Immigration and America

Immigration and America Many modern textbooks state that Christopher Columbus “found” America in 1492. Taken literally, this statement is obviously false. Many geologists will concur that the lands of the world have been in existence for billions of years. More pertinent to the discussion of American history, learned researchers will concur that there is proven fact that humans lived on the land now called America for thousands of years before the name Columbus reached the Western world. Over 37 million people from Europe, 6 million from Asia, and 10 million from the rest of the world have immigrated to the United States since 1820.[1] In essence almost all “Americans” are descended in some part from immigrants to the New World. The tossed salad that is America is made great because of the variety of ideas from foreign lands. Immigration is crucial to American success because of the extreme scope of thought contained within America and the acceptance of the world as a whole immigration brings. The success of America is based largely on the wide variety of thought brought to the New World. Multiple accounts describe the trials of immigrants attempting to gain a new lifestyle within America for one or more of a host of reasons. Many of these accounts detail a case in which the immigrant is able to become successful within a self-owned business or create a new idea for the good of the country and the world. Examples of this set of circumstances are plentiful. One such case is Samuel Slater.[2] His careful study of European mills proved very useful upon entrance in America. After building his own mill, America rose to become one of the world’s top producers of manufactured goods. Another valuable example is Andrew Carnegie of Carnegie Steel Corporation. Carnegie, a Scottish immigrant, came to America and first found work as a bookkeeper. He then progressed up the ranks of multiple companies and eventually started a steel business in Pennsylvania, later to become one of the most lucrative businesses in American history. Carnegie’s drive and determination after coming to the New World were outstanding and were voiced within his Autobiography of Andrew Carnegie. “There was scarcely a minute in which I could not learn something or find out how much there was to learn and how little I knew.