Station 5Discrimination against Eastern European and

Jewish ImmigrantsComing from now Eastern European countries such as Poland, Russia, and Ukraine, a large number of immigrants traveled across the European continent and Atlantic Ocean to reach America. However, difference in culture, languages, and religion led many nativists to discriminate against majority of Eastern European immigrants.

The Jews in particular escaped European persecution only to be seen as unwelcome guests in America, due to their religion and culture. Most nativists classified and stereotyped Eastern Europeans as low intelligence human beings, and bringers of Communism.

Document A:The Dearborn IndependentCourtesy of: The Huffington Post

Document B:Christians OnlyCourtesy of: The Jewish Standard- The Times of Israel

Document C:A Study of American Intelligence- Carl Brigham

Carl Brigham- Founder of the SAT and several other intelligence tests

Quotes from Carl Brigham’s A Study of American Intelligence (1923)- A book written by Brigham after World War I, examining Army intelligence tests

Courtesy of: PBS

Courtesy of: Archive.org

“Our data of the Alpine Slav (Eastern European) show that he is intellectually inferior to the Nordic (Northern European), and every indication would point to a lowering of the average intelligence.”-Carl Brigham

“Our figures, then would rather tend to disprove…that the Jew is highly intelligent.”-Carl Brigham

“Immigrants examined in the army, who report their birthplace as Russia, had an

average intelligence below those from all other countries except Poland and Italy.”-Carl BrighamDocument D: The ImmigrantCourtesy of: The Ohio State University