I am an American and my parents escaped Communist Romania to give their children a chance at a decent future. It turned out to be just me because my mother died birthing me. Romani ("Gypsies") do not have much of a chance over there. I am extremely pleased that they did. The route was: escape Communist Romania, travel to Canada, my mother died birthing me there, then my father and me to America.

I am an American, however, I am also adopted so i really couldn't answer that question wholly

All I know is that most of my ancestors came to America at about the same time, around 1900. I have no idea why though. Perhaps Ireland, Italy, and Germany really sucked back then.

I'm going to answer my own question as it is meant to be a get-to-know one another question. I don't know how all branches of my family got here. I do know that one branch were Hessian soldiers who fought on the wrong side as mercenaries and then decided they liked it here and stayed. Another branch were Moravians, one of the very early protestant churches, nearly the oldest. They had been hounded all across Europe, fleeing severe persecution. One of the places they settled temporarily was Moravia, which is where they picked up the name. Finally they settled in Pennsylvania, because it offered them asylum and freedom from the persecution they were suffering. The Moravians were hard-core Christians. They founded towns that were open only to Moravians. When they went to preach to slaves, the owners barred them from contact, so they sold themselves into slavery. For this reason, the Moravian church has nearly died out in the US, but is very big in the Carribean and Africa. I know at least one branch of my family is Irish and I'm guessing they came here to escape The Troubles. They came too late to be fleeing the potato famine. I'm not sure about the rest of the family. I need to do some research.

Since I have English descent along with Irish, I'd say that my descendants did come to American seeking freedom of religion. Some of my descendants are Cherokee indians, so they were here all along.

Many immigrants came seeking freedom from faith and the religious persecution attached to it.

7/8 of my ancestors were forced and the other 1/8 came for freedom of religion and that's all I an tell you because that's all I know?

Well, my ancestors didn't over here on their own volition. Some else happened.

Indeed! That's something we, as a whole, would like to forget; but there are still a few things inherently is part of such an ugly legacy that keep reminding us of it. But I remain hopeful, though. Thanks Blessed.