Immigration and Its Impact on America

Immigration and Its Impact on America

America would not be America without immigrants. In addition to America having been founded by immigrants, the nation was literally ‘built’ by immigrants. In 1565, Spanish explorers established Augustine, Florida which is America’s oldest known colony. However, the largest early colony of immigrants were the English colonists who settled in Jamestown,Virgina and Plymouth, Massachusetts. These English colonists, known as the Puritans, came to America in the early 1600’s. Soon, people from various different countries were migrating to America. What would inspire families to pack up everything they had and emigrate? Why would they leave the only land they knew of as home and make a lengthy, and sometimes fatal, journey to an unfamiliar territory? What did the new land have to offer that was so much better than their original homeland? Even though it has been over four hundred years since the Spanish first settled in Augustine, immigrants from all over the world continue to migrate to America. Although there is no single reason for the vast number of immigrants that have flooded the shores of America, there is a common objective—opportunity. In the beginning, the English colonists sought freedom of religion—an opportunity to practice their religion separate from the Church of England. Other reasons include opportunities to escape poverty, disease, and social injustice. But what do immigrants do once they arrive in this new land of opportunity? Are the effects they have on America for the good or the bad? The overall impact of immigrants in America is astonishing.

America’s most famous early immigrants came across the Atlantic on the infamous ship called the Mayflower. The Mayflower held the ear...

... middle of paper ...

...r opportunity in life. America’s rich multicultural existence is a product of the first Spanish immigrants, the English immigrants from the Mayflower, the Dutch, the Germans, the Scot-Irish, the Irish, the French, the Africans, the Mexicans, the Italians, the Puerto Ricans, the Chinese, and many more. People once came by boats and arrived at check-in points like Ellis Island and registered before entering America. Now, immigrants apply for visas in their homeland, file paperwork and hope they are within the quota to be allowed to travel to America.

Works Cited

Kershaw, Sarah. "What if Restaurants Stopped Hiring Illegal Immigrants?." Diner's Journal. 07 Sep 2010: n. page. Web. 10 Dec. 2013.

"The Mayflower." History Channel Website. n. page. Web. 10 Dec. 2013.

Shea, Therese. Immigration to America. 1st. New York: The Rosen Publishing Group, Inc, 2006. 38. Print.