Historic Migrations to the USA

First peak: Most early migrants to America from the 1600’s to the 1700’s were from England, Ireland, and Scotland.

At the same time, who was settling the southwestern USA?

In the 1840’s and 1850’s, a large in-flow if immigrants came from?

Over a million Irish fled to the USA when faced by starvation brought on by the Potato Famine.

In a strange quirk of fate, the Irish population exploded thanks to the “migration” of the potato from the New World to the Old World. The Irish became totally dependant on the potato as their main food source.

Second Peak

Another large group of immigrants came from the region now known as Germany.

Political conflict in Germany impelled people to leave their lands and immigrate to the USA.

Thanks to the revolutions, European countries were now in Stage II of the Demographic Transition Model (DTM.)

Population was growing quickly. Jobs and land were available in America.

Why did immigration take a nose dive from 1860 until nearly 1870?

From the 1870’s to 1890’s, most immigrants came from Germany and Scandinavia (Norway and Sweden.)

Third Peak – 1890-s – 1914.

In the 1890’s, a shift in immigrants occurred from Northern to Southern and Eastern Europe.

Most immigrants came from Italy, Greece, and Russia.

Immigrants generally moved into the poor neighborhoods that an earlier immigrant group had moved out of.

Why did immigration all but stop from 1914-1918?

Economic recession in Europe, the Great Depression, and World War II limited immigration from Europe during the next 30 years.

After World War II, many U.S. soldiers brought home “war brides.” Women they had met during the war and married after the war.

There was always a great deal of short term immigration between the USA and Mexico, although Mexican generally went back to their homes in Mexico.

The USA had a “bracero” program which allowed Mexicans to work in the USA then return home.

During the depression in the 1930’s, the USA rounded up and deported millions of illegal Mexicans to open up jobs for unemployed Americans

In the 1950’s, President Eisenhower deported million of illegals to open jobs up for veterans of World War II and the Korean War.

In the 1960’s, President Johnson pushed through legislation that ended preferential immigrant status for Europe and instead focused on skilled immigrants and family reunification.

With the fall of South Vietnam in 1975, the U.S. evacuated tens of thousands of Vietnamese refugees who had helped us during the Vietnam War to America. They couldn’t bring them all.

North Vietnamese tanks crash through the gates of the U.S. embassy as the last helicopter leaves.

U.S. helicopters evacuated thousands to carriers offshore.

This created a problem in communist Vietnam and Cambodia when thousands of talented, educated citizens fled the countries rather than live under communism. This is called “brain drain.”

Vietnamese Americans are successful across a spectrum of American life.

After the fall of South Vietnam, hundreds of thousands of South Vietnamese fled by boat to surrounding countries with the hope of migrating to the USA, Australia, Canada, or Europe.

Many ended up in refugee camps in Thailand and the Philippines until the could migrate to “the West” permanently.

After the fall of South Vietnam, hundreds of thousands of South Vietnamese fled by boat to surrounding countries with the hope of migrating to the USA, Australia, Canada, or Europe.

Many ended up in refugee camps in Thailand and the Philippines until the could migrate to “the West” permanently.

Illegal immigration from Latin America grew dramatically in the 1980’s.

President proposed and Congress passed a law granting amnesty and a pathway to citizenship for millions of illegals living in the USA.

The intent was to close the border and prevent future illegal immigration.

Illegal immigration was and is wanted by many American businesses to keep costs down by paying lower wages.

In most cases, the federal government has failed in their legal role preventing illegal immigration.

Once again we are talking amnesty, this time for some 10-12 million illegals.

Today’s immigrants:

Mexico 28% Middle East 4%

Europe 15% South Asia 5%

Caribbean 10% East Asia 18%

Central America 7% Other 6%

South America 7%

1993/94White 70%Hispanic 14%Black 8%Asian 7%

2003/4White 52%Hispanic 29%Black 11%Asian 8%

2010/11White 31%Hispanic 43%Black 16%Asian 8%