Exploring American Histories: Printed Page 569

Document 18.2

“The Stranger at Our Gate,” 1899

Critics of late-nineteenth-century immigration often relied on the germ theory of disease in their arguments for stricter immigration laws. However, nativist objections to immigrants went far beyond issues of public health. According to nativists, immigrants were sources of both biological and cultural “contamination.” In the following cartoon, “The Stranger at Our Gate,” the “germs” carried by immigrants are not limited to those associated with disease.

Explore

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The Ohio State University Billy Ireland Cartoon Library & Museum

  • Question

    What do the inscription on the gate and the caption below the cartoon tell us about the specific policies the cartoon supports?

  • Question

    How would you interpret Uncle Sam’s body language in facing the would-be immigrant?

  • Question

    What does the cartoon suggest about the role of religion in anti-immigrant sentiment?

  • Question

    What specific “threats” does the immigrant appear to pose to the United States?

Put It in Context

Question

What does this cartoon tell us about prevailing attitudes toward immigration at the end of the nineteenth century?