- From Britain, Ireland, Germany and other parts of Central Europe as well as Scandinavia
- more than one and one half million Germans immigrated to the U.S.
- came because of cheap farm land and the Industrial Revolution
- most settled in the Midwest
- German immigrants were typically struggling farmers, men avoiding the military, religious refugees, or political refugees
- Germans made numerous contributions to American culture, including inventions, traditions, sports and food
- The Irish Catholics were unskilled workers who built most of the canals and railroads, and settled in urban areas