There is no country on Earth more populated by immigrants than the United States. Most U.S. residents (99 percent) have ancestors who were immigrants to this continent, whether they came voluntarily as travelers, or involuntarily as slaves. These immigrants have helped to shape the social and economic foundations of their adopted nation. According to Hasia Diner, professor of history at New York University, the history of the United States could be described by waves of immigration, originating from different regions of the world, that fall into five distinct periods: (1) Settlers of a "New World" (ca. 1600-1820); (2) Mass Migration (1820-1890); (3) A Wave Becomes a Flood (1890-1918); (4) Legislating Immigration (1918-1965); and (5) The Hart-Celler Act (1965-present). To underscore that America is a "nation of immigrants" and to briefly note the circumstances that "push" people from their native countries, the authors offer three stories told to them by recent immigrants. Each immigrant story has its own unique and interesting details. The authors stress that interviewing relatives or neighbors who are immigrants makes a great oral history project for elementary students. (Contains 1 figure and 9 notes.)