Until the middle of the 19th century, immigrants had been arriving at a slowly increasing rate: 8,385 in 1820; 23,322 in 1830; and 84,066 in 1840. Between 1830-39 over 538,381 arrived but the next ten years saw this increase to 1,427,337. In 1854 a record 428,000 people arrived in the United States.
