The Old World in the New / The Significance of Past and Present Immigration to the American People

A wide-ranging sociological account traces how successive immigrant arrivals shaped the nation's population, surveying distinct ethnic streams, their settlement patterns, social traits, occupational choices, and rates of assimilation. The author analyzes selective migration forces, frontier influences, and the effects of newcomers on labor markets, wages, unions, industry, and agriculture, and examines social consequences including housing, schools, family life, crime, alcoholism, and communal persistence. The study balances demographic and cultural description with policy-focused discussion of social cohesion, public institutions, and the long-term implications of immigration for national standards and civic life.