The first immigrants to the territory now the United States were from Western Europe. The first great migration began early in the 19th century when large numbers of Europeans left their homelands to escape the economic hardships resulting from the transformation of industry by the factory system and the simultaneous shift from small-scale to large-scale farming. At the same time, conflict, political oppression, and religious persecution caused a great many Europeans to seek freedom and …showed first 75 words of 1556 total…

…showed last 75 words of 1556 total…Mandel, Michael J. 'The Immigrants: How They are Helping to Revitalize the U.S. Economy.' Business Week 13 July 1992: 114-18. 'Immigration,' Microsoft (R) Encarta. Copyright (c) 1994 Microsoft Corporation. Copyright (c) 1994 Funk & Wagnall's Corporation. 'Pending Legislation', www.usbc.org/surveys/npg-poll.htm Rumbaut, Ruben, 'Origins and Destinies: Immigration to the United States since World War II,' Sociological Forum 9:4 (1994), pp. 583-621. 'The New Americans: Yes, They'll Fit in too.' The Economist 11 May 1991: 17-20.