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__Why Europeans Came__ Many Western Europeans have traveled to the US in search of a better life. These people came mostly from countries including England, Scotland, Wales, Ireland, France, and the German provinces. Although, the immigration from Western Europe was only at its peak from about 1861-1865, before the civil war. After the civil war most of the European immigrants came from eastern and southern parts of the continent. Most of those immigrants from Western Europe came to New York City at Castle Garden to enter the country.(1) This number began to decrease, though, because after the 1910's, there was a restriction of immigration from Europe to the United States.(3)

Not all Europeans came over to find a whole new life though. Many would come by themselves, only to save up money and later return to their home country and family in Europe, unlike other immigrants who would travel alone at first and later send for their families to follow. (6)

From 1981-1990, Western Europe contributed over seventy percent of all immigration into the United States. During these years, there was a large amount of immigrants coming to the United States from Germany, Scandinavian countries and the United Kingdom.(4) About twelve million European immigrants alone came through the processing center at Ellis Island to enter the United States.(7)

The people in Northern and Western Europe were for the most part impoverished and down on their luck. Many suffered from periods of economic depressions and famines. That is why they saw the cheap farm lands in America a very good opportunity. This was a situation that they could take and prosper from, unlike their home countries where they could not quite take advantage of what was there. Much of Central and Western Europe went through an industrialization and agricultural consolidation just as young men from the Napoleonic Wars were being shipped back home. All of these young men weren't able to survive in the new industrialized order of living. Luckily, just around this time, the demand for immigrant labor went up very high and very fast in America due to the settlement of the American Midwest and the beginning of industrial development. This was a time of major immigration to the United States from Northern and Western Europe.(5) Many Europeans envisioned America as an "egalitarian, democratic society; those escaping famines and poverty wept at the thought of riches and an easy life." Although, we all know it wasn't that easy.(8)

When the Americans needed someone to blame when they didn't like their living conditions, they blamed the immigrants. This is why directly following the end of WWI, Congress changed the basic policy about immigration. In 1921 the National Origins Act restricted the number of immigrants allowed to enter the United States, and only alloted a certain number of peoples according to quotas based of their national origins. This document seemed to take a liking to immigrants from Northern and Western Europe and greatly deterred from letting in Southern and Eastern Europeans.(5)

Immigration has played a major role in politics in Western Europe. Like here in America, we have Democrats and Republicans, where in Europe they have the "left-libertarian" and "extreme right" parties(ERP). It is known that for a long time, members of the ERP have an anti-immigration outlook. This sways many voters when elections come about. One could compare the number of immigrants in a given local area in Western Europe to the voting success of the ERP in that area. Studies have also shown that immigrants that live within an area of high ERP supporters are treated with hostility. So, immigration is taken so seriously that it is considered and supported above the consideration of the actual person running for election.(2)

It is said that fewer and fewer people are immigrating from Western Europe because of the conditions in their home countries. Some speculate that the number went down and continues to go down because the "new immigration" of the United States made the conditions to work unsuitable. But in reality, countries in Western Europe just grew to create a better environment for their own citizens.(4)

1815-18605 million immigrants settled permanently in the United States, mainly English, Irish, Germanic, Scandinavian, and others from northwestern Europe 1865-189010 million immigrants settled permanently in America, again mainly from northwestern Europe

 __The Numbers that Came__ There was a mass of numbers that came to America by the Europeans for over two decades. Immigration to the United States from Europe occurred from 1901 to 1991. From 1901 to 1930 immigration was on the high side. One peak that occurred was in 1907 when an average of 1.3 million immigrants arrived. Over the first three decades of the century remained European. Later as a result the United States became less black, more white, and overwhelmingly European. Then as of 1911 765,000 came, and over 1 million came in both 1913 and 1914. Then during the war immigration rates dropped, and then in 1918 it dropped an estimated 31,000. Then from the years 1931 to 1970 the average age of immigrants also fell. The American immigration increased 44 percent. By the last decade 52 percent of all immigrants were from America and only 34 percent came from Europe. Then a couple years later in 1991 a peak occurred and over 1.8 million immigrants receive residence to the United States.

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