People across history cite a better life as their reasoning for immigrating to the United States. In searching for a better life, the idea of freedom is born. For example, the Protestants ran from persecution for their religion. They whole-heartedly believed they would discover a better life filled with freedom in the new world. As history continues through the 19th and 20th centuries, more immigrants from around the world travel to America searching for the sought after freedom. For instance, Irish immigrants dreamed America as the place to escape the potato famine and English Oppression during the mid-1800s (Irish Immigrants in America During the 19th Century).Leading into the early 20th century, waves of Southern and Eastern European immigrants crashed towards the United States (Immigration to the United States). As history progresses to the present, people still dream of freedom, now Mexicans seek it. Everyone hunts freedom, but what is it? In “Becoming American,” Dinesh D’Souza depicts freedom as the ability to “determine [your identity and your fate] for yourself” (D’Souza, p. 345). With this definition, D’Souza establishes his reasoning why America draws in immigrants: not for money, but actually, the choices that the country offers.
Instead of D’Souza’s approach to immigration, many critics believe immigrants travel to America in search of riches. As D’Souza states, “What the immigrant cannot help noticing is that America is a country where the poor live comparatively well” (D’Souza, p. 340). In comparison to third world countries, the people of America are spoiled. The poor do not need to gather water from rivers or die of infection because they lack money to the basic aspects of American society, such as running water...
... middle of paper ...
... him to break free of the constraints that have held him captive, so that the future becomes a landscape of his own choosing” (D’Souza, p. 345). In America, no longer will an immigrant be forced to live based off where he comes from, but instead who he becomes. This is the true freedom that millions of people, in history and present time, need and would risk everything to find.
Works Cited
D'Souza, Dinesh. "Becoming American." The Blair Reader: Exploring Issues and Ideas. By Laurie G. Kirszner and Stephen R. Mandell. Boston: Prentice Hall, 2011. 339-45. Print.
"Immigration to the United States." Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. 2011. Web. 19 Nov. 2011. .
"Irish Immigrants in America during the 19th Century." Kinsella Page. 2011. Web. 19 Nov. 2011. .
America is a land filled with immigrants coming from different corners of the worlds, all in hopes of finding a better life in the country. However, No one had an easy transition from his or her home country to this foreign land. Not every race thrived the same way—some were luckier than others, while some have faced enormous obstacles in settling down and being part of the American society. Many people have suffered
“Immigration Since the 1870s.” University At Albany. State University of New York, n, d. web. 20 March. 2014. http://www.albany.edu/history/HIS530/Immigrationsincethe1870s/immigration.html
As an attempt to escape the possible tragic proceedings following cultural conflicts, Latin American immigrants seek refuge in America. Once in America, immigrants seek to gain new opportunities that can enable them to essentially achieve a better quality of life. Additionally, Henderson argues that immigrants from Latin America migrate to the United States for roughly the same reasons as other immigrants: “they might wish to join family members, have a lust for adventure, or need to escape something in their home country; but mostly they need jobs, which are scarce back home”
In conclusion, America’s journey while not always easy and not without conflict is enriched by its immigrants. Immigrants choose to come to America because there is something in our culture that is missing in their own culture. Immigrants can blend in with American culture and retain their own cultural identity by passing along the best of both cultures.
The United States of America has been considered as a place of hope, freedom and prosperity ever since its independence from the British Union to the present day. So is to say, that from its early settlements, this country became the dream of many foreigners in order to live a new life full of opportunities. Particularly, the famous Statue of Liberty inspired numerous newcomers to settle down in America due to its symbolism of freedom, welcoming immigrants from abroad. A group in particular had an important participation in the immigration to the United States during the period of the industrial revolution, the Irish. Although this group’s emigration intensified during that period, their presence in the United States dates from the 17th century and earlier. Several conditions drove the Irish to leave their homes with the interest of pursuing a better life. The Irish began to leave their country after the Great Potato Famine, which caused massive starvation and diseases among the people in Ireland (Quigley). Consequently, the Irish population decreased about 20-25% due to mortality from hunger and immigration. These people accused the Great British Union for all the disgrace and abandonment, creating big resentment against them and their political influence over them. Since then, more than 4 million Irishmen have arrived to the American cities such as Boston, Chicago, New York and Philadelphia. Taking into account the vast amount of Irish incomers, it is important to note the influence held by them. Hence, how did the Irish immigrants affect the American culture during the 19th century? The Irish emigrants impacted the American society in sociocultural, political, and economical aspects over the time after their arrival. At firs...
Although it’s true that “[t]he work of democracy has always been hard” yet, American society is able to “show the capacity to change” (Obama 1) so the workers no longer need to “work [themselves] to death” (Goodman 1) as their struggle for their American Dream. New values helped build more self-confidence in people and make them believe in a certain image of American society in which they can belong and grow as greatest individuals “in the integrity of [one’s] mind” (Emerson 6) if an individual is able to develop himself. The greatest obstacles in the society’s disapproval or a failure in an individual's own sense of consistency. If one doesn’t want to “[become] the color of the building” (Sinclair 131-132) in which he’s working, then he must break those barriers to end the “[race] with death” (Sinclair 134). Instead of conforming to other’s expectations, an individual needs to discover his true self in order to accomplish a better life and have a chance to overcome society’s
Today, in most cases, people don’t spend very much time thinking about why the society we live in presently, is the way it is. Most people would actually be surprised about all that has happened throughout America’s history. Many factors have influenced America and it’s society today, but one of the most profound ways was the way the “Old Immigrants” and “New Immigrants” came to America in the early to mid 1800s. The “Old Immigrants were categorized as the ones who came before 1860 and the “New Immigrants” being the ones who came between 1865 and 1920. The immigrants came to the United States, not only seeking freedom, but also education. Many immigrants also wanted to practice their religion without hindrance. What happened after the immigrants
Erika, Lee. "U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Laws and Issues." Journal of American Ethnic History. Vol. 20. Issue 2 (2001): n. page. Web. 18 Apr. 2013.
In reality, what is freedom? When can I person actually declare freedom? These questions are brought to mind after engaging in the novel, The Known World. Many characters in the novel are said to be “free” , but they do not seem to be in reality free. Yes, they may be free from some binds, such as slavery, but in most cases, those who claim to be “free” are the ones who are indeed, the most suppressed.
The American Dream. This concept is well known as the picture perfect family, nice house and the white picket fence. As well as succeeding and excelling in life and making the future generations lives better than the current one. This concept has contributed much of the immigration from as early as 1931 to present day. However, many immigrants immigrate to the United States in order to escape oppression as well as uprising and turmoil which may reside in their home country. Though society often places people none the less immigrants into categories from social class, heritage, and prejudice they share a common thread of hope as well as facing obstacles in their journeys and once they arrive to the states. An example of this common thread of escaping their homeland in order to pursue new experiences and hopeful new life yet experiencing different hardships are shown when looking at both the Mexicans and the Irish.
"Immigrants and the American Dream." Society 33.n1 (Nov-Dec 1995):3(3). Expanded Academic ASAP. Thomson Gale University. 26 Sep. 2006.
America has, for many decades, branded itself a nation of opportunity. As an economy built from the industry of first generation immigrants, America’s diversity stands testament to the fact that it is a nation of opportunity. An example of a person who characterizes the ideal that this nation is built on is my very own father. My father, although not completely American, displays the intrinsic qualities of an American hero: belief in oneself, adaptability, and humility.
The constitution of the United States of America gives me the right to freedom because I am a United States citizen. I consider "freedom" to be my right to express myself in any way I choose. Freedom is defined as "having liberty of action or thought, independent". "Self-governed or not controlled by an outside party" is another definition of freedom. Freedom has a different meaning to each individual thus making it hard to find a clear concise definition.
Freedom is often spoken of in what can be referred to as a loose sense of the word. One country has more freedom than another; a twenty-one year old has more freedom than a fifteen year old. What exactly does this word mean? For different people it may mean different things, but there has to be an equilibrium that can be reached in order to determine the meaning of freedom itself. In one form, freedom can mean that a person has "exemption from an obligation."* If only the root (free) is looked at, it can be interpreted that one is "not under the control or power of another."*
Determined to join the American lifestyle thousands of immigrants have journeyed to this great land to have a life based upon “life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.” This country’s backbone is immigration and it started when this