Immigration

1800's

During the 1800's, people in many parts of the world decided to leave their homes and immigrate to the United States. The vast majority of these people were from Germany, Ireland, and England. Throughout this time period, more than 70% of all immigrants entered through New York City, which came to be known as the "Golden Door." As soon as they landed, immigrants looked for work. There were never enough jobs, and employers often took advantage of the immigrants. Men were generally paid less than other workers, and women less than men.


1900's

Between 1900 and 1915, more than 15 million immigrants arrived in the United States. These immigrants came from various countries such as Italy, Poland, and Russia. At one point, 3/4 of New York's population was immigrants and not only were the numbers of immigrants swelling, the countries from which they came had changed dramatically as well which caused even more immigration. Since so many people were looking for work at the same time, it was hard to meet everyone's needs and at the same time, the United States had a hard time absorbing the immigrants. The jobs they did eventually take were those most Americans didn't want. This was one of the peaks of immigration in American history and led to the large variety of people we have in our country today.