A significant portion of the American growth was fueled by the arrival of about 16.2 million immigrants. The motives for emigrating from one country to another are a combination of negative factors that make people flee and positive attractions of the adopted country. The negative forces that have driven Europeans to emigrate in the include the poverty of displaced farm-workers, overcrowding and joblessness, and religious persecution. Positive reasons why people choose to emigrate to the United States include the country’s reputation for political and religious freedom and the economic opportunities obtained by the settling of the Great Plains and the vast amount of industrial jobs in U.S. cities. Furthermore, the introduction of large steamships and the inexpensive one-way passage in the ships’ “steerage” make it possible for millions of poor Europeans to emigrate.