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Norwegian Immigration to
America: Leif Ericson
Norwegian Immigration to America
can said to have begun with the Viking explorer Leif Ericson,
the son of Eric the Red. Leif Ericson, who was of
Norwegian descent, is regarded by many as the first
European to visit the North American continent, nearly
500 years before Christopher Columbus. Leif Ericson
established a Viking colony in the land he called
Vinland in 1002, on the northern tip of Newfoundland in
modern-day Canada.
History of Norwegian
Immigration to America: Religion
The Christianization of
the Norwegian people replaced the early tribal
structures and the Vikings. The first Christian religion of
Norway was Roman Catholic. King Olaf II Haraldsson (995
– 1030), later known as St. Olaf, was King of Norway
from 1015 to 1028. Saint Olaf is regarded as being
responsible for the final conversion of Norway to
Christianity, and is still seen as the patron saint of
Norway. In 1517 Martin Luther initiated the Protestant
Reformation which resulted in the majority of Northern
Europe coming under the influence of Protestantism.
History of Norwegian
Immigration to America: The Major Waves of Norwegian
Immigration
The history of
Norwegian Immigration to America is recognized as
starting in 1825 on the Norwegian sloop Restauration,
although the first Norwegian settlers joined the Dutch
in New Netherland. The major Norwegian immigration waves to America
occurred in the
1800's:
*** Norwegian
settlers joined Dutch colonists in New Netherland
during the Colonial era
*** The first
significant wave Norwegian Immigration to America
started in 1825 by a group of Lutheran pietists and
Quakers, to avoid religious persecution in Norway
and gain religious freedom in America
*** The next wave
of Norwegian immigration was much larger and sparked by economic factors and
crop failure after the American Civil War (1861 to 1865)
when 110,896 Norwegians entered the United States
*** The final,
major wave of Norwegian immigration, was between 1880 –
1890 when a total of 256,068 Norwegians emigrated to the
United States prompted by employment opportunities
during the industrialization of America and cheaper
faster travel by steam boat
History of Norwegian Immigration to
America: The Reasons for Norwegian Immigration to America
Why did people want to
leave Norway and why did they want to move to America?
The Norwegian immigrants of the colonial period joined
the Dutch seeking profit, opportunities for trade and a
new life in America. Many of the later immigrants of the
early 1800's sought religious freedom. However, the main reasons for the
Norwegian Immigration to America
in the mid 1800's were disasters such as crop failures,
blights and poor harvests leading to poverty. The
agricultural revolution caused unemployment and the
financial need to seek a better life and employment due
to the industrialization of America.
History of Norwegian
Immigration to America in the 1600's: Colonial America -
New Netherland
The During the Colonial
era Norway were important diplomatic and trading allies
of Holland. The Norwegians supplied the Dutch with the
timber needed to build their ships. Due to these close
alliances, a number of immigrants from Norway came
across in Dutch ships and settled among the Dutch in New
Netherland during the Colonial period. New Netherland
covered areas of the Mid-Atlantic States, later known as
New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Rhode Island and
Delaware. This was the first small and sporadic wave of
Norwegian Immigration to America.
History of Norwegian
Immigration to America in the 1800's: The Sloopers
The history of
Norwegian Immigration to America reached a significant
point in 1825 when the Restauration ship sailed from
Stavenger with over 50 Quakers and Haugean reformists on
board who wanted to leave the religious prosecution of
the Lutheran state church in Norway. The trip was well
planned and Cleng Peerson, who would later be called the
'Pioneer of Norse Emigration to America', visited
America in 1821 to prepare for their arrival. The group
were led by Lars Larsen Geilane and made the hazardous
14 week journey to America on the Restauration, an
undersized sailing sloop which earned the group the name
of the 'Sloopers'. They landed in New York on October 9,
1825 and were lauded for their bravery that many
Americans saw as reminiscent of the Mayflower pilgrims.
The Norwegian migrants first settled in Kendall, New
York and in 1834 Cleng Peerson founded a second
Norwegian settlement in the Fox River Valley of
Illinois, that was aptly called 'Norway, Illinois'.
History of Norwegian
Immigration to America in the 1800's: The Potato Blight
During the 1800's
potatoes were the most important crop in Norway. The
potato blight, responsible for the Irish Potato Famine
(1845-1849), spread to Norway causing famine hunger and
disease. It is estimated that 50,000 Norwegians died
during this terrible time. Emigration to America was a
means of escape but the passage was expensive. Some
Norwegians obtained passage by signing contracts as
indentured servants without pay up to 5 - 7 years in
return for free passage. By the end of the 1860s there
were more than 40,000 Norwegians in the United States.
History of Norwegian
Immigration to America in the 1800's:
Major Wave
of Norwegian Immigration
After the American Civil War (1861 to 1865) yet another
terrible famine hit the countries of Scandinavia and
brought the
first major wave of Norwegian immigrants in its wake. The
devastating Famine of 1866 -
1868 hit all the Scandinavian countries leaving potatoes
and vegetables rotting in the fields of Norway.
Norwegian Immigration to America soared as 110,896 people were forced to
leave Norway between 1866 and 1873.
The Norwegian author
Svein Nilsson
(1826-1908) immigrated to America in 1867 and wrote a
series of articles detailing Norwegian immigration and
the first settlements in New York, Illinois, and
Wisconsin. The wave of
Norwegian immigration was only halted when the financial panic
of 1873 hit the United States which led to the
6 year period
in American history known as the Long Depression.
History of Norwegian
Immigration to America in the 1800's: The Great
Migration
The history of
Norwegian Immigration to America reached new heights as
the United States recovered from the Long Depression and
the second major wave of Norwegian Immigration began.
The process of industrialization had resulted in the
jobs of many farmers and skilled craftsmen being taken
over by machines. Many Norwegian families decided to
join friends and family who were already established in
the United States. Between 1880 – 1890 when a total of
256,068 Norwegians emigrated to the
United States - more than one-ninth of the total
population of Norway. The majority of Norwegian
immigrants lived in the farming communities of the upper
Midwest making their homes in the states of Minnesota,
Wisconsin, Illinois and North and South Dakota and
settling in cities such as Brooklyn, Chicago,
Minneapolis, and Seattle.
History of Norwegian
Immigration to America in the 1800's:
Ellis Island
As Norwegian Immigration
to America in the 1880's reached its highest levels so did the numbers of
immigrants to America. Between 1881 - 1890 a total of 5,246,613 immigrants
flooded into the U.S. The US
government was forced to restrict immigration and new
immigration laws were passed to address the problem.
The 1891
Immigration Act introduced the inspection and deportation of immigrants.
In 1892
the Ellis
Island immigration center (1892 - 1954) was opened.
Preference was shown to the "Old Immigrants"
of Northern Europe and few Norwegian immigrants were turned away.
History of Norwegian
Immigration to America in the 1900's
Norwegian immigration
to America dramatically declined in the 1900's. The Immigration Act of 1924 restricted the number of immigrants
from a given country to 2% of the number of residents
from that same country living in the US. 87% of permits
went to
immigrants from Britain, Ireland, Germany, and
Scandinavia. The Norwegian immigration rate quickly
slowed to a few thousand a year, a rate that has
remained largely unchanged to the present day.
Norwegian Immigration to
America
According to the
2011
United States Census, 4,557,539
Americans, claimed Norwegian ancestry. It is little wonder
that Norwegian immigration to America has had such
significant impact on the culture of Americans.
Norwegian Immigration to
America Facts Sheet and Timeline for kids
Important facts about
the history of Norwegian Immigration to America and US
laws that effected the migrants from Sweden are contained
in the following Facts Sheet and history timeline.
Norwegian Immigration to
America Facts Sheet and Timeline for kids
Fact 1
- 793:
The Vikings from Scandinavia begin their
raids
Fact 2
-
1002:
Viking explorer Leif Ericson sailed to the
North American continent and established a
colony called Vinland
Fact 3
-
1015:
The Christianization of the people by King
Olaf II Haraldsson, later known as St. Olaf
Fact 4
-
1517:
Protestant reformation in Norway, initiated
by Martin Luther
Fact 5
-
1600's:
Norwegian immigrants came across in Dutch
ships and settled in New Netherland
Fact 6
-
1825:
The 'Sloopers' voyage on the Restauration to
the US and land in New York.
Fact 7
-
1834:
Cleng Peerson founds the Norwegian
settlement of 'Norway, Illinois'.
Fact 8
-
1845:
A potato blight hit Norway leading to
thousands of deaths through starvation
Fact 9
-
1866:
The Famine of 1866 - 1868 prompted the first
major wave of Norwegian immigrants
Fact
10
-
1867:
Author Svein Nilsson immigrated to America
and wrote about Norwegian immigrants
Fact
11
-
1873:
The financial panic of 1873 hit the US
lasting for 6 years
Fact
12
-
1880's:
The Great Migration from Norway prompted by
the swift industrialization
Fact
13
-
1886:
The Statue of Liberty was dedicated in New
York Harbor, the landmark for all immigrants
from Norway
Fact
14
-
1891:
The 1891 Immigration Act provided for the
regulation of immigration and the inspection
of immigrants.
Fact
15
-
1892:
The Ellis Island immigration center was
opened where immigrants from Europe,
including Norway, were required to undertake
to medical and legal examinations
Fact
16
-
1924:
The Immigration Act of 1924 (Johnson-Reed
Act) was passed restricting the number of
immigrants to the US
Norwegian Immigration to America has
declined from this time
Norwegian Immigration to
America Facts Sheet and Timeline
Push and Pull Factors of
Norwegian Immigration to America
for kids
For specific examples and a list of political, economic,
environmental and social reasons and push and pull
factors of Norwegian Immigration to America refer to:
Push and Pull Factors of
Norwegian Immigration
Norwegian Immigration to America
for kids
This article contains a
brief overview of Norwegian Immigration to America from the first
Immigrants through the 1800's and 1900's. Important historical events have been
highlighted which had a significant impact on Norwegian
Immigration to America. A brief description of the effect
of the first immigrants from Norway. Our article on Norwegian Immigration to America also outlines
subjects such as Sloopers, the Potato Blight and famine,
the Great Migration and Ellis Island. A helpful educational resource for kids on the
subject of Norwegian Immigration to America.
Norwegian Immigration to America for Kids, Schools and Homework
*** Interesting, brief, short, fun facts about Norwegian Immigration to America for kids, teachers and schools
*** Brief Facts about Norwegian Immigration to America - dates, numbers, law, history, reasons, impact and effect
*** Interesting facts about the history of Norwegian Immigration to America and brief reasons for the changes in migration patterns
*** Norwegian Immigration to America - important events in the history of America that impacted migrants from Sweden
*** Fast, fun facts about Norwegian Immigration to America and the first migrants in the 1800's and 1900's
*** Interesting, brief US Immigration History for kids and children, schools, homework projects on Norwegian Immigration to America
*** Brief overview of Norwegian Immigration to America for Kids, Teachers Schools and Homework - free, educational resource
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