Source S The character of immigration to the United States has changed dramatically in recent decades. Where once the majority of immigrants came from north...

This question asks whether the Dillingham Commission report (1911) accurately describes immigration to the United States in the early twentieth century. "Accuracy" questions require testing the source's claims against historical evidence.

What the source tells us: The report identifies a shift in immigration from northern and western European origins (Britain, Germany, Scandinavia, Ireland) to southern and eastern European origins (Italy, Russia, Poland, Austro-Hungarian Empire). It describes these newer immigrants settling in dense urban neighbourhoods, maintaining their own languages and customs, working in low-paid industrial occupations, and living in overcrowded conditions. The commission concludes that newer immigrants are "slower to learn English and adopt American customs."

What the source gets right:

• The shift in immigration origins is historically accurate. Between 1880 and 1920, approximately 23 million immigrants entered the United States, with the majority after 1890 coming from southern and eastern Europe.
• The description of ethnic neighbourhoods is accurate. Enclaves like Little Italy and Jewish communities on New York's Lower East Side were prominent features of American cities.
• Overcrowded living conditions were real, as documented by reformers like Jacob Riis in his photographs and writings about New York tenements.
• Many immigrants did work in low-paid industrial occupations, providing essential labour for America's rapid industrialisation.

Where the source is inaccurate or biased:

• The Dillingham Commission (1907-1911) was established partly to justify restricting immigration, which biases its conclusions.
• The claim that newer immigrants were "slower to learn English" reflected prevailing prejudices rather than objective analysis. Earlier immigrant groups (Irish, Germans) had faced similar hostility and were also slow to assimilate initially. Each wave of immigrants was criticised in similar terms by earlier arrivals.
• The source entirely omits the enormous economic contributions of immigrants, who built railroads, staffed factories, and helped fuel America's industrial growth.
• The commission's recommendations contributed directly to the restrictive Immigration Acts of 1921 and 1924, which established national-origin quotas heavily favouring northern and western Europeans.
• The source treats cultural difference as a problem rather than recognising that immigrants brought skills, traditions, and entrepreneurship that enriched American society.

How to reach the highest marks:

• Level 1 (1-3 marks): Simple statements about accuracy.
• Level 2 (4-5 marks): Uses source details with some own knowledge.
• Level 3 (6-7 marks): Evaluates accuracy by distinguishing between the source's factual descriptions (immigration patterns, living conditions) and its biased interpretation (newer immigrants being inferior). A top answer would note the source's role in shaping restrictive legislation and contextualise its prejudices within the nativist attitudes of the Progressive Era.