A Summary Of Immigrants Entering The United States

The United States of America is primarily known as the country of immigrants. Around the 1840s Americans became more concerned about the type of immigrants entering the United States. An influx of immigrants characterized as Irish Catholics led to the rise of extreme anti-immigrant and xenophobic political ideas. Like all immigrants, these immigrants came to America seeking more economic opportunities, political freedom, and a better social status. In their native countries, some immigrants suffered from extreme hunger and poverty while others suffered from religious prosecutors and some immigrants suffered from both. As these new Irish Catholic immigrants added diversity in the race to the United States, they also created tensions with the
native Protestants. As a result discrimination and violence took place as protestants showed their resentment against the newcomers who put a great threat to the original protestant way of life. Further research illustrates that this discrimination of the Irish based on religion was strongly influenced by British prejudices.