Most early immigrants came to the United States from Europe, but the country was open to immigrants from all around the world up until the late 19th century. Immigration to the United States has typically occurred in waves — with various groups of people moving in large numbers at different points in American history. For example, one of the first groups that moved to the United States in large numbers was the Irish. In the 1840s, a great famine struck Ireland. Scores of Irish people left their home country in search of land where they'd be able to feed their families. Between 1820 and 1930, over 4 million Irish men, women, and children immigrated to the United States. Another wave of immigration came from China in the mid-19th century. Many workers traveled across the Pacific to work as miners, farmers, and other manual laborers. When gold was discovered in California in 1848, Americans rushed west, hoping to strike it rich. So did thousands of Chinese immigrants. In just a few years after the discovery of gold, about 150,000 Chinese people immigrated to the United States.

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