History of US Immigration

The Discovery of America by Christopher Columbus in 1492 prompted the governments of Spain, Portugal, Netherlands, England and France to sail to the new world and establish colonies of exploration. They had already been establishing trading companies and did so in America. The first immigrants included these government officials and merchants. Families followed to establish colonies to farm and raise animals. Skills were needed, so tradesmen immigrated to set up shop.

The reason governments sponsored these expeditions was to increase their wealth. They had been trading with Asia and were looking for other commodities and goods to trade and make money. They were also interested in mining for gold and silver. As they explored the parts of America they could, they discovered forests and animals they could harvest for lumber and fur.

Further immigration was needed to provide labor to support commerce. In addition to the exports Europe wanted, a local economy developed.  Families were responsible for their own self-support and found jobs harvesting lumber and farming and selling their food. As the colonies grew, they became a source of taxation to provide money to the English government.

By 1790, the population of the US was about 4 million. By 1850 it was 31 million. By 1920 it was over 100 million.

http://www.u-s-history.com/pages/h980.html

Immigration grew to populate the Louisiana Territory after 1804 and the West Coast after 1850. We needed labor to build the infrastructure and families to become “settlers”. We occupied 3.8 million square miles and needed immigration to expand the economy and become a source of taxation to provide money to the US government.

Norb Leahy, Dunwoody GA Tea Party Leader