Immigration in America: 19th Century to the Present Day
This paper surveys the history of immigration to the United States from the early 19th century through the present day. It examines the major waves of immigration — including Irish, German, Scandinavian, Mexican, and Asian arrivals — and the settlement patterns each group followed. The paper also addresses the nativist reactions, legal restrictions, and social hostilities immigrants have faced at various points in American history. Key legislation, including the National Origins Act of 1924 and the Hart-Celler Act of 1965, is analyzed in terms of how each shaped the composition of the immigrant population. The paper concludes by reflecting on ongoing debates about undocumented immigration, economic anxieties, and the enduring cultural contributions immigrants have made to American society.
- Introduction: Immigrants and the Making of America: Overview of immigration's foundational role in U.S. history
- 19th-Century Immigration: Settlement Patterns and Early Waves: Mass migration begins; Midwest and Northeast settlement patterns
- Irish, German, and Scandinavian Immigrants: Three groups' motivations, destinations, and reception in America
- Mexican Americans and the Transition to the 20th Century: Border annexation and roots of Mexican American presence
- 21st-Century Immigration Debates and Racial Attitudes: Post-9/11 hostility, Mexican immigration controversy, and race
- Immigration Legislation: From the National Origins Act to Hart-Celler: Quota systems, the 1965 Act, and modern policy debates
- Conclusion: The Ongoing Role of Immigrants in American Society: Immigrants' enduring contributions and ongoing national tensions
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What makes this paper effective
- The paper traces immigration history chronologically while weaving in thematic threads — nativism, economic competition, and religious prejudice — that appear across different eras, giving the narrative analytical coherence.
- Specific groups (Irish, German, Scandinavian, Mexican, Afghan) are used as case studies to ground broader claims about immigration patterns and hostility, making abstract arguments concrete.
- The paper connects historical legislation (National Origins Act, Hart-Celler Act) to real demographic outcomes, demonstrating how policy shapes immigration flows in measurable ways.
Key academic technique demonstrated
The paper effectively uses comparative historical analysis — placing multiple immigrant groups side by side to reveal patterns of reception, settlement, and assimilation. By contrasting groups like the Irish (who faced severe hostility despite European origin) with other European arrivals, the author shows that prejudice was driven by religion and ethnicity as much as by race, complicating simplistic narratives about American tolerance.
Structure breakdown
The paper is organized into three broad sections corresponding to its original prompt structure: early-to-mid 19th-century immigration waves and settlement geography; 20th- and 21st-century immigration debates and racial dynamics; and a legislative history running from the 1921 quota system through contemporary policy concerns. Each section builds on the last, moving from historical description toward policy analysis and normative argument.
Introduction: Immigrants and the Making of America
The millions of immigrants who have come to America over the past four hundred years have made America what it is today. The immigrants who made America their home came to find new lives and livelihoods, and their hard work benefited not only themselves and their families, but their adopted country as well. The role that immigrants played in America's development is central to understanding the nation itself — a process "fundamental to its pre-national origins, its [growth from an] Atlantic outpost to a world power, particularly in terms of its economic growth. Immigration has made the United States of America" (Diner, 2008).
This paper examines some of the major turning points in American immigrant history beginning in the 19th century and continuing to the present. It also explores the patterns of settlement among different broad groups of immigrants during this period. Finally, the paper discusses how immigrants have changed American culture — from a society dominated by a white Protestant majority to the current state in which whites constitute just one of several major ethnic groups (Diner, 1983).
19th-Century Immigration: Settlement Patterns and Early Waves
Diner (2008) notes that the first and longest era of settlers coming to the New World stretched from the 17th century through the early 19th century. Immigrants during this time came from a variety of places, including France, Poland, and the Netherlands. By the early 19th century, however, the immigrant population consisted mainly of people from the British Isles. Settlements were concentrated along the Eastern coast, while the vast western lands were still inhabited by Native American peoples (Takaki, 2008). For the immigrants who would arrive in the mid- and late-19th century, these earlier settlers were already regarded as "old" immigrants (Takaki, 2008).
By 1820, mass migration to America had officially begun (Diner, 2008). This period of mass migration lasted roughly until 1880. Over the course of those approximately sixty years, around 15 million immigrants came to the United States. Many chose to settle in the Midwest and the Northeast, where they could own land and pursue agriculture. Others moved to large cities such as New York, Philadelphia, Boston, and Baltimore (Diner, 2008).
Immigrants who came to the New World during the 19th century tended to cluster with fellow countrymen. The Midwest was a common destination for Europeans from Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Bohemia, "and various regions of what in 1871 would become Germany" (Diner, 2008). With its rich farmland, the Midwest "became home to tight-knit, relatively homogeneous communities of immigrants" from these Northern European countries.
References
Diner, H. (1983). Erin's daughters in America: Irish immigrant women in the nineteenth century. Baltimore, MD: Johns Hopkins University Press.
Diner, H. (2008). Immigration and U.S. history. America.gov. Retrieved October 28, 2010, from
Gjerde, J. (1998). Major problems in American immigration and ethnic history: Documents and essays. Boston: Houghton Mifflin.
Takaki, R. (2008). A different mirror: A history of multicultural America (Rev. ed.). Boston: Little, Brown.
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