American History

American History
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Introduction
For a long time, America has been a destination for many immigrants from different parts of the world. In the colonial period, many immigrants in the United States were from countries in the northern Europe. There was a significant decline in the number of immigrants entering the United States in 1770s following the revolutionary war (Powell, 2009, p. 38). However, a rise in the number of immigrants entering the United States was again experienced in the 1840s and 50s. Most of the immigrants during this period were from Germany and Ireland. The major factor that facilitated the immigration of these people was poor agricultural performance in their countries. Majority of immigrants had settled in New York. This is evidenced by the increase in population in New York from two hundred thousand in 1830 to five hundred and fifteen thousand in 1850 (United States. Congress, 2008, p. 248). In 1860, 50% of one million residents of New York were immigrants and their children born in America. Following the civil war, there was a need for more labor in America to recover the industrial performance of America. This led to the increase in number of immigrants from Europe. It is estimated that twenty five million immigrated into America between 1865 and 1914. Most of the immigrants came from Eastern and Southern Europe during this period. This essay is a discussion of how American immigration was like for the Europeans and what they did for survival.
American History
How American immigration was like for the Europeans
Research indicates that most of the immigrants in America were from Europe (Mays, 2004, p. 141). People from northern Europe were the first immigrants and then people from southern and Eastern Europe joined them. This means that American immigration is significantly related to European immigration. The major reason behind the statement is the fact that the same people are involved in the immigration process. The people that were immigrants in Europe are the same people who became immigrants in the United States. The major factor that facilitates people to move from their original homelands to new lands is mainly exhaustion of natural resources that support livelihood. When people moved to Europe, most economic resources had not been depleted. It was easy to practice economic activities such as farming and mining to earn a livelihood. There was large number of agricultural lands used for agriculture to produce food and other necessities for people. The situation is similar to the case of immigrants in the United States. They moved from Europe in search of better lives in America. There were no people in America, and large agricultural land was available. In addition, there were large tracks of land that could be used for settlement and other human activities. This factor facilitated the movement of people from North, East, and South Europe to America. In America, they would enjoy better lives and produce for their descendants. This factor is significantly related to the factors that facilitated the movement of people to Europe. Human beings are rational and are always attracted top areas that maximize their social-economic well-being. As such, they became immigrants of America just as their fore fathers became immigrants in Europe.
In the case of European migration, agriculture was the main driving factor (Gill & Raiser, 2012, p. 334). In the case of America, industrial revolution was the main driving force. The two factors are significantly related to each other. This is because agriculture and industrialization are both economic factors. It can be stated that economic forces facilitated the movement of people to America as it facilitated the movement of people to Europe. This brings reveals a very important aspect about the human being. Throughout history, economic factors and forces have been major driving forces of the settlement decisions made by the human beings. People are comfortable in areas where economic situations favor their livelihoods and that of their children. It is because of this factor that Europeans moved to Europe and later to America. The search for economic satisfaction has led to many people becoming immigrants in different parts of the world. A good example is the settlement of immigrants in America in the 17th and 18th centuries. In addition, more immigrants moved to America in the 19th century. Their activities and initiatives are related to those of the Europeans as they moved and settled in Europe. Analyzing these historic...