History

Irish immigrants

Group of immigrants who came to the United States due to a blight that destroyed the potato crop.

Georgia Colony

Colonial region started as a home for debtors; it was the last of the thirteen colonies founded.

Triangle Trade

Trade route that included the forced migration of African enslaved workers across the Atlantic to the Americas.

Jamestown

First successful English colony in the New World, where colonists initially faced disease and starvation until discovering tobacco.

Pilgrims

Immigrants who came to America to practice their religion freely, settling in Plymouth, Massachusetts.

Cuba (1960s)

Country from which many immigrants fled to the United States to escape their Communist government.

Immigration Act of 1924

Law that established a quota system, greatly reducing the number of immigrants allowed into the U.S.

St. Louis

Boat carrying Jewish refugees fleeing from Europe during the Holocaust that was denied entry into the United States.

James Oglethorpe

Founder of Georgia.

Middle Passage

Brutal journey undertaken by enslaved persons across the Atlantic to be sold in the Americas.

Know Nothing Party

Anti-immigration political party in the mid-19th century that was strongly anti-Catholic.

Chinese immigrants

Asian immigrants who came to California during the Gold Rush and later worked on the Transcontinental Railroad.

Pogrom

Violence, often government-sponsored, targeting Jewish people, particularly common in late 19th-century Russia and Eastern Europe.

Latin America and Asia (Post-1965)

Regions from which immigration increased significantly after the elimination of the quota system in 1965.

Fidel Castro

Communist leader of Cuba who came to power in 1959.

Transcontinental Railroad

Railroad built across America, with significant contributions from Chinese immigrants.

Indentured Servants

Colonial immigrants who had their passage paid in exchange for a set term of labor (usually 5-7 years).

Italy (1880-1925)

Country of origin for over four million immigrants to the U.S., many seeking a better life and facing discrimination.

Kristallnacht

One of the largest pogroms occurring in Nazi Germany in 1938, leading many Jewish people to leave Europe.

John Winthrop

Leader of the Puritans who helped to found the Massachusetts Bay Colony.

Quota System

System established in the 1920s that limited the number of immigrants allowed into the U.S. from each country.

Ellis Island

First immigration station in the U.S., operational from 1892 to 1954, through which over 12 million immigrants passed.

William Bradford

Governor of Plymouth Colony.

George Calvert

Founder of Maryland, aiming to create a refuge for Catholics.

Germany (19th century)

Region from which over 1 million immigrants came to the U.S. fleeing failed revolutions.

Maryland

English colony founded as a home for Catholics and that allowed all Christians to practice their religion freely.

Mariel Boatlift

In 1980, a mass migration of 125,000 Cubans to the U.S. occurred when the Cuban government allowed any citizen to leave.

Immigration Act of 1965

Law that ended the quota system and led to increased immigration, especially from Asia and Latin America.

Bracero Program

Agreement allowing Mexican workers to come to the U.S. to fill labor shortages during World War II.

Jewish immigrants

Over two million immigrants from Eastern Europe, particularly Russia, came to the U.S. in the late 19th and early 20th centuries fleeing violence.

Puritans

Group of immigrants who founded Massachusetts Bay to practice their religion freely.

Nativism

Belief that a nation should protect the interests of its native-born citizens over those of immigrants.

Chinese Exclusion Act

Law passed in 1882 prohibiting immigrants from China for ten years, extended until 1943.