Placing U.S. Immigration

The United States is a nation of immigrants. But where have these immigrants come from? And why did they come to the United States when they did? What impacted who came from where and during what period of history? Finally, how were immigrants received at different points throughout U.S. history? These are the main questions students will explore through this lesson.

Uncle Sam's Lodging house

Great Britain was the source of most immigrants during the first main era of immigration to the United States. As the U.S. and Western Europe grew during the Industrial Revolution of the 1800s, many people left Northern and Western Europe for opportunity in America. By the turn of the century, this flow from Europe shifted to Eastern and Southern Europe being the largest source of migrants (closely related to industrialization expanding to these areas). By the 1930s and 1940s, immigration to the United States all but halted due to economic depression and global war. Finally, since the reversal of the quota laws in 1965, Latin America and Asia have become the largest source for immigrants to the U.S.

Understanding these historical trends in immigration to the U.S. and analyzing the general attitudes toward migrants in the past can provide us with a valuable perspective when discussing these issues today. Illegal immigration and discussions of building a wall on the U.S. – Mexico border are issues being debated in our country today. However, are these issues new? It is important to consider how we have dealt with these problems in the past and consider the outcomes of those decisions. Only then will we be able to make better informed decisions for a brighter future.

  • Story Map Journal: Placing U.S. Immigration (online resource)
    Note: The Story Map Journal application works best in Google Chrome.

Student Materials

Teacher Materials