish immigrants 146
2. Influence of sex upon illiteracy of Jewish immigrants 146
3. Illiteracy of Jewish male and female immigrants 147
4. Comparison of rate of illiteracy of Jews and other immigrant peoples 147
5. Comparison of rate of illiteracy of Jewish and "old" and "new" immigration 147
6. Comparison of rate of illiteracy of Jews and East-European peoples 148
7. Comparison of rate of illiteracy of each sex among Jews and East-European peoples 148
8. Conclusion 148

CHAPTER V
Destination
1. Factors influencing destination 149
2. Proportion of Jewish immigrants destined for divisions 149
3. Proportion of Jewish immigrants destined for principal states 149
4. Comparison of destination of Jews and other immigrant peoples 150
5. Participation of Jews in the immigration destined for divisions 150
6. Final disposition of Jewish immigrants 151

CHAPTER VI
Summary and Conclusions