Timelines

From 1820 to 1870, over 7.5 million people migrated to the U.S., surpassing its entire 1810 population. Most came from northern and western Europe, especially Ireland and Germany. The potato famine in 1845 caused roughly 4.5 million Irish to migrate to the East Coast by 1930. The Irish, along with certain other European immigrant groups, were often not considered "white" in the same way that Anglo-Saxon Protestants were. Facing immense discrimination, they occupied lowest-ranking jobs. Over time, they gained political and social influence, as well as inclusion in the socially constructed category of whiteness. In contrast, wealthier Germans sought Midwest farmland and jobs. This migration wave laid groundwork for increasingly diverse migrations to the U.S.`