Introduction Throughout history, the United States has been the melting pot of immigration. Many people of different races, religions, and reasons came to the United States; either willingly or forced. Either way, immigration to the United States is what our country had been built on. Immigration had begun in the early 1400s and its activity has only increased, but for a multitude of reasons. In this essay, I will talk about the history of immigration to the United States and how it has positively affected the United States today.
History of Immigration As many of us may know, the first indigenous people to come to America were people who had crossed a land bridge that connected Asia to North America, although, it wasn’t until the late 15th century that Europeans had discovered the “New World”. Many people that had immigrated to the United States had come here for religious freedom and economic opportunities during the early 1600s. Although, “It was expensive for Europeans to cross over to the American Colonies. To obtain passage, many poorer British and Germans worked for a fixed number of years for an employer who purchased an indenture (a sort of contract) from a sea captain who brought young people over. It was beneficial to both the employer who needed labor (to work on the land essentially) and the employee, who did not receive a wage but was provided with food, accommodations, clothing, and training” (“A History”, n.d. ). As immigration had expanded, the need for