This document discusses key questions about immigration to the United States and provides an overview of major waves of immigration throughout American history. It asks how the US became a nation of immigrants, challenges immigrants face when moving to a new country, and how immigration has influenced US laws and society. Major sections cover the first Native American settlers, early European colonists including German and Scandinavian immigrants in the 19th century, and the large influx of Irish immigrants fleeing the potato famine in the 1840s who predominantly settled in Northeast cities.