In the time between 1877 and 1920 America saw another significant change to its landscape; this time in the make-up of its inhabitants. With industrialization immigrants increasingly came from Eastern and Southern European countries, Canada, Japan, and even Latin America. By 1910, some 70 percent of the immigrants entering the country were Southern and Eastern Europeans. In fact, in many cities the immigrated population outnumbered the native born citizens. Many states, especially those with meager populations, actively pursued immigrants by offering jobs or land for farming. The industrialization lured millions seeking economic opportunities for their families, while were anxious to escape oppressive governments. Whatever the reason, with these groups came a rich culture that would forever help to reshape the nation.
One of the most significant ways the immigrants altered the United States was the way in which they settled upon arrival. The majority of these new foreign immigrants settled or “clustered” in larger cities such as New York, San Francisco, Chicago and Philadelphia. These were areas where housing was often very cheap and work was often plentiful. Out of this clustering came a complex system of multicultural borderlands or
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This population shared common interests and challenges along their journey. They were all interested in seeking freedom, economic opportunity, religious tolerance and a better quality of life for their children. They all faced the challenges of poverty, over-crowded communities, and discrimination. It seems just as much as America redefined them, the new immigrants reshaped the nation by bringing their customs, traditions, cuisine, religion, languages, and to share with the American people helping to make the United States of America the “great melting pot” it is