Belgian+Immigration+1900s

Belgian Immigration in the 1900s
The first Belgian American was believed to have arrived in the early settlement of America in the 1600s. In the 1900s many Belgians came over to America because there were problems at home. Two of the main reasons were World War I and World War II, when Belgium was attacked by other countries. During the twentieth century approximately 155,000 immigrants came to America from Belgium, which made .4% of foreign born people Belgian. During the time of World War II the United States passed a law that allowed 415,000 refugees to come into the United States, some of which were Belgian. Belgian Immigrants mainly settled in Western Virginia, Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin. Some places where the Belgians settled were named after their towns in Belgium such as Liege, Antwerp, Ghent, and Brussels. When Belgians arrived in America they sought to become construction workers, farmers, teachers, laboratory workers, and workers in the glass industry.