The transformation of the culture of the North American continent since the 15th century is one of the great historical events of the past 500 years. For good or bad, it has shaped the destinies of millions of people of all races, transformed the nature of international politics, and altered the concept of personal possibilities in every country. The magnitude and diversity of the migration to North America has made analysis of the process as a whole quite difficult, mainly because the peopling of North America was not a single movement but hundreds of separate movements, each with its own story, foundations, rationale, and outcome. Encyclopedia of North American Immigration is a solid, comprehensive one-volume encyclopedia consisting of more than 300 A-to-Z entries on events, themes, people, places, and legislation related to immigration. This valuable reference to a popular and ever-changing topic provides straightforward and concise information on the groups, policies, and events that defined the world's greatest migration of peoples and shaped their reception in North America. Each of the articles includes an extensive, up-to-date bibliography that will provide every reader with the necessary resources for further research. Historical black-and-white photographs, as well as maps and graphs, are enhanced by a general bibliography, a subject index, and a general index.