Wanderlust World Wanderlust World Between 1861 and 1920, the proportion of U.S. immigrants from Northern & Western Europe dropped from ~90 % to ~40 %.
| Period | N/W Europe Share | Dominant New Sources |
|---|---|---|
| 1861–1890 | ~85–90 % | Germany, Ireland, UK, Scandinavia |
| 1890–1920 | ~40–50 % | Italy, Austria-Hungary, Russia (Jewish/Polish), Balkans |
1921 Emergency Quota Act → 1924 Johnson-Reed Act (national origins quotas) froze 1890 census composition, explicitly favoring NW Europe.
The “old immigration” (NW Europe) gave way to “new immigration” (S/E Europe) — a demographic pivot that reshaped American cities, labor politics, and nativist backlash.