America was built by immigrants. From Plymouth Rock in the seventeenth
century
to Ellis Island in the twentieth, people born elsewhere came to
America. Some
were fleeing religious persecution and political turmoil. Most,
however, came
for economic reasons and were part of extensive migratory systems that
responded to changing demands in labor markets. Their experience in the
United
States was as diverse as their backgrounds and aspirations. Some became
farmers
and others toiled in factories. Some settled permanently and others
returned to
their homeland. Collectively, however, they contributed to the building
of a
nation by providing a constant source of inexpensive labor, by settling
rural
regions and industrial cities, and by bringing their unique forms of
political
and cultural expression.
The volume of immigration before the 1960s was staggering. Figures for
the
colonial period are imprecise, but by the time of the first census of
1790
nearly......
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