Overview...

This feature presentation links educators to primary sources from the Library of Congress' online collections. These Web resources can make history come alive for students!

The feature provides an introduction to the study of immigration to the United States. It is far from the complete story, and focuses only on the immigrant groups that arrived in greatest numbers during the 19th and early 20th centuries. The presentation was shaped by the primary sources available in the Library's online collections and these questions:

• What happened to the Native American as waves of immigrants arrived from other nations?
• Which nations yielded the most significant numbers of immigrants to the United States?
• Why did each immigrant group come to the United States?
• When did each immigrant group come to the United States?
• Where did the groups settle, both initially and in subsequent migrations?
• How were the immigrants received by the current citizens of this nation?
• How did United States government policies and programs affect immigration patterns?
• How did United States government policies and programs affect immigrants' assimilation into the life of the nation?
• What role did the distribution of resources (natural and man-made) play in the immigration and subsequent migration patterns of immigrants?
• How did economic conditions impact the immigrants' experience?
• How did cultural heritage affect an immigrant's place of settlement?
• What impact did immigrant cultural traditions have on the United States?

It is hoped that educators will use this feature to help students formulate and articulate additonal questions of their own...and that students will be encouraged to find their own answers. Happy discovery!