To immigrate means to enter a new country to live.

To emigrate means to leave a country to live in another country.

Good Luck, emigrant!

Welcome, immigrant

!

A forefather is a person in a family from whom others come; an ancestor

An ancestor is any person from whom one is descended

A descendant is one in a family who comes from another person, like a daughter or granddaughter

ancestors descendant

A refugee leaves his/her own country in order to have freedom or safety elsewhere.

These refugees will emigrate to another country. They will be immigrants in a new country.

The First American Immigrants

Economic opportunities, earn money: Jamestown

Religious freedom: Quakers, Pilgrims

Fur trading, economic opportunities: Dutch traders

The GermansThe First Germans came to America in 1683. They were like the Quakers and wanted religious freedom in Pennsylvania. Some came because of crop failure in Germany.

By the beginning of the Revolutionary War in the 1770’s, there were more than 225,000 Germans in America.

By 1850, about 4 million German people had come to the United States.

Heritage: property and /or custom that come from one’s ancestors

German contributions:• Kindergarten• sauerkraut, pretzel, frankfurter,

hamburger• Musical heritage, classical music

The IrishIn the 1500’s, the official religion in England was protestant. The Irish were Catholic. Laws were passed there that gave no rights to Catholic. They couldn’t own or rent land, go to school, or vote. They had to pay money to the English Church. The 1700’s were worse!

Because they were so poor, most Irish peasants depended on potatoes for food. In 1845, a disease caused the potato crop to fail. Between 1845-1845, nearly one and one-half million people died of starvation because of the potato famine.

A famine is a very great shortage of food.

Another one million left on ships for America although many died on the coffin ships.

Most stayed in the cities and worked. They didn’t have money to buy land or travel. They stayed close together and formed “Little Irelands”.

They worked hard in mines and helped to build the miles of the railroads.

“The New” ImmigrantsThe new immigrants came to America between 1882-1920.

They came in much larger numbers than the old immigrants.

Almost 20 million people came to America during this time.

Why?

o op p r t tu n i yThey thought there was more opportunity in the United States.By 1882, America was changing to an industrial nation. People were needed to work in the factories.

The new immigrants came mainly to work and live in the cities of America.

Where did the new Immigrants come from?NOT from the northern and western parts of Europe

Southern Europe: Italians (Italy), Greeks (Greece), Portuguese (Portugal), Spanish (Spain)

Eastern Europe: Russians (Russia), Poles (Poland), Czechs (Czechoslovakia), Hungarians (Hungary)

Immigrants from Southern and Eastern Europe:• Most were Catholic, Greek Orthodox, or Jewish• Came from governments with kings or queens• Came from agricultural countries