Daily Life in Immigrant America, 1820-1870: How the First Great Wave of Immigrants Made Their Way in America (Paperback) (ISBN-13: 9781566638296)

Early-nineteenth-century America experienced the first "wave" of immigration after Independence, when Germans, Irish, English, Scandinavians, and, on the West Coast, even Chinese began to arrive in significant numbers. These new settlers had a profound impact on such national developments as westward expansion, urban growth, industrialization, city and national politics, and the Civil War.

James M. Bergquist's chronicle of the early immigrants' experiences describes where they came from, what their journey to America was like, and where they entered the new nation, and where they eventually settled. He highlights immigrant contributions to American life as well as their struggles to gain wider acceptance by the mainstream culture. The approach, similar to David Kyvig's highly successful Daily Life in the United States, 1920-1940 (published by Ivan R. Dee in 2004), presents history with an appealing immediacy, on a level that everyone can understand.

Author: James M. Bergquist
ISBN-10: 1566638291
ISBN-13: 9781566638296
Publisher: Ivan R. Dee Publisher
Language: English
Published: 07/16/2009
Pages: 320
Format: Paperback
Weight: 1.02lbs
Size: 8.34h x 5.56w x 1.01d

Review Citation(s):
Publisher's Weekly Annex 08/10/2009
Reference and Research Bk News 11/01/2009 pg. 174