They braved the rough voyage across the ocean to attain the American dream, but the ancestors of America's rich and diverse social landscape first struggled to make a life in their new homeland. Through the immigrants' own words and contemporary photographs and illustrations, these inspiring volumes not only tell the story of each immigrant group, but also provide insight on what it means to be an American today. They fled starvation and poverty in Ireland for America's prosperity, only to be stereotyped as commoners. Today, respect for Irish Americans has grown so much that Americans celebrate St. Patrick's Day.