AP US History in 1 Minute Daily: 19th Century International Immigration (Day 125/309)

Welcome to today’s explanation of 19th Century International Immigration in my series- APUSH in 1 Minute Daily!

Total Immigrants By Decade, Scholastic

By the mid-1800s, immigrants to the U.S. were more ethnically diverse. Push factors, such as famine and political revolutions, and pull factors, including the California gold rush, industrialization, and cheap land, fueled a massive increase in international migration.

Chinese Workers at Ogden Golden Spike Parade, 1919, Wikimedia Commons

With mining and railroad construction opportunities in the West, Chinese immigration grew quickly. Most Chinese workers were male, initially viewed their relocation as temporary, and often sent money back home to support families. 

Emigrants Leave Ireland, Wikimedia Commons

The Irish Potato Famine led to an explosion of emigration from the nation. By 1860, there were approximately 1.5 million Irish born people in the U.S. working especially in Northeastern factories and in the railroad industry.

German Population Density in 1872, Wikimedia Commons

Economic hardships and failures of democratic revolutions led around 1 million Germans to migrate to the U.S. by 1860. They primarily settled on farms or in cities in the Midwest.

In the mid-19th century, there was a sharp increase in immigration especially from China, Ireland, and Germany. These new immigrants often lived in ethnic communities and tried to preserve their languages and customs.

Join me tomorrow as I explain Nativism in the next APUSH in 1 Minute Daily!