Immigration, population and multiculturalism

http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2009/03/10/us/20090310-immigration-explorer.html?hp?hp

An ongoing crisis. The most recent phenomenon in US history related to immigration is the passing of a Law in Arizona : see newspaper extract

1. General Distribution
2. To the New World 1600-1776 A) religious B) economic motives
3. To the USA: 1776-1965 A) First massive wave 1840-1860 B) Second wave 1880-1920 C) Religious and racial tensions
4. Immigration reform and the “Great Society” 1965
5. Immigration in a post 9.11 country

1. To the New World

The first European people who set foot on the American continent were actually Spanish and not English. Even in North America where the first permanent European colony was started in 1565 in St Augustine (Florida) again by Spanish people.

So it might be argued that the Hispanic tradition in the country dates back to colonial time. Nevertheless the majority of settlers in Northern American ended up being British.
People moved for different reasons:

a) Religious reasons

In the 17th and early 18th century The Puritans in England, who wanted to put an end to what they considered to be unholy hierarchies in the Church of England that were too reminiscent of the Roman Catholic Church, hoped to create in America “a city upon a hill” whose light would shine upon the rest of the world.
French Huguenots were sailing to the New Continent for similar reasons. They too were escaping persecutions in France.
In the late 19th century Jewish people started emigrating to the US because they had to flee from pogroms in Eastern Europe and especially in Russia[1]. Escaping communism as well…although not a religious reason

b) Economic reasons:

When they were merchants or younger members of the elite, they moved because of the trade and land opportunities (Triangular trade and new crops like corn, indigo and molasses to make rum)
When they were common