Why did Europeans emigrate to America?

One word. Land. In the US, one had the possibility of owning land (remember the Homestead Act), which in Europe was not much of a possibility for those outside of the rich or noble cles. Poverty in Europe and the promise of oppurtunity in America was also another reason. The over-population also contributed. Besides in the US there was also the chance to know religious and political freedom like no where else. For the Irish, the potato famine was a major cause. For Black Sea-Germans, the Russian nationalism in czarist Ukraine put pressure on them to leave (late 1800's early 1900's). Wars in Europe. There are all sorts of reasons.