Immigration in the US

People and Places

The Colonial Period French established

colonies in the lower Mississippi Valley (New Orleans 1718) where the fertile soil and warm climate enabled the settlers to establish successful farms and plantations.

Population of French immigrants - 80,000

English population of 1,500,000 was concentrated in the thirteen colonies along the Atlantic seaboard.

16th Century -Spanish centered around Florida and southern areas totaling 200,000

Dutch arrived in 1609- Dutch West India Co. up to 8,000

The Mid-Nineteenth Century Northern Europeans

Irish Famine – 2 million migrated to US

By 1840’s British numbered more than half of all emigrants leaving from Europe

1848-1858 over 1 million Germans migrated to the US

The Turn of the Twentieth Century Southern and Eastern

Europe Russians came in

1900’s Italians, from 1890-

1900, 655,888 arrived in the US, of whom 2/3’s were men

1901-1910 when 8.8 million people arrived increasing the total U.S. population by 1 percent per year as the U.S. population grew from 76 to 92 million

Germany – 6,978,000 14.3%

Italy – 5,294,000 10.9% Britain – 4,898,000 10% Ireland – 4,723,000 9.7% Austria-Hungary –

4,315,000 8.9% Russia – 3,374,000 6.9% Sweden – 1,272,000 2.6%

Norway – 856,000 1.8% France – 751,000 1.5% Greece – 655,000 1.3% Portugal – 446,000 .9% Turkey – 385,000 .8% Denmark – 364,000 .7% Holland – 359,000 .7% Finland – 33,000 .1%

Countries Contributing to the US Population

Major Cities for Immigrants