Groups documented in this book came to this country for several reasons that can best be delineated as both push and pull factors. For many groups the push factor meant getting away from limited economic opportunity, crowded populations, and/or religious persecution. The pull factor was the challenge to build a new nation. These groups did not necessarily receive a warm welcome on their arrival, but in spite of a somewhat rocky start, they persevered and the new nation they envisioned grew into the prospering country of Canada.