The movement to Bridgewater
Immigration to the northern states began around the 18th and 19th century for the Italians mostly. Irish on the other hand had come over due to wanting to live a better life, and because of the potatoe famine that had occurred. With them they had brought many songs, dances, and instruments. "Irish emigration across the Atlantic began long before 1800. In the 1600s, approximately 25,000 Irish Catholics left – some were forced to move, others left voluntarily." The Irish also had a second wave of immigration to the Atlantic after the work industry had crashed. Italians on the other hand had different motives in their travels to the United States. "Statistics for Italian emigration begin in 1876, not long after the unification of the country in 1861." Most Italians had migrated because they had surpluses of people yet not enough work industry to comply with them all. This caused a huge raise in poverty among the native Italians so most fled in order to persue a bigger dream, and better life for themselves.