Between the fall of Napoleon in 1815 and the outbreak of Work War I, 35 million Europeans and Orientals flooded American shores. The three massive waves of immigrants in the 19th century established the diversity and mobility which characterize American Life to this day.
In immigration as a Factor in American History, Oscar Handlin, Pulitzer Prize-winning historian, has interwoven personal accounts, news and magazine stories, and historical interpretations to illustrate the immigrant’s manifold contributions to American civilization. Professor Handlin’s introduction and his interpretive prefaces comprise a lucid commentary on the character of the immigrant, his problems of adjustment, and his indispensable role in the industry, agriculture, politics, and cultural life of America.
Finally, by allowing the groups which clamored for restriction to speak for themselves, Dr. Handlin vividly recalls the fears and biases which in 1917 forced a century of unlimited immigration to a close.