University Essay: The History and Effects of American Immigration

This essay delves into the history of American immigration, examining its multifaceted impacts on the nation. It begins by tracing the waves of immigration from the 1620s, highlighting the contributions of British, German, and Dutch immigrants and the economic effects of their settlements. The essay explores the push and pull factors that drove migration, including religious persecution and economic opportunities. It analyzes the impact of the Industrial Revolution and the rise of manufacturing on immigration patterns, particularly the influx of Irish and Asian immigrants. The essay also addresses the rise of nativism and anti-immigrant sentiment, the cultural clashes, and the economic consequences of immigration, including the exploitation of cheap labor. It concludes by emphasizing the significant role immigration played in shaping both the culture and economy of the United States. The essay uses three videos to support its arguments and cites relevant sources to provide a comprehensive overview of American immigration.

Running head: AMERICA'S IMMIGRANT HISTORY
America’s immigrant history
Name of Student:
Name of University;
Author note:

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The movement of people to settle down into location places that are not native to them is
called immigration. Immigration is proved to be of significant economic as well as social benefit
for countries. This essay, I will deal with the history of American immigration and its various
effects on people. This essay will also deal with the reasons behind the whole process of
migration in America. The aim of the essay is to show the various ways by which the different
cultures and immigrants had effected America as whole based on three videos.
The first video makes us aware of the history of immigration which dates back to the
1620s. Immigrants including British, German and Dutch migrated to America. The puritans
came to North America to escape being persecuted religiously or to explore better opportunities.
The Dutch who settled near the Hudson River, affected the economy of America as their
migration resulted in the establishment of trading posts which were rich and successful. English
Quakers were responsible for the development of the Pennsylvania colony and Philadelphia,
which became its commercial centre. Most of them turned into farmers, and they needed a hand
in farming so their population increase. The British sent 60000 prisoners in America to Georgia (
Robinson, 2013). Many British migrated to America and made great advantage of the thriving
slave and tobacco trade there. This profited the economy of America but degraded and
diminished the black people. Colonization of black people led to their cultural destruction. I
think that there are two forces that help in the process of immigration; push and pull. Something
pushes them from their homeland, and something pulls them towards new locations. Forced
migration took place when Africans were captured in prison ships and taken to America because
it needed labour. This created a boost in African population in America which further led to the
mingling of the African and American culture into Afro-American culture. Native American
population declined to only 100000 in the US during the 1790s because of immigration, disease

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and long wars (Liebmann et al., 2016). Our sympathies go out to the African people when we see
their forced capture in their homelands.
The second video shows us that during the 1830s large amount of immigration started in
America. I feel an increase in immigration has resulted from the rise in manufacturing due to the
Industrial Revolution and the availability of cheap farmland. The video gives us an insight into
the immigrant history of America. It is because of the Irish immigrants that most of the railroads
and canals were built. The Irish were unskilled labourers who took jobs mostly in the textile
mills. Half of the Germans ended up becoming farmers, and the rest became craftsman near the
urban areas. The videos give the history of the Asian immigrants informing us that they mainly
crossed the pacific to become labourers on transcontinental railroads and also the mines. I have
noticed that immigration follow a specific pattern that has already been set for them. They go to
a certain place because someone of their descent has already been there. Between the 1830s and
1850s, the immigration of US tripled again. By 1850s the population of US crossed 20 million,
and that's when Americans started having prejudiced feelings towards the immigrants. I believe it
was this time when feelings of racism began to root in the hearts of the Americans majorly
towards the Irish immigrants who came in large in hopes of escaping the Potato Famine. I think
the aversion towards the immigrants was major because of the cultural difference between the
two groups. It also led to their marginalization and alienation. Watching this video makes me
feel bad about the immigrants because they had nowhere to go. They are forced to leave home
and come to an alien land where they are not accepted.
The 1880s brought with itself steamships which were much faster, making it easier for
immigrants worldwide to reach America. This led to overcrowding of people of diverse origins
and races in America. This led to the mingling of the cultures and also cultural conflicts. The

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immigrants felt like they were going to a free country escaping their old undignified life. People
could not find employment in Europe and Russian empire because factory owners and
landowners starting preferring machines over manpower. However, America had enough room
for these desperate men eager for work and happily kept with low wages. The video makes us
aware of the fact that during the devastating first world war, America made full advantage of its
chance by providing supplies to Europe. The native Americans realized the threat of
overcrowding in America and the country saw its first anti-immigration act.
It would be safe to conclude from the above discussion that immigration had a
considerable effect on both the culture and economy of the country, which has both positive as
well as negative sides. Immigration has provided America with cheap labour and manpower that
it needed. It has provided the country with new cultures, social values and new ideas. Migration
also led to cultural clashes and social differences in people of different origins. These videos
provide us with an insightful view of what goes on during the process of immigration and the
critical factors involved in it.

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Reference:
Liebmann, M. J., Farella, J., Roos, C. I., Stack, A., Martini, S., & Swetnam, T. W. (2016). Native
American depopulation, reforestation, and fire regimes in the Southwest United States, 1492–
1900 CE. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 113(6), E696-E704.
Robinson, C. J. (2013). Black movements in America. Routledge.