The document provides a history of immigration to the United States from the 18th century to the early 20th century. It describes how millions of immigrants arrived from Europe, fleeing famine in Ireland and poverty, persecution and lack of opportunity. They came for religious freedom, economic opportunity, and to reunite with family. The immigrants faced challenges integrating and some faced discrimination, but ultimately contributed to American economic and population growth.

1. HISTORY OF IMMIGRATION

2. The Population of The U.S
Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to
breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your
teeming shore.
Send these, the homeless,
tempest-tost to me,
I lift my lamp beside the golden
door!

3. The Population of The U.S
• The United States is made of
people from many ethnic
groups.
• Often times the people coming
here were the poor from their
own countries

4. Questions
Where did the immigrants come from?
When did they arrive?
Why did they leave their home countries?
Where did they settle?
Where did they work?

5. FACTS
Due to potato rot which began in 1845, the
potato crop in Ireland began to fail.
From 1845 to 1850 there were famine conditions
in Ireland.
More than one million people died of starvation.
One-fourth of the Irish population moved to the
United States.

6. FACTS
Farming became easier due to the better
technology. So as the amount food in Europe
increased so did the number of people living
there.
These improvements reduced the need for farm
workers so many peasants were forced off land
that they had lived on for generations

7. FACTS
The trip to the United States in ships took about
three months in the early 1800s.
In the mid-1800s steamships shortened the
journey to 10 days.

8. FACTS
The Russian government began to carry out
organized attacks against the Jews of eastern
Europe.
A Norwegian worker could earn up to 4-5 dollars
a day in the United States.
This was more than triple the wage that the
same person could have earned in Norway at
that time.

9. FACTS
In 1864 congress decided that businesses and
companies could lend money to workers to help
pay for coming to America.
After the workers arrived, they were required to
pay the money back out of their wages.

10. Three great waves of
immigration
1815-1860:
5 million immigrants mainly English, Irish,
Germanic, Scandinavian,
and others from
northwestern Europe
1865-1890:
10 million immigrants again mainly from
northwestern Europe
1890-1914:
15 million immigrants –
mainly from Eastern
Europe

11. Reasons for immigration - 1607-1830
Political freedom
Religion
Economic Opportunity
People want a better
life - better job - more
money
Political refugees feared for their lives in
their home countries
Slavery
Families being reunited

12. Reasons for immigration – 1830- 1890
Land plentiful, and
fairly cheap.
Jobs were abundant,
wages high.
America was the
country that was «with
the times»
Notion that in America,
the streets were "paved
with gold"
Religious and political
freedom.

13. Reasons for immigration 1890-
1914
Jews came for
religious freedom
Italians and Asians
came for work
Russians came to
escape persecution
America had jobs
America was hyped
up in many
countries as "Land
of Opportunity"

14. Views on Immigrants
” The ones who come here are usually the most stupid of their nation. Few understand
our language, so we cannot communicate with them.. It has been reported that young
men do not believe they are true men until they have shown their manhood by beating
their mothers. They do not believe they are truly free unless they also abuse and insult
their teachers.
And now they are coming to our country in great numbers. Few of their children know
English. They bring in much of their own reading from their homeland and print
newspapers in their own language. In some parts of our state, ads, street signs, and
even some legal documents are in their own language and allowed in courts.
Unless the stream of these people can be turned away, they will soon outnumber us so
that we will not be able to save our language or our government. However, I am not in
favour of keeping them out entirely. All that seems necessary is to distribute them more
evenly among us and set up more schools that teach English. In this way, we will
preserve the true heritage of our country.”
Benjamin Franklin about German immigrants in 1751

15. More Recent Immigration
Cuba → 1950’s – settled
mainly in Florida
South America →
Legal/Illegal immigrants
→ California
Asia

16. Melting Pot vs Salad Bowl
Melting Pot→All immigrants mixed together form
the ”American”
Salad Bowl →All immigrants are American, yet
keep their cultural heritage from their ”home”

17. Which group did
your family
come from?

18. Immigration stories
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