Push Factors for Each Immigrant Group

The Italian Immigration Experience

To understand the major push factors that drove Italians away from their home country, it
is first necessary to understand that the unification of Italy was a long and difficult process.
Throughout this process there has been a consistent divide between the Northern Italians and
the Southern Italians. The Northern Italians have their heritage from the northern parts of
Europe, while Southern Italians had racial mixings from such neighboring countries as Greece
and Africa. This resulted in physical as well as cultural differences between both regions. The
north is where the wealth and major cities of Italy were concentrated and the south was made up
of farmers and small villages.
Italy became unified during the mid-to-late 1800s and to fund the building of a new
government infrastructure, the north began heavy taxation on the south. There was also stripping
of the land for resources and a string of natural disasters that left most of the south in heavy
poverty and unsafe living conditions with no real signs of future prosperity. With no jobs for the
youth of Italy, a mass exodus of young Italian men to America began in the late 1800s.
The German Immigration Experience
The push factors for German immigrants varied during different times in history. The
first German immigrants (late 1600s) left their homeland for religious reasons. They came to
America in search of religious freedom. The next group of German immigrants (1700s) left for
safety reasons. Foreign armies were attacking Germany and people did not feel safe there. In
the 1800s industrialization caused many people to leave Germany. These people lost their jobs
when factories started using machines to do the work. Farmers were also experiencing poor
harvests at this time. During the 1930 and 1940s many Germans left to escape Adolf Hitlers
Nazi government.
The Japanese Immigration Experience
The Japanese came to America for several reasons. Around 1854, the United States and
Japan signed a treaty of trade, peace, and friendship. They treaty opened Japanese harbors to
American ships. The Japanese government spent a lot of money to make their schools,
businesses, and army more modern which led to unemployment, bankruptcies, and civil
disorders. The people living in Japan were charged with high taxes that they couldnt afford. The
Japanese immigrated to the United States (mainly Hawaii) because there was more job
opportunity.
The Irish Immigration Experience
In the sixteenth century, Britain completed its conquest of Ireland. This new British rule
was determined to not only take land and economic prosperity away from the Irish, but to

completely wipe out their culture as well. The Catholic religion was greatly discouraged, and
Irish-Catholics had their land taken away from them. They were economically and politically
repressed. By the seventeenth century, over ten thousand Irish had left for America.
The years between 1845 and 1852 produced what is the most devastating time in
Irelands history, an Gorta Mor, The Great Hunger, also known as The Great Famine. There
are two main causes for The Great Hunger. The first cause was a fungus that destroyed Irelands
potatoes, which were their livelihood. Potatoes were the primary food for the Irish, and now
they were starving to death in Ireland. The second cause was the wealthy British landowners
grew corn and wheat and raised animals on their land; but it wasnt being used to save the dying
Irish. It was being exported to England to pay rents and taxes. Between the years of 1845 and
1852 one million Irish died from starvation and disease. Another two million escaped death by
immigrating.

Pull Factors for Immigrants

The pull factors for immigrants going to America were similar across all of the immigrant
groups we studied. America was a country of religious and political freedom. Immigrants hoped
for a new life where they could be with their families, secure good jobs, and own land. They
dreamed of a country where the streets were paved with gold.