Immigration to the United States

Immigration in the United States a major influence on the demography and cultural history of the country. Since the founding of the state settled in large numbers of migrants religious, political or economic motives down or were forcibly settled as slaves.

The first immigrants came from the United Kingdom and the Netherlands, reaching its peak immigration 1892 until 1924. Nowadays more legal immigrants living in the U.S. than in any other country in the world.

History

Immigration in the North American colonies

According to the European discovery of America in 1492, the settlement of the North American continent was made by Europeans after 1492 from three main directions:

• Spaniards settled first in Central America and moved (from about 1528) from the south over the Rio Grande into the territory of what is now California, the names of cities (San Francisco, Los Angeles ) are recognizable Spanish origin. After the Mexican-American War (1846-1848) half of the former Mexican territory was divided into several U.S. states.
• French populated (from about 1605), the continent from the far north- east; it is about Quebec a French foundation, and in today's United States territory, the city of Detroit (French for strait ) or the state of Illinois (French adjectival Illini ). From the Midwest from French settlers to the Mississippi River then moved along to the south, of which state name like Louisiana ( Louisiane ) or names of cities such as New Orleans ( Nouvelle Orléans ) testify.
• English settlers first landed finally in today's Jamestown ( VA) ( 1607) and 1620 on the Mayflower in Massachusetts.

Other major migration waves were:

• 1628-1640: Approximately 20,000 English Puritans settled in New England.
• 1629-1640: 8000 Dutch settled in the United States.
• 1645-1670: 45,000 English royalists immigrated in the middle colonies and Virginia.
• 1675-1715: Quaker from England settled in Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Delaware.
• 1710-1775: 250,000 Scotch Irish from Ulster settled in western Pennsylvania and the Western Frontier. Immigration of the Pennsylvania Dutch, the majority of German Protestants from the Palatinate.

Immigration 1776-1849

About 9 percent of the American population at the end of the 18th century German. During the first half of the 19th century, 500,000 German migrate to America (see: thirties, Giessen Emigration Society and Mainz Adelsverein ). Many of them fled because of the failed revolution of 1848 in Germany (see: Forty- Eighters ).

1845-1849 prevailed in Ireland, the Great Famine, millions of Irish fled to America in consequence.

National origin of white Americans according to a census of 1790 in Shares

Immigration 1820-1924

In 1820, data on immigration in the newly established Department of Immigration Statistic were centrally recorded and archived. There are all data about the origin, number of establishment, employment and the like of immigrants view. For immigrants who entered the country from 1892 to 1924 through Ellis Iceland, there is an online search

Events that have influenced the immigration flow:

Between 1850 and 1930, 5 million German immigrate to the United States. Between 1876 and 1910, leaving about 3 million people of Austria- Hungary to the United States - mainly about the big German shipping companies North German Lloyd and Hamburg- Amerika Line in Hamburg and Bremen, but also with the Austro-Americana Trieste on. In the period from 1840 to 1930 900,000 French Canadians coming into the country and settled mainly in New England. In the years 1910-1920 a hike over 2 million Italians.

1882 Chinese Exclusion Act, the Chinese workers were excluded from immigration, decided. He was not lifted until 1943. After that was for Chinese immigrants to 1965 the quota system by 1924. She allowed only 105 Chinese movers per year.

The U.S. encouraged the immigration during the period of colonization westwärtigen ( Frontier ) for example, by the Homestead Act, which promised new citizens from common property land as property if they used this for at least five years.

Immigration policy since 1924

In 1921, the immigration was subjected for the first time a quota (Emergency Quota Act ). Three years later, followed by the Immigration Act of 1924. Quotas adopted in both laws should curb immigration from Southern and Eastern Europe in favor of immigration from Northern and Western Europe and secure character of the population in general, the "white". For this purpose, the number of Neuwanderer per country was limited to 2 % of the proportion of the population of 1890.

After the Second World War (especially in the early postwar years ), many people had in many European countries (which was destroyed significant parts and in many places where hunger, poverty and housing shortages prevailed ) the desire to emigrate to the United States.

In 1965, the order of application, the origin to the regions ( hemisphere) and issues of family reunification were considered. Since 1978, applies a uniform global quota for immigration to the United States.

Through the elimination of the racist quota system from 1924, the composition of Immigrant changed dramatically. Goods in 1970, 62 % of foreign-born residents of the United States Europeans, this proportion dropped to 2000 to 15%. The number of immigrants increased considerably. It amounted to 2.5 million from 1951-1960, from 1971 to 1980 and 4.5 million in the 1990s over 10 million.

With the changes in migration patterns which Hispanics were the largest ethnic minority in the USA. (2000: 35.2 million, including more than 20 million from Mexico). Their number increased only from 1990 to 2000 by 61%. Immigration in the 1990 outperforms in absolute numbers nor the mass immigration of the late 19th century. However, the relative proportion of foreign-born residents in the early 20th century was higher than today. He was 15 % in 1910, dropped to 1970 to 5% and rose again to 2000 to around 10%.

According to the government received 2003 463.204 people U.S. citizenship; the average over the years 1997-2003 is about 634,000. The official immigrants added estimated 500,000 illegal immigrants; whose number is present [2/ 2007] estimated 7 to 20 million.

European immigrant groups

Switzerland

Most immigration from Switzerland took place in the second half of the 19th CENTURY mainly. The reasons for that were mostly economic in nature that Switzerland was at this time as one of the poorest countries in Europe.

By 1820 some 25,000 Swiss migrated mainly with the aim of Pennsylvania and Carolina.

Generally during the 19th century was the goal of the Midwest and the Pacific Coast. The Italian-speaking Swiss preferred California.

There a large number were founded at Swiss settlements like New Glarus in Wisconsin, Gruetli in Tennessee or New Bern, North Carolina.

Sweden

The majority of Swedish immigrants came late 19th and early 20th century America. Usually they wandered about New York in the Midwest. In 1900, Chicago was to Stockholm the city with the largest number of Swedish citizens. Many other immigrants settled in Minnesota, Michigan and Wisconsin as a farmer down.

Greece

In 2000 1.153.295 people of Greek descent living in the United States. 365 435 of them speak Greek. They focus mainly in New York, Chicago and Florida.

Immigration of Greeks in the United States:

Famous Americans of Greek descent are: Telly Savalas, Jennifer Aniston, Michael Dukakis

Slaves

The majority of African slaves were brought into the country before the American Revolution. It is estimated that before independence about 300,000 slaves were shipped to the North American colonies of England. Between the American Revolution and the Civil War was followed by 100,000 black slaves.

Current Situation

2005, a new immigration law was passed. The Law Real ID Act of 2005 tightened the rules for political asylum of habeas corpus and other immigration rules. The support of illegal Immigrant can now be punishable. Since March 2006, more and more voices for and against the new immigration law raised. Even then-President George W. Bush was looking for a solution.

In many cities of the United States gathered on 1 May 2006, hundreds of thousands of migrants and to large rallies in order to make as attentive to their economic importance and to fight for an amnesty. Many different human rights and labor organizations had called for under the motto day without immigrants, who stay away from work or school and to boycott and open shops. The demonstrators were mostly illegal immigrants, the so first public mass campaigning for their rights.

Every year will be published by ' Office of Immigration Statistics' the ' Yearbook of Immigration Statistics' published in the immigration data from the last decade or since 1820.