Final answer:
Immigration into the United States increased from 1820 to 1850, particularly from Europe with significant numbers of Irish and Germans, as well as later influxes from southern and eastern Europe, and some from China. The surge in immigration was influenced by growing industries and the search for work and freedom. By 1900, immigrants had greatly impacted the Midwest's demography.
Step-by-step explanation:
Immigration into the United States saw a notable increase from 1820 to 1850, a period that was part of a significant growth in immigration throughout the nineteenth century. The need for labor in expanding industries, such as the construction of the transcontinental railroad, attracted many immigrants seeking work. Between the end of the American Revolution and the War of 1812, immigration was slow due to global conflicts, but it surged in the 1830s and 1840s. In the 1840s, the Irish arrived in large numbers, fleeing famine and political challenges, while the Germans came after the revolutions of 1848, eventually becoming the largest single immigrant group in the U.S. Immigration continued to rise in the subsequent decades, bringing people with different cultures, foods, and religions, which included a substantial increase in the Roman Catholic population due to the Irish and German arrivals.
Throughout the nineteenth century, Europe remained the main source of immigration to the United States, with a shift in the 1880s towards more immigrants from southern and eastern Europe. However, significant groups also arrived from China during the gold rush of the late 1800s.
By 1900, many immigrants began establishing homesteads in the Midwest, influencing regions such as Minnesota and Wisconsin, where a significant portion of the population was foreign-born. The influx of immigrants also included victims of persecution seeking refuge, especially Jewish people escaping the pogroms of the Russian Empire.