The Seven Eras of U.S. Immigration History

Coming to America. Ellis Island.

When my children were growing up, we would take them to NewYork City each time we went out east to see my parents and brothers who lived in Eastern Pennsylvania. On one occasion we went to Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty. While growing up I'd been to these sites several times but on this last visit I noticed something I'd not seen before. Immigrants came in waves. I was struck, for example, by the tidal wave of people who fled Eastern Europe during the pogroms of the early 1900s.

Recalling Ellis Island, and the current disruptive events surrounding immigration matters, prompted me to assemble this outline of our nation's immigration history. It is my aim to follow up with additional thoughts. But first, this outline as a means of establishing a context.

U.S. IMMIGRATION HISTORY

A chronological overview of the major immigration waves into the United States, starting in the 1600s, with their primary causes 

1. Colonial Era Immigration (1600s–1775)

Who came: English Puritans, Anglicans, Scots-Irish, Germans (Palatines from war-torn region of the Rhine River), Enslaved Africans (forced migration).

Reasons why they came:
Religious persecution (Puritans, Quakers)
Economic opportunity (land, trade)
Political instability in Europe
Forced labor to sustain colonial economies

EdNote: Enslaved Africans were not immigrants by choice, but their arrival profoundly shaped U.S. history and demographics.

2. Early Republic & Open Immigration (1780s–1840s)

Who came: Germans, Scots-Irish, English artisans and farmers

Reasons why they came:
Cheap or free land
Political upheaval in Europe

---Few legal restrictions on immigration
---Rapid westward expansion

EdNote: The U.S. largely welcomed immigrants with minimal regulation.

3. Mid-19th Century Mass Migration (1840s–1860s)

Who came: Irish, Germans, Chinese (especially to the West Coast)

Reasons why they came:
Irish Potato Famine
European revolutions (1848)
Gold Rush & railroad construction
Industrial labor demand

EdNote: This wave triggered the first major anti-immigrant backlash (Know-Nothing movement).

Related Link: The Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882

4. Industrial Age “New Immigration” (1880–1924)

Ellis Island. Immigrants awaiting examination

Who came: Italians Jews from Eastern Europe, Poles, Hungarians, Greeks, Japanese (West Coast & Hawaii)
Reasons why they came:

Industrial jobs
Poverty & pogroms
Steamship travel made migration affordable
Chain migration through family networks

EdNote: This is the largest voluntary immigration wave in U.S. history.

5. Restriction Era (1924–1965).

Who came: Very limited European immigration, Mexican laborers (temporary programs), Internal migration of African Americans (Great Migration)

Reasons why they came:
Immigration Act of 1924 imposed ethnic quotas

Racist and eugenic thinking dominated policy

WWII labor shortages led to temporary exceptions

EdNote: This era dramatically reshaped who could not come.

6. Post-1965 Global Immigration Wave (1965–1990s)

Who came: Latin Americans, Asians (China, India, Philippines, Korea), Refugees from Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos
Reasons why they came:

Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965

Family reunification rules
Cold War refugee policy
Post-colonial global instability

EdNote: This law ended race-based quotas and transformed U.S. demographics.

7. Contemporary Immigration (1990s–Present)

Who comes:
Mexico & Central America
South & East Asia
Africa (growing share)

Reasons why they came:
Economic inequality
Political violence  
Global labor demand (tech, healthcare)
Family reunification

EdNote: Immigration today is more global than ever, but also more politically contested.

The Recurring Big Picture Pattern

Across 400+ years, U.S. immigration waves follow a repeating rhythm:

Push factors (famine, war, persecution)
Pull factors (jobs, land, safety)
Political resistance once numbers grow

Each wave was once seen as a “threat.”
Each eventually became part of the American mainstream.

Questions for Discussion

--When did your families arrive on America? What may have been the reasons they left their homelands to come here?    

--In what ways has immigration contributed to the evolution of American identity—from the "melting pot" ideal to modern "tossed salad" of multiculturalism—and how might acknowledging diverse immigrant histories challenge or enrich our national narrative?                                                                
--Over the past 70 years, how many immigrants have come to our borders because of economic hardships and social disruptions as a result of regime change shenanigans sponsored or instigated by U.S. covert actions?

                                                                                                                                        

Top Issues That Americans Are Anxious About

Here is a list of top issues Americans are concerned about...

According to Pew Research, 2024: 

Inflation

Health care costs

Partisan cooperation

Drug addiction

Gun violence

Violent crime

Budget deficit

Moral values

* * * * 

According to a 2023 Chapman University Study:

Fears are ranked by the percentage of Americans surveyed who reported being ‘afraid’ or ‘very afraid.’

Top 10 Fears of 2023                                                    % of Very Afraid or Afraid

Corrupt government officials                                                      60.1%

Economic/financial collapse                                                        54.7%

Russia using nuclear weapons                                                    52.5%

The US becoming involved in another World War                       52.3%

People I love becoming seriously ill                                             50.6%

People I love dying                                                                       50.4%

Pollution of drinking water                                                           50.0%

Biological warfare                                                                         49.5%

Cyber-terrorism                                                                             49.3%

Not having enough money for the future                                      48.0%

* * * * 

What I find interesting in these two lists are the things not included.

Issues Not Noted Above

Education
Climate
Energy
Abortion
Immigration
A.I.
Jobs
Free Speech and Free Thought

* * * *

Obviously the answers can be impacted by the way questions are asked, but a few of my biggest concerns aren't even on those first two lists. In part, it's because the media directs its viewers/listeners to other concerns, their concerns. It's just one more way the the narrative and the public's perceptions are shaped.

Two of my biggest concerns are the Energy Grid (specifically the compromises being made that will eventually lead to unreliability, blackouts and brownouts as well as skyrocketing costs) and the increased clamping down on free speech. I don't have a good feelng about where we're heading as a nation. 

Then again, this world is not my home. 

Related:
Are You Protopian, Utopian or Dystopian?

What Does A Community Organizer Do?

If you are like many, if not most, people the title "Community Organizer" has a somewhat fuzzy definition in our minds. For this reason I reached out to Ginka Tarnowski to help give us clarity on this topic.

Ginka Tarnowski

I became aware of Ms. Tarnowski through an editorial she had written two weeks ago to the Duluth News Tribune (DNT) pertaining to a hot topic that was coming to a head in the subsequent city council meeting two Monday's ago, August 16. The hot topic of that meeting was with regard to the Mayor's push to have a Twin Cities agency replace most of the promotional functions that Visit Duluth, a local team, had been managing for more than 80 years.

Having worked closely with Visit Duluth these past several tears as part of the Duluth Dylan Fest committee, I couldn't comprehend the necessity for the move in the first place. Nor did I agree with the process. 

The DNT published a lengthy statement by the mayor defending the decision, and also printed a well-crafted response by a young woman whom I was unfamiliar with. Her opinion piece was titled Local View: Mayor Larson taps out-of-town consultants for lots of fixes.

Ginka Tarnowski's bio at the end of the piece read "Ginka Tarnowski of West Duluth is a community organizer who assists with her fiance’s consulting work." This led me to reach out to learn more about the role she plays in our community. 

EN: You self-describe as a community organizers. What does a community organizer do?

Ginka Tarnowski: I think it's a common experience for many who try to fix a wrong to be pushed aside and told their voice doesn't matter. Sometimes people will have respect to tell it to your face: "You're just one person, do you really believe you can make a difference?" Sometimes, from what I've experienced in Duluth, it's by polite inaction: 'Sorry for the last minute email, my wife has an upset stomach/our turtle ran away/our dog lost their ball, can we reschedule?' And sometimes, the worst feeling can come from no action at all.

That's where a community organizer comes in, and why I describe myself as one. An organizer is someone who has their ear to the street -- a community member who listens to their neighbors. And its not just listening to your neighbor's words, but hearing what's in their heart. But that isn't enough to be a community organizer.

A community organizer has to go a step further. They don't listen endlessly, sympathize greatly, and sit empathetically; that's not enough and that's never been enough. A community organizer leads.

So why do I call myself a community organizer? Because I've spent enough time hearing from my neighbors about how we deserve better. It's time we do better, as a state, as a city, and as neighbors.

I like to think that my first experience as an organizer was when I helped save an assembly during my senior year at Denfield. We were auctioning off seniors to hang out with freshmen as a way to raise money for cancer research. The ‘cool’ seniors would hang out with their freshman, giving them food and piggyback rides throughout the day. They’d only managed to raise $7 before I realized I could do a better job by whipping up some excitement, so I grabbed the mic, leaped up to the freshman balcony, and by the end of the day we managed to raise over $1,000 for cancer research. I didn’t care about people knowing me; I cared about raising as much money as we could in a way where people would be happier when they walked out of the assembly and that they felt a greater sense of community.

When I was a student at Scholastica, the administration proposed cutting a sexual assault prevention program. That was not something that I felt was good policy, so I organized my friends to go across campus and present to the administration stories from sexual assault survivors. Within a week we were able to get the administration to reverse their position.

These days, I spend my time listening to my neighbors and identifying solutions. I’ve been meeting with elected officials and policy makers to find how I can continue to make a difference, because all throughout Duluth I hear issues which would not be happening if only our city government put Duluthians first.

* * * 

Thank you, Ginka, for the work you are doing 

to make a difference in this community.

U.S. Senator Tina Smith's Staff To Visit AICHO in Duluth November 26 Regarding Housing Issues

When was the last time you talked with a U.S. Senator about issues that mattered to you personally?

Senator Tina Smith's staff will be at the American Indian Housing Community Organization (AICHO) next week on November 26 to address housing issues. It's all part of what's being billed as a statewide "listening tour" to address the issue of affordable housing.

The objective of this particular meeting is to gather information in order to the housing shortage and its impact on Native American Families, Businesses, Communities and Tribal Nations.

The meeting will take place Tuesday, November 26 at 12 pm - 1:30 pm at the American Indian Community Housing Organization (AICHO) as part of her statewide “Housing Listening Tour.”

"Sky Woman" -- Jonathan Thunder

Senator Smith, who is a member of both the Senate Housing and the Senate Indian Affairs Committees, said virtually every Minnesota community—whether it’s in rural areas, urban areas or on tribal land—has a housing crisis. The crisis upends the stability of families, the ability of businesses to create jobs, and the opportunities communities have to grow and prosper.

The listening session will include local leaders, housing officials and residents to not only discuss the shortage, but also the successful local efforts that are addressing it. The meeting is free and open to the public.

Detail from larger piece by Leah Yellowbird.

WHO: U.S. Sen. Tina Smith’s Housing and Regional Staff

WHAT: Meeting on the impact of housing shortages on Native American communities as part of Senator’s Housing Listening Tour

WHEN: Tuesday, November 26 from 12:00 pm to 1:30 p.m.

WHERE: American Indian Community Housing Organization, 202 W. 2nd Street, Duluth, MN

* * * *

Senator Tina Smith took office as Minnesota lieutenant governor on January 5, 2015, and served until she was appointed to represent Minnesota in the U.S. Senate on January 2, 2018. She has been appointed to serve on numerous Senate committees including the Committee On Indian Affairs. Click here to see her full Wikipedia bio.