Do you ever wonder how all of these people came to live in New Hampshire? At some point, each one of us—or our ancestors—immigrated here from somewhere else. What would it be like to leave your home and journey to a new country? You might not know anyone here. You might not speak the language or understand the customs. Your new home might be very different from the home you left behind. Even though it was a big change for them, most immigrants were enthusiastic about becoming Americans. They got jobs, found homes, raised their families, and embraced their new country. At the same time, they introduced their own traditions and cultures to the communities in which they lived. New Hampshire today is a mixture of many heritages from many different countries that together make the Granite State what it is. In this unit, you’ll explore what it was like to immigrate to New Hampshire during the Great Wave of immigration from 1840 to 1924, when thousands of people came to the state to start new lives as Americans.

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