Early and higher volume Eastern European immigration to the USA

Early Russian/Ukrainian/Eastern European Immigration to America
All,
I've been thinking about the early immigration patterns to the US.
Pretty much from 1600-1830's, it was dominated by British immigration with a mixture of Dutch, German and French thrown in for flavor.

Then, in the 1840's with the Potato Famine and European Revolution fad, Irish and Germans started arriving en masse.

How early could Eastern European immigration start in large numbers and what would be the reason?

In OTL, I think it was about the 1870's, largely due to demographic issues in Poland and Russia liberating the serfs.

How about an early emancipation of the serfs?

Maybe 1830's, this kicks off an early migration to the Russian cities where the economy remains unindustrialized and opportunity is scarce, thus kicking off a mass exodus to the USA?

I imagine that this would reduce some of the Russian radicalism as it would "let some steam out of the kettle" so to speak.

How does this affect the USA?

How does this affect Russia?

How does the relationship between the ascending USA and at least socially modernizing Russia play out?

The Russian Empire (including Poland and Finland)'s population rivaled or exceeded all of Europe combined and a more backwards Russian economy may prompt higher than typical emigration numbers.

With the Catholic southern Europeans (Italy, France, Spain, Portugal) having Brazil and Hispano-America an alternative option, I can see the majority of immigration coming from the east by the early 1850-60's.

How does this affect the Civil War if there are three-four million Slavs in American by 1861?

Or the settling of the west (a new Petragrad in place of San Francisco)?

Points for how Eastern Orthodox and Jews would be received prior to 1880's.

Thanks for any ideas.
 
Early Russian/Ukrainian/Eastern European Immigration to America
All,
I've been thinking about the early immigration patterns to the US.
Pretty much from 1600-1830's, it was dominated by British immigration with a mixture of Dutch, German and French thrown in for flavor.

Then, in the 1840's with the Potato Famine and European Revolution fad, Irish and Germans started arriving en masse.

How early could Eastern European immigration start in large numbers and what would be the reason?

In OTL, I think it was about the 1870's, largely due to demographic issues in Poland and Russia liberating the serfs.

How about an early emancipation of the serfs?

Maybe 1830's, this kicks off an early migration to the Russian cities where the economy remains unindustrialized and opportunity is scarce, thus kicking off a mass exodus to the USA?

I imagine that this would reduce some of the Russian radicalism as it would "let some steam out of the kettle" so to speak.

How does this affect the USA?

How does this affect Russia?

How does the relationship between the ascending USA and at least socially modernizing Russia play out?

The Russian Empire (including Poland and Finland)'s population rivaled or exceeded all of Europe combined and a more backwards Russian economy may prompt higher than typical emigration numbers.

With the Catholic southern Europeans (Italy, France, Spain, Portugal) having Brazil and Hispano-America an alternative option, I can see the majority of immigration coming from the east by the early 1850-60's.

How does this affect the Civil War if there are three-four million Slavs in American by 1861?

Or the settling of the west (a new Petragrad in place of San Francisco)?

Points for how Eastern Orthodox and Jews would be received prior to 1880's.

Thanks for any ideas.

You have What Madness Is This ?

More seriously, San Francisco would still stays San Francisco, and I don't think Orthodoxs, perceived as just another form of "papists", nor Jews would be well received - but would the lower social pressure interacts with an OTL 1905 and 1917?
These migrants could make a larger lobby, especially about Versailles, and Jews could make the U.S. accept more Jews during the WWII than OTL.
 
And if enough people came from the Balkans, conceivable the U.S. could have a 15 to 20% Muslim population, which I find a very interesting scenario.

Among the more optimistic scenarios, people wrestle with this and decide on religious liberty, since this is one of the three main branches of the Middle Eastern monotheistic tradition anyway for crying out loud. And if people in the mid 1800s can accept Muslims as decent, ethical, and dependable fellow citizens, then presumably accepting Catholics will be a piece of cake.

And I say 'presumably,' because sometimes it's the small differences which really raise the hackles.
 
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