Analysis Of Benjamin Franklin's Response To Immigrants In The United States

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In 1753, Benjamin Franklin wrote in a letter, “Yet I am not for refusing entirely to admit them (Germans) into our Colonies: all that seems to be necessary is, to distribute them more equally, mix them with the English, establish English Schools where they are now too thick settled…” (Franklin) Xenophobia has existed in the United for centuries. If Benjamin Franklin, a founding father, can be concerned about the large population of Germans immigrating to the US in 1753, how did general Americans react to immigrants? About 100 years later, Franklin’s concern is reiterated in the primary source that will be analyzed. It is an excerpt of a lecture given by Benjamin Labaree in 1849 before the American Institute of Instruction. The excerpt not …show more content…

They are rather used to being treated as inferior. Their sudden transition “from the darkness of oppression into the liberty of freemen” is problematic. If he had not specified that he was referring to immigrants, it could have been speculated that Labaree was referring to slaves. His description of immigrants shows that they were probably perceived as inferiors who were not better than slaves. Since he and probably others viewed immigrants as people who were not used to being the freemen, they most likely treated them as their inferiors. (Labaree, 1850 in Cohen …show more content…

In a country mainly composed of Protestants, why didn’t the church have a role in helping immigrants? Another way to continue the analysis of this excerpt is by discovering how the audience responded to his lecture. (Labaree, 1850 in Cohen 995)
Xenophobia is a long-lasting problem in the United States. From founding fathers to presidents of liberal colleges, immigrants were viewed as inferior who needed to be brought of darkness. Through Labaree’s analysis, the perception of immigrants in the United States, the prejudices people held towards immigrants, and the roles teachers are expected to hold were explored. It is quite remorseful to recognize that xenophobia currently exists and people who have power in the world system still hold prejudices toward immigrants. (Labaree, 1850 in Cohen

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