Wait a second!
More handpicked essays just for you.
More handpicked essays just for you.
Migration into the united states of america
Migration into the united states of america
Importance of migration on the development of the united states
Don’t take our word for it - see why 10 million students trust us with their essay needs.
Recommended: Migration into the united states of america
Following the 1890’s, the world began to undergo the first stages of globalization. Countries and peoples, who, until now, were barely connected, now found themselves neighbors in a planet vastly resembling a global village. Despite the idealized image of camaraderie and brotherhood this may seem to suggest, the reality was only discrimination and distrust. Immigration to new lands became a far more difficult affair, as emigrants from different nations came to be viewed as increasingly foreign. In the white-dominated society of the United States during the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the only way to truly count oneself as American was to become “white”. For this reason, the idea of race, a socially constructed issue with no real physical basis, has become one of the most defining factors which shape immigration and assimilation in the United States. It is necessary, in order to grasp the role race has in immigration, to understand what exactly Americanness is. Based on the experiences of immigrants and the dominant culture of the nation, Americanness is the status attributed to an American citizen who is fully incorporated into the traditions, cultures, and lifestyle choices of mainstream America. On the surface, this appears to merely be an issue of musical preference, or religious beliefs. However, actual Americanness is transcendent and engrained in whiteness. Whiteness, curiously enough, does not necessarily relate to actually being white insofar as skin color is concerned, but rather, in being fully steeped in dominant American culture. Because of this connection, Americanness and whiteness are, essentially, one in the same. Throughout the course of America’s immigration history, different groups have had their own ... ... middle of paper ... .... Print. Ngai, Mae M., and Jon Gjerde. "Minutemen Call for Border Security First, Only, and Now, 2006." Major Problems in American Immigration History: Documents and Essays. Boston, MA: Wadsworth, Cengage Learning, 2013. 585-586. Print. Ngai, Mae M., and Jon Gjerde. "Refugee Act of 1980." Major Problems in American Immigration History: Documents and Essays. Boston, MA: Wadsworth, Cengage Learning, 2013. 525-526. Print. Ngai, Mae M., and Jon Gjerde. "A Cuban Flees to the United States, 1979." Major Problems in American Immigration History: Documents and Essays. Boston, MA: Wadsworth, Cengage Learning, 2013. 528-531. Print. Ngai, Mae M., and Jon Gjerde. "Congressman Jerry Patterson Details Needs of Refugees in California, 1981." Major Problems in American Immigration History: Documents and Essays. Boston, MA: Wadsworth, Cengage Learning, 2013. 526-528. Print.
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
The English immigrants are given a brief introduction as the first ethnic group to settle in America. The group has defined the culture and society throughout centuries of American history. The African Americans are viewed as a minority group that were introduced into the country as slaves. The author depicts the struggle endured by African Americans with special emphasis on the Civil War and the Civil Rights movement. The entry of Asian Americans evoked suspicion from other ethnic groups that started with the settlement of the Chinese. The Asian community faced several challenges such as the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882, and the mistreatment of Americans of Japanese origin during World War II. The Chicanos were the largest group of Hispanic peoples to settle in the United States. They were perceived as a minority group. Initially they were inhabitants of Mexico, but after the Westward expansion found themselves being foreigners in their native land (...
As a European immigrant in the USA, I have encountered many new cultural phenomena in the last 4 _ years that have challenged me to perceive who I am differently. This experience has been even more polarized by the fact that I have lived most of that time in Los Angeles, a melting pot to be reckoned with. Coming to America, I expected these adaptations to my Irish self but the intensity of becoming cognizant of my label of 'whiteness' has mocked the limitations of my anticipations.
Immigration in America is often broken down into distinct “waves”. These waves were the greatest influxes of immigration into the United States. The first settlements consisted of people from Spain, (in Florida) England, (in Virginal and Massachusetts), and others from France, Sweden, the Netherlands and sadly the slaves from Africa (Matthews, 2013). These people were the foundations of a nation that from its beginning was already multicultural, but still considered American. The second wave of immigration was in the 1800’s. 4 million Irish immigrants and 6 million German immigrants flocked to the eastern shores of the United States to escape from bad economies, hunger, and war. Tapering off during the Civil War another influx in the second wave of immigration happened after its conclusion. Hailing from Sweden, Norway and Denmark, these immigrants once again sought American shores to escape hard times in their home countries, this time shrinking land holds being the reason. After the discovery of gold in 1849 yet another influx of immigration boomed. With though...
Immigration has always been a contentious issue in the United States. Benjamin Franklin thought that the influx in German immigration would flush out the predominately British culture in America at the time. (5) Furthermore, a continual wave of foreign cultures began pouring into the American metropolitan areas at the turn of the 20th century. The migration of Italians, Poles, and Jews across the Atlantic Ocean began a mass assimilation of cultural ideology and customs into the United States, yet many people thought that these migrants could not adapt. Today, the American society has become a melting pot of foreign influence; however, many cynics remain skeptical about the incorporation of Latin American people and their influences. Accordingly, these same critics are just as naïve as their previous counterparts, who refused to accept the many gifts and contributions these immigrants have to offer. We must ask ourselves: How long will it take to peacefully incorporate Spanish immigrants into American society? America was built on the movement of these cultures, and the current population of this country must set aside its non-democratic premonitions, and embrace the historical and positive aspect of Latin American immigration.
America is a melting pot of different cultures, religions, ideas and identities, a country which over the years has been molded, shaped and changed by its people. There are many historical factors that gone into creating the country as we know it today, but none so influential as the immigration of millions to “the land of opportunity”. The millions of people who came to the United States in hopes of finding a better life greatly affected the course of American history, bring the the country new cultures, customs and beliefs . Irish-Catholic immigrants, “. . . the first great ethnic ‘minority’ in American cities,”(1) had a substantial influence on the industrialization, labor movement and politics of the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.
From its initial days, America has always remained a nation of immigrants. “We were then already, what we are now, a people of mixed blood.” Native inhabitants, traversed the land bridge that connected Asia and North America tens of thousands of years ago. America’s first colonists came in search of freedom to practice their faith. Throughout the colonial period, many immigrants were brought to America against their will from West Africa. Throughout the 1900s America observed a major trend of immigration. People leaving their homelands with hopes of living the “American Dream”.
Shea, Therese. Immigration to America. 1st. New York: The Rosen Publishing Group, Inc, 2006. 38. Print.
Though the United States is home to many immigrants, controversy surrounds the issue of immigrants in the United States. The United States in a melting pot of various backgrounds and cultures, yet it is hard for all to merge into acceptance of one another. The first chapter of Race, Ethnicity, Gender, and class covers stratification, prejudice and discrimination, and inequality.
Immigration from Southern Europe started in 1880. The US experienced an economic boom due to cheap immigrant labor (Steinberg, 1981). Once enough immigrants arrived in the US, immigration laws became strict once again. The distinction between skilled and unskilled jobs created immediate disadvantages for immigrants since most were semi or unskilled. With this distinction their initial place in society was determined, however, some groups were admitted to the white community and experienced its privilege. The influx of different immigrant groups from Europe and the migration of blacks from the south led to the questioning of who is American. A redefining of whiteness occurred, and Anglo-Saxon Protestant was no longer the only requirement. Anglo-American,
In Cornell and Harmann’s work (1998), they point out how often these racial categories have changed, allowing new groups to enter and exit each classification with the only fixed truth being that being classified as white was better than being classified as non-white (p. 26). Prior to 1965, a year that introduced new immigration policies, the United States tried to restrict most of its immigrant population to having Northern or Western European origins. Immigrants from other countries were seen as non-white and therefore not desirable. This was the case for many immigrants such as the Irish, Southern Europeans, and Jews (Omi and Winant, 1994, p. 17) and resulted in laws like the Chinese Exclusion Act (“Race: The Power of an Illusion – Episode 1”, 2003). In their article, Barrett and Roediger point out terms that academics have used for these immigrants such as “our Temporary Negros . . . [and] not-yet-white ethnics” (1994, p. 404). These phrases represent the ideas of assimilation that often begin to emerge when one examines the immigrant experience in the United States. During this time period, Gordon’s theory of classical assimilation dominated the way people thought immigrants would assimilate. Their “non-white” classification would only be temporary, since in order to
An immigrant country for immigrants founded by immigrants, America was destined the melting pot of all religion, race, and culture. During the decades of fresh new freedom, rush of the west, industrial and political machines, and the hustling, bustling new America, the country’s identity was not yet established or important. The ideal American at the time was the kin of her founders, white and protestant, the first immigrants, the true natives, and the powerful. Many believed it was the duty of the ideal American to help those who did not meet the definition, thus beginning the age of assimilation. Sometimes assimilation is deeply rooted in the fear of the foreign and the desire to transfer one’s own identity and beliefs to a seemingly inferior
With the surge of refugees fleeing Vietnam, immigrant stories were prevalent in the 1980s. Many arrived in the US with their families, eager to start anew.
As will be shown in this paper, analysis of the Unites States racial composition and relevant studies indicate that America has not become the “melting pot” of cultures and races that was once predicted. Through residential racial segregation, the continual influx of immigrants, and the emergence of a multiracial population, America has remained a “mosaic” of cultures – separate entities combining to create a great diversity. While indeed, some races have mixed through interracial marriages, cultural differences have be sustained and diversity in this country has actually increased.
America has always been defined by several cultural myths. The myths provide those within the country and those outside a mirror to how American society is set up. Cultural myths are important especially to people who are immigrants or who have a history of being immigrants in society. The two most important myths in immigrant research are the myth of individual opportunity as well as the myth of the melting pot. This study looks at how these two cultural myths intersect in the essay.