As the United States expanded westward, people were still immigrating to the United States. By the 19th century, European immigration to the United States was flowing at a steady pace. Immigrants not only came from Europe, but immigrants from Asia also began to come to the United States. Similar to the immigrants of the 17th and 18th centuries, the immigrants of the 19th century came to the United States in search of the diversity, economic opportunity, and religious freedom that this new nation represented.

As a result of the Industrial Revolution, there were more opportunities available for those who immigrated to the United States. In the United States, there were now jobs working in factories, building railroads, and working in new industries that were created as a result of the growth. Click on the images to learn more.

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This is a photo of Chinese immigrants. Interactive popup. Assistance may be required.

Many Chinese immigrated to the western United States to work in the gold mines discovered in California.

There were other economic and political factors that contributed to the increased immigration of the 19th century. About five million immigrants came to the United States between the 1820s and 1890s. Most of them were from Ireland because of famine and Germany because of political turmoil.

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This painting depicts German immigrants boarding a ship to America.

These are just a few of the immigrant groups that came to the United States. People from all over the world made their way to the United States, thus adding to its rich culture and diversity. It is important to remember that American Indians originally inhabited this land. The steady stream of immigrants sometimes led to conflict as the American Indians struggled to keep their land.

Read the following statements. Determine which cultural group is described. Select the correct answer.