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People mainly immigrated to the Americas to seek economic opportunities. Other reasons could be due to economic and political instability, environmental factors, seeking refuge, religious missionaries, or in extreme cases, being forced.

Total Immigrants By Decades:
Immigration decreased in the 1920s and the 1930s because of anti-immigration laws.

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In 1629, Pilgrims fled from Europe England to escape religious persecution. The Pilgrims soon arrived at present-day Plymouth, Massachusetts, where they formed a colony and lived under the Mayflower Compact.

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Between 1630 and 1640, the Puritans were also seeking religious freedom. They left for the Americas, leading to the establishment of the Massachusetts Bay Colony.

A map of the Massachusetts Bay Colony alongside the Plymouth Colony

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During the colonial period (1607-1776), people were enslaved, the majority of whom were from West Africa. They were kidnapped and forcefully put into slave ships. The Atlantic slave trade was flourishing, which meant the transportation of slaves happened often.

A tightly filled slave ship.

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The Irish Potato Famine of 1845 was the failure to grow potatoes. The Irish heavily depended on the potato crop for survival. With the inability to cultivate the crop, many people died from starvation while others sought refuge. Irish immigrants settled in Boston, New York, and other cities.

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https://www.crf-usa.org › bill-of-rights-in-action › bria-26...
https://www.history.com/topics/immigration/u-s-immigration-before-1965
https://www.ncpedia.org/history/forced-migration

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The California Gold Rush (1848-1855) and the search for labor attracted the attention of Asian laborers, which led to the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882. (1882-1943) This act restricted Chinese immigration for a while.

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It was 1892 when Ellis Island of New York opened to all immigrants. More than 12 million have passed through since 1954, reaching America.

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Both world wars and other major conflicts has decreased immigration. Congress passed this act, allowing for more immigrants to integrate.