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Chapter One: The Melting Pot There were a few reasons why this was the golden age of American immigration. First, many other countries went through hard times during that period. For example, a series of crop failures occurred in Germany in the 1840s, and there was a huge famine in Ireland from 1845 to 1851. The year 1848 saw political revolutions all across Europe, including in France, Italy, and Austria. All these events served to push people out of their home countries, causing them to seek new lives elsewhere. There were also events that pulled people toward the United States. A major factor was economic opportunity. It was said that in America, “the streets were paved with gold.” This refers to the belief that anyone can get rich in America if he or she works hard enough. Sometimes the gold was literal, however: the dream of “striking it rich” during the California Gold Rush drew thousands upon thousands of immigrants, especially from China. Beyond money, something else pulled immigrants toward America: freedom, particularly religious freedom. Ever since the Puritans arrived in Plymouth in 1620,

Immigrants aboard the S.S. Patricia , bound for America, 1906.