John Mearsheimer

Starting in 1835 and running up till about 1885, it's mainly Germans and Irish.

That's why Germans are the largest ethnic group to ever come to the United States, and the Irish are right behind them.

These are the European ethnic groups we're talking about.

Then starting in 1885, Poles, Jews, and Italians start coming, right?

And the Germans and Irish keep coming.

And this is why Ellis Island is opened.

I think it's 1893.

Ellis Island is open because Castle Garden in New York, which had handled all the previous

immigrants coming across the pond.

Castle Garden couldn't handle them all, so they opened up Ellis Island.

That's why somebody like me, I can't find my distant relative's records in Ellis Island, because they came through Castle Garden.

Right.

Whereas lots of Jews I know, lots of Italians I know, they can find their relatives records in Ellis Island because they came to Ellis Island.

The point is you had all these immigrants who came in roughly between 1835 and 1924 when we shut the gates.

It was the only time we've ever really shut the gates in a meaningful way.

And this is what made America great.

All these people, and they made lots of babies.

Well, we opened the gates again in 65.

Closed them in 24, opened them in 65.

I'm oversimplifying the story here because we didn't completely shut them.