Final answer:
Economic motives for immigrants from Western Europe included escaping poverty in search of consistent work and pursuing the American Dream with the opportunity for upward mobility through hard work, despite often facing low wages and employment insecurity.
Step-by-step explanation:
Immigrants from Western Europe had various economic motives for moving to the United States during the 19th and early 20th centuries. First, many of these immigrants sought to escape poverty and improve their economic status, as they originated from predominantly nonindustrialized or agricultural regions. The hope of securing consistent, wage-earning work was a significant “pull” factor. Secondly, they pursued the American Dream, which suggested that through hard work, upward mobility, and financial success were attainable regardless of one's background.
These immigrants often viewed assimilation and economic participation as necessary for success. Unfortunately, low wages and employment insecurity frequently confined them to ethnic enclaves in urban centers, where they performed labor for wages rather than achieving financial independence through land acquisition, which was more common for earlier immigrants from northern and western Europe who moved to the western territories.