Early nineteenth century America saw the first wave of post-Independence immigration. Germans, Irish, Englishmen, Scandinavians, and even Chinese on the west coast began to arrive in significant numbers, profoundly impacting national developments like westward expansion, urban growth, industrialization, city and national politics, and the Civil War. This volume explores the early immigrants' experience, detailing where they came from, what their journey to America was like, where they entered their new nation, and where they eventually settled. Life in immigrant communities is examined, particularly those areas of life unsettled by the clash of cultures and adjustment to a new society. Immigrant contributions to American society are also highlighted, as are the battles fought to gain wider acceptance by mainstream culture. Engaging narrative chapters explore the experience from the viewpoint of the individua, the catalysts for leaving one's homeland, new immigrant settlements and the differences among them, social, religious, and familial structures within the immigrant communities, and the effects of the Civil War and the beginning of the new immigrant wave of the 1870s. Images and a selected bibliography supplement this thorough reference source, making it ideal for students of American history and culture.

This is a fantastic resource and a must-have when writing your Irish family history. When did your Irish ancestors immigrate, where did they leave, why did they leave, how did they get here? The author hopes you find the answer to some of these questions. The book will give insight into the immigration of your ancestors. Irish immigration had many factors, and the Great Potato Famine only magnified the main causes.

A detailed and engaging historical examination that provides an intimate understanding of the daily life of the new immigrants in the United States. In the last decades, a growing number of immigrants from around the world have arrived in the United States. Daily Life of the New Americans: Immigration since 1965 provides a thematic overview of their everyday lives and underscores the diversity and complexity of the newcomer experience. Organized into six thematic chapters, the book examines how immigrants from Latin America, Asia, Africa, the Middle East, and Europe are changing the face of the American nation, and, at the same time, are themselves being changed by living in America. The stories told here are enhanced through the use of oral histories that bring immigrant experiences vividly to life.

The course of daily life in the United States has been a product of tradition, environment, and circumstance. How did the Civil War alter the lives of women, both white and black, left alone on southern farms? How did the Great Depression change the lives of working class families in eastern cities? How did the discovery of gold in California transform the lives of native American, Hispanic, and white communities in western territories? Organized by time period as spelled out in the National Standards for U.S. History, these four volumes effectively analyze the diverse whole of American experience, examining the domestic, economic, intellectual, material, political, recreational, and religious life of the American people between 1763 and 2005. Working under the editorial direction of general editor Randall M. Miller, professor of history at St. Joseph's University, a group of expert volume editors carefully integrate material drawn from volumes in Greenwood's highly successful Daily Life Through History series with new material researched and written by themselves and other scholars. The four volumes cover the following periods: The War of Independence and Antebellum Expansion and Reform, 1763-1861, The Civil War, Reconstruction, and the Industrialization of America, 1861-1900, The Emergence of Modern America, World War I, and the Great Depression, 1900-1940 and Wartime, Postwar, and Contemporary America, 1940-Present. Each volume includes a selection of primary documents, a timeline of important events during the period, images illustrating the text, and extensive bibliography of further information resources—both print and electronic—and a detailed subject index.

This book examines the century-long migration of African Americans who moved within the South after the Civil War and then left to settle permanently in other regions, irrevocably altering the political, social, and cultural history of the United States; and considers these movements within the broader historical, political, and cultural context of the African Diaspora. Daily Life during African American Migrations focuses attention to the everyday social, cultural, and political lives of migrants in the United States as they established communities far away from their former homes. This book examines blacks' labor and urban experiences, social and political activism, and cultural and communal identities, while also considering the specificity of African Americans' migration as part of their long struggle for freedom and equality. The author merges information from black migration studies, which focus on the internal movement of African American people in the United States, with African Diaspora studies, which consider peoples of African descent who have settled far from their native homes-either voluntarily or through duress-to document how these immigrants and their children create new communities while maintaining cultural connections with Africa. The stories of the nine million African Americans who collectively left the South between 1865 and 1965-and the millions more who left the Caribbean and Africa-not only document this long history of migration, but also present compelling human drama.

Who did the ancient Greeks describe as the world's best athlete? What does the Koran say about women's rights? How has the digital revolution changed life in the modern age? From the law courts of ancient Iraq to bloody Civil War battlefields, explore the daily lives of people from major world cultures throughout history, as presented in their own words. Bringing useful and engaging material into world history classrooms, this rich collection of historical documents and illustrations provides insight into major cultures from all continents. Hundreds of thematically organized, annotated primary documents, and over 100 images introduce aspects of daily life throughout the world, including domestic life, economics, intellectual life, material life, politics, religion, and recreation, from antiquity to the present. Document selections are guided by the National Standards for World History, providing a direct tie to the curriculum. Analytical introductions explain the key features and background of each document, and create links between documents to illustrate the interrelationship of thoughts and customs across time and cultures. Volume 1: The Ancient World covers the major civilizations from ancient Sumeria (3000 BCE) through the fall of Imperial Rome (476 CE), including Egypt, Greece, and Israel, and also covers China and India during the births of Hinduism, Buddhism, and Confucianism. Volume 2: The Middle Ages and Renaissance covers the development of European culture from the Germanic migrations of the fifth century CE through the university movement of the late middle ages, and the sixteenth-century growth of global empires and the collapse of the kingship in seventeenth-century England. Also covered are the Native empires of the Americas and the rise of Islamic culture throughout the Middle East and Africa. Volume 3: The Modern World spans the period from the Enlightenment through modern Internet era and global economy, including the founding of the United States, colonial and post-colonial life in Latin America and Africa, and the growth of international cultures and new economies in Asia. Document sources include: The code of Hammurabi, The Manu Smrti, Seneca's On Mercy, Josephus's Jewish Antiquities, The Koran, Dante's Divine Comedy, Bernal Diaz del Castillo's The True History of the Conquest of Mexico, The Travels of Marco Polo, Brahmagupta's principles of mathematics and astronomy, The Mayan Popul Vuh, the diary of a Southern plantation wife during the Civil War, and letters from an American soldier in Vietnam Thematically organized sections are supplemented with a glossary of terms, a glossary of names, a timeline of key events, and an annotated bibliography. Document selections are guided by the National Standards for World History, providing a direct tie to the curriculum. This collection is an invaluable source for students of material history, social history, and world history.

The debate over immigration has been a hallmark of the American nation since its earliest days, and it persists in generating a complex spectrum of opinions and emotions. United States Immigration, 1800-1965 provides a compact yet diverse selection of primary documents that helps to illuminate immigration as one of the defining features of the American social, cultural, and political landscape. A wide array of primary sources is included: documents written by immigrants that chronicle their own experiences; examples of pro- and anti-immigration sentiments and arguments; and government documents, including immigration laws and federal court rulings. In all, 75 documents (including 20 images) help to tell the story of United States immigration from roughly 1800 through to the Hart-Celler Act of 1965.

The countries of Latin America have suffered through numerous foreign interventions and domestic wars in the nearly two centuries that have followed its independence. These conflicts have also given rise to mass mobilizations of middle-class professionals, women, peasants, urban workers, and Indians, who sought to carve out a more active public role in the new states that emerged from these struggles. In some cases, elites and their military allies violently repressed the newly emerging forces. Recent research has begun to place greater emphasis on the lives of common people and the interventions they had on the larger events of the day. Eight chapters written by different scholars show the the importance of the actions of civilians in wars in Latin America. Chapters describing civilians' roles and lives through wars in Latin America are supplemented by recommended print and online resources for further study, a glossary defining important terms and concepts, and a timeline putting events into a chronological context.

This encyclopedia is a unique collection of entries covering the arrival, adaptation, and integration of immigrants into American culture from the 1500s to 2010. Few topics inspire such debate among American citizens as the issue of immigration in the United States. Yet, it is the steady influx of foreigners into America over 400 years that has shaped the social character of the United States, and has favorably positioned this country for globalization. Immigrants in American History: Arrival, Adaptation, and Integration is a chronological study of the migration of various ethnic groups to the United States from 1500 to the present day. This multivolume collection explores dozens of immigrant populations in America and delves into major topical issues affecting different groups across time periods. For example, the first author of the collection profiles African Americans as an example of the effects of involuntary migrations. A cross-disciplinary approach—derived from the contributions of leading scholars in the fields of history, sociology, cultural development, economics, political science, law, and cultural adaptation—introduces a comparative analysis of customs, beliefs, and character among groups, and provides insight into the impact of newcomers on American society and culture.

This book is the story of the descendants of Thomas McDowell, who came to the American colonies in the 1700s, and their impact on American History. The different branches lived in Pennsylvania, Delaware, Virginia, North Carolina, and Kentucky, and many family members made significant contributions to the growth of the colonies. The new homes of the McDowell Family were on the frontier. Life there was challenging as they had to clear their land and build cabins. They also joined the local militias to protect themselves against Indian attacks. Even though Indians killed some, most survived and, in many cases, flourished. The McDowell family had many members who fought in the American Revolution to establish our freedoms. Did you know Charles McDowell, “Pleasant Garden Joe” McDowell, and "Quaker Meadows Joe" McDowell were officers in the North Carolina Militia who had a significant role in defeating the British at a turning point in the American Revolution. They are in history books. The McDowell family’s contribution to American History goes beyond our three heroes in the North Carolina militia. Read the pages of this book to discover who the other heroes are. One may be your ancestor. The book offers a fascinating overview of colonial American life. Even if you don't have McDowell ancestors, you may find a connection to your colonial roots.