Impacts of Immigration in the Us in the First Half of the 19th Century

In the first half of the 19th century, the majority of immigrants came to the U.S because of issues and growing frustration in their own countries. Ireland, for example, suffered from a potato famine and extreme crop failure. In the latter half of the 19th century, while also coming for a variety of push factors, immigrants came to America because of the desirable opportunities that it came with. With the growing excitement of industrialization, immigrants saw America as a country where they could grow their wealth. Immigrants became an ideal source of labor through the growth of factories during this time period.

The influx of immigrants in America involved their willingness to undertake cheap labor, jobs in carpentry, railroads, Chinese laundries, and more. The influx of these immigrants gradually intimidated native born americans because they believed these immigrants were taking their jobs, as the immigrants themselves became more successful over time. This resulted in hostility towards immigrants, and the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 is an example of such behavior.  This act barred all Chinese from the United States, and displays how threatened the native born Americans felt about many immigrants. 

Immigration to the U.S in the late 19th and early 10th centuries had a significant impact on the economy largely due to immigrant labor. Because immigrants came to America for many reasons, which included economic opportunities, they were quick to undertake a variety of jobs. Agricultural jobs, such as being a farm worker, were extremely popular towards immigrants.. These workers contributed to the economic development of the economy by ensuring a safe and dependable food supply, a factor essential for all Americans.  Immigrants were also involved in jobs that contributed to the growth of industrialization, such as working on railroads and entry level factory-working. Because these jobs did not require much experience, paid an extremely low wage, and did not provide any benefits besides the pay itself, the employers and businesses were able to make a considerable profit, thus boosting the economy.