Most immigrants who came to the United States from the 1820s to the 1880s were from
Show Immigrants arriving from Old World, ca. 1890 Photograph shows a male immigrant standing in front of the door with all his possessions. The arrival of European immigrants introduced an ethnic diversity through the eastern parts of the united states as immigrants came in waves native Americans and native American citizens would soon notice distinct differences in ethnicities and age groups among the population of European immigrant waves particularly the new VS the old immigration. The so-called “old immigration” described the group European immigrants who “came mainly from Northern and Central Europe (Germany and England) in early 1800 particularly between 1820 and 1890 they were mostly protestant”[6] and they came in groups of families they were highly skilled, older in age, and had moderate amount of money in addition, they were quick to assimilate with the American citizens their main reason for coming was to seek settlement and escape the poverty and food scarcity due to droughts . As for the New immigrants, they were younger mostly male dominant “they came from Eastern and Southern Europe from countries like Italy, Poland, Greece, Russia they came in search of Economic opportunities”[7] but most of them never intended to become American citizen they were working in the US just earn enough to send money back to their familiar which gave them the name “ Birds of Passage”[8]. The new wave of immigrants was either catholic, orthodox, or Jewish they came impoverished, unskilled, and illiterate also most of the immigrants from the new wave came separately as a form of smaller groups or individuals like a father and son or single men who were looking for jobs. Old Immigrants VS New Immigrants Illustrated London News Steamers carried Irish emigrants to Liverpool where their transatlantic voyage began In the middle half of the nineteenth century, more than one-half of the population of Ireland emigrated to the United States. So did an equal number of Germans. Most of them came because of civil unrest, severe unemployment or almost inconceivable hardships at home. This wave of immigration affected almost every city and almost every person in America. From 1820 to 1870, over seven and a half million immigrants came to the United States — more than the entire population of the country in 1810. Nearly all of them came from northern and western Europe — about a third from Ireland and almost a third from Germany. Burgeoning companies were able to absorb all that wanted to work. Immigrants built canals and constructed railroads. They became involved in almost every labor-intensive endeavor in the country. Much of the country was built on their backs.
Anti-Irish sentiment permeated the United States during the Industrial Revolution. The prejudice exhibited in advertisements like this one sometimes led to violent outbursts. In Ireland almost half of the population lived on farms that produced little income. Because of their poverty, most Irish people depended on potatoes for food. When this crop failed three years in succession, it led to a great famine with horrendous consequences. Over 750,000 people starved to death. Over two million Irish eventually moved to the United States seeking relief from their desolated country. Impoverished, the Irish could not buy property. Instead, they congregated in the cities where they landed, almost all in the northeastern United States. Today, Ireland has just half the population it did in the early 1840s. There are now more Irish Americans than there are Irish nationals.
In the decade from 1845 to 1855, more than a million Germans fled to the United States to escape economic hardship. They also sought to escape the political unrest caused by riots, rebellion and eventually a revolution in 1848. The Germans had little choice — few other places besides the United States allowed German immigration. Unlike the Irish, many Germans had enough money to journey to the Midwest in search of farmland and work. The largest settlements of Germans were in New York City, Baltimore, Cincinnati, St. Louis and Milwaukee. With the vast numbers of German and Irish coming to America, hostility to them erupted. Part of the reason for the opposition was religious. All of the Irish and many of the Germans were Roman Catholic. Part of the opposition was political. Most immigrants living in cities became Democrats because the party focused on the needs of commoners. Part of the opposition occurred because Americans in low-paying jobs were threatened and sometimes replaced by groups willing to work for almost nothing in order to survive. Signs that read NINA — "No Irish Need Apply" — sprang up throughout the country. The Know Nothing Party's platform included the repeal of all naturalization laws and a prohibition on immigrants from holding public office. Ethnic and anti-Catholic rioting occurred in many northern cites, the largest occurring in Philadelphia in 1844 during a period of economic depression. Protestants, Catholics and local militia fought in the streets. 16 were killed, dozens were injured and over 40 buildings were demolished. "Nativist" political parties sprang up almost overnight. The most influential of these parties, the Know Nothings, was anti-Catholic and wanted to extend the amount of time it took immigrants to become citizens and voters. They also wanted to prevent foreign-born people from ever holding public office. Economic recovery after the 1844 depression reduced the number of serious confrontations for a time, as the country seemed to be able to use all the labor it could get. But Nativism returned in the 1850s with a vengeance. In the 1854 elections, Nativists won control of state governments in Massachusetts, Connecticut, Rhode Island, New Hampshire and California. They won elections in Maryland and Kentucky and took 45% of the vote in 5 other states. In 1856, Millard Fillmore was the American Party candidate for President and trumpeted anti-immigrant themes. Nativism caused much splintering in the political landscape, and the Republicans, with no platform or policies about it, benefited and rode to victory in the divisive election of 1860. Where did most immigrants come from in the 1880?During the 1870s and 1880s, the vast majority of these people were from Germany, Ireland, and England - the principal sources of immigration before the Civil War.
Where did most immigrants to the US come from during the 1800's?The high immigration statistics in the 19th century were largely fueled by large numbers of Irish and German immigrants coming to the U.S. in the mid-to-late-1800s. For instance between 1800 and 1930, more than 4.5 million Irish immigrants came to the U.S., including 1.5 million in the 1840s and 1850s.
Where did most immigrants to the United States come from?The top countries of origin for immigrants were Mexico (24 percent of immigrants), India (6 percent), China (5 percent), the Philippines (4.5 percent), and El Salvador (3 percent).
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Published.. What were the major immigrant groups to the US during the 1800s?From 1841 to 1860, over 4 million people came to the United States. This represented a 600 percent increase over the previous 20-year period. Most of these immigrants came from Great Britain, Germany, and especially Ireland.
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