Types of Immigrants

1607-1830

Many of the immigrants arriving at this time were found to be Scotch-Irish and Africans. The Scotch-Irish were mainly Catholics and Presbyterians and were previously farmers. Back in their home country the Scotch-Irish worked on farms that they did not own, but rented. Once they could not afford to pay this rent they had no choice but to seek new homes. The ones that did not get away faced the prospect of starvation without any farmland. The Africans that came were almost always brought against their will. They came involuntarily as slaves and were considered the lowest social class. Every age was brought here, both men and women and they all were forced to work on plantations. They worked long hours and under unsanitary conditions.

1830-1890

Irish: The Irish came for many reasons, one of the largest of which was the potato famine that killed over a million citizens. They also had a strong resentment for the British rule of their county and the authoratative British landlords. This also included British Protestantism and the high British taxes. The Irish were so resistant against Protestants because a large percentage of them were Roman Catholics. Along with this there was also the onset of prolonged depression and social hardship. Ireland became so ravaged and shaken by economic collapse, that in some rural areas the average age of death was 19. It was early in the 1930s that Irish immigration was beginning to grow rapidly and when the potato famine hit in 1945 it skyrocketed. Most of the Irish had been tenant farmers before coming to the U.S. Once they arrived they had little taste for farmwork and little money to buy land anyway. The main age group of the Irish immigrants was teenager to young adult. Compared to other immigrant groups this was fairly young.

British: The British that came during this time did not have as many detailed reasons for coming. They mainly came to America looking for better job oppurtunities and a higher quality of life. The British were mostly professionals in their fields, independent farmers, and skilled workers. Most of these immigrants were fairly young although not as much as their Irish counterparts. As mentioned above, the British were mainly Protestant.

1890-1924 During this period of history most of the immigrants were white with varying religious backgrounds. There were quite a few main groups though. Among these were: Italians, Russians, Greeks, Slavs, Eastern European Jews, and Armenians. All of these immigrants came voluntarily with the strong hopes of a better future. The most prominent religions of these people though, were Christianity and Judaism.

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