Irish and German ImmigrationIreland and most of germany emigrated because of civil unrest, severe unemployment or almost inconceivable hardships at home. Between 1820 through 1870 seven and a half million immigrants came to the United States. They mostly emigrated from northern and western Europe. A third emigrated from Ireland and a third from Germany. With the large numbers of German and Irish coming to America the hostility to them erupted. Immigrants built canals and constructed railroads, so they became involved in almost every labor-intensive endeavor in the country. Much of the country was built on because of them.
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Irish
In Ireland most of the population lived on farms that produced little income. Since they weren't wealthy most Irish people depended on potatoes for food. When this crop failed three years in a row it led to a great famine with very harsh consequences. Over 750,000 people starved to death and about two million Irish eventually moved to the United States seeking relief from their desolated country. They couldn't really get properties, so they grouped up in the cities where they landed which were located mostly in the northeastern part of The United States.
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German
Between the years of 1845 to 1855, more than a million Germans emigrated to the United States to escape economic hardship. They also planned to escape the political unrest caused by riots, rebellion and eventually a revolution in 1848. The Germans didn't have many options because only a few places besides the United States allowed German immigration. The Germans weren't poor like the Irish they had enough money to journey the Midwest in search of farmland and work. The largest settlements of Germans were in New York City, Baltimore, Cincinnati, St. Louis and Milwaukee.
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