Today the United States of America is regarded as a global economic leader. The standard of living in the U.S. is higher than that of most other nations. Our nation is considered an economic super-power. Economic needs have often caused Americans to seek immigrants as workers, and economic opportunities have attracted foreigners. The United States is a nation of immigrants. Our nation has been shaped by successive waves of immigrants who have played major roles in our changing economy. The overwhelming majority of immigrants who enter the United States come in search of jobs and a chance at a better life for themselves and their families. Economic immigrants come primarily from Europe, Asia and, most recently, Latin America. Many immigrants work in menial, low-paying jobs that most other Americans do not want to do. In the early 17th century, a group of Pilgrims sailed to our shores in search of religious freedom. In the years to follow, many more immigrants came to colonial America. These settlers from England colonized the northeast, settling in rich, fertile areas and along the rivers and coastal plains to the south. They soon developed an economy based on the cultivation of tobacco and other crops for export back to Europe. Their dedication and hard work paved the way for our nation to be born. During the 1600's and early 1700's, many African American slaves were forced out of their native lands and brought to the United States in order to work in the plantations. They became essential to the economic growth of the country. During the same time period, settlers from other European countries also established themselves in North America. Dutch and Swedish immigrants established colonies in present-day New Y... ... middle of paper ... ...he century, a time of booming industry and unmechanized farms. One cannot help but note, nevertheless, that our country continues to be a nation of immigrants. Our economy will continue to be shaped, however directly or indirectly, by the continuing inflow of immigrants. It is this cultural diversity that has helped shape the nation since the beginning. Bibliography: Bibliography 1. Rottenberg, Annette T.; Elements of Argument, © 1997 by Bedford Books 2. Slavin, Stephen L.; Macroeconomics, © 1999 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. 3. "Constitution of the United States," Microsoft Encarta 98 Encyclopedia © 1993-1997 Microsoft Corporation 4. "Confederate States of America," Microsoft Encarta 98 Encyclopedia © 1993-1997 Microsoft Corporation 5. Wall Street Journal, December 18, 1995; Geniuses from Abroad; Gilder, George
From 1750 until 1800 the colonial United States endured a period of enormous achievement along with a substantial amount of struggle. Before 1750, the new colony’s first struggle was between the colonists and England over who would have leadership within the New World. Once settled, the issues emerged from within the colonies themselves, particularly with the “belongings” they brought and imported. African American slaves were seen as property, and were not given any innate rights such as liberty or freedom when following their master to the New World. The revolution for the colonists from England began, with new freedoms received by the colonists; the slaves began to question their rights as humans. Innate rights such as liberty and freedom
Immigrants have been a key part of The United States’ development into a first-world nation. Their impact on the nation is dichotomous; parts of society have actively sought to increase immigration, while other parts have actively fought against its expansion. The types of immigrants have changed throughout American history - the perception of immigrants has not. Economics has dominated the argument of immigration, as pro-immigration individuals seek to financially benefit from the influx of immigrants and anti-immigration individuals seek to limit the financial damages caused by immigration. The arguments made by opponents of immigrants reveal strong economic fears, while also revealing fears
In the 17th century, America as we know it today was colonized by the English. The colonies in the North came during what was known as "The Great Migration," (from 1620-1640) which brought over Puritans to colonize New England. In 1607, King James chartered a ship to America in order to colonize the South, (Virginia). In this essay I 'm going to compare and contrast the colonial settlements in the North and South. The North and South are similar in their way of treating Native Americans and the way they used the land for natural resources. The differences being religion, system of land, economy, and slavery. Although both colonial settlers in the North and South immigrated to the New World in search of a new start, both settlements ended up
The United States of America has the largest foreign-born population in the world. With nearly thirteen percent of the total population being foreign-born, one may find it hard to imagine an immigrant-free country (U.S. Bureau of the Census). Immigration has been an integral part of the United States’ overall success and the country’s economy since it was established and without it, would have never been founded at all. Although there are some negative issues associated with immigration and many native-born Americans believe to be more of a problem than a solution, overall it actually has a positive effect. Immigrants in America, among other things, fill jobs where native-born Americans may not want to work or cannot work, they contribute to Social Services and Medicaid through taxes and they help provide the backbone of America, especially by working jobs that natives may have not even considered.
History has proven that prosperity follows immigrants. Economist showed that the economic boom of the 1950s-60s was led by immigration, and the depression of the 1930s began after they enforced the Immigration Act of 1924. The Immigration Act of 1924 is a federal law in the United States that limited the annual number of immigrants who could be admitted from any country to two percent of the number of people from that country who were already living in the United States. Illegal immigrants usually work in low paying jobs that most Americans refuse to do themselves. According to (Stewart 10), whenever there was a shortage of farm workers, the INS border patrol pretended that they didn’t see the Mexican workers crossing the border. They contribute more money to the government than what they receive in benefits; therefore, they cannot be seen as social burden. According to (Szumski 14), the Orange County Task Force found that illegal immigrants pay $83 million taxes each year and they receive medical services costing only $2.7 million per year. So, they only receive few benefits and many immigrants are drained from hope of better jobs, not by benefit programs from the United States. The limitations of immigration policies are dramatic and far-reaching. Many Americans fear open border polices because of all the stereotypes about illegal immigrants. The motivation and positive aspects of illegal immigrants has become essential to this country. While illegal Immigrants work in fields, clean houses, wash dishes, and labor in sweatshops, millions of Americans would rather sit and ask for money or wait for welfare checks rather than search for a job. According to (Lee 8), approximately 700,000 immigrants are legally accepted to the United States each year. After this small limit is reached, all the others are turned away or cross
Colonial era immigration into North America began with Western Europeans searching for religious freedom across the Atlantic. Between the mid 1500s and 1790, the population of the colonies grew from zero to over 3 million people.[1] Nearly all of these immigrants were from western and northern Europe. In 1790, seventy-five percent of the population were of British decent while the second largest ethnic group, th...
America has, is, and will always be a nation of immigrants: the great melting pot. In the
In 2007, the White House issued this statement in hopes to influence a Congressional debate: “Immigration has a positive effect on the American economy as a whole and on the income of native-born American workers” (Pear). This statement relates to the idea that immigrants actually enhance the productivity of American workers and increase their earnings in a significant amount, estimated at $37 billion a year (Pear). This is just one way in which immigrants support economic development in the United States. Since the U.S. is an i...
Immigrants were first welcomed in the late 1700s. European explorers like Walter Raleigh, Lord Baltimore, Roger William, William Penn, Francis Drake, John Smith, and others explored to the New World for religious purposes and industrial growth. The first European settlers that settled in the late 1700s were the Pilgrims. After the Pilgrims first settled in Virginia, the expansion of immigrants started. Then in 1860 to 1915, America was growing with its industries, technology, and education. America’s growing empire attracted many people from Europe. The factors that attracted many people to the American cities where job opportunities with higher income, better education, and factory production growth. As the population grew in the American
The United States has been historically a country of immigrants. Since the first British settlers landed on the shores of the eastern United States in the 1600’s, there has been a strong and steady influx of immigrants to North America. They were driven by the promise of a new and better life for themselves and for their families. Over the last 400 years there have been successive waves of immigration that have risen and fallen over time. Historically most immigration has come from the European nations with waves coming to the United States by region and specific countries. In the 1800’s there was a mass migration of Irish, German, British, and French Immigrants. The largest group, the Irish, was escaping the Potato Famine that left Ireland in an awful state of poverty and famine. These groups sought a better life from the poor economic and social times of Europe and were lured to the United States by the hope of land, freedom, opportunity, and jobs. Later improvements in technology in the late 1800’s and early 1900’s led to lower transatlantic fares. Many Slavic people, Greeks, Hungarians, Poles and over 4 million European Jews came over during this time in search of a better quality life, better jobs, and more oppor...
The United States cannot afford to lose the economic gains that come from immigrant labor. The economy would be suffering a greater loss if it weren’t for immigrants and their labor contributions, especially during the 2008 U.S. recession. The U.S. economy would most likely worsen if it weren’t for the strong labor force immigrants have provided this country. Despite the mostly negative views native-born Americans have towards immigrants and the economy, their strong representation in the labor forces continues today. Immigrants aren’t taking “American” jobs, they are taking the jobs that Americans don’t want (Delener & Ventilato, 2008). Immigrants contribute to various aspects of the economy, including brining valuable skills to their jobs, contributing to the cost of living through taxes, and the lacked use of welfare, healthcare, and social security when compared to native-born Americans, showing that the United States cannot afford to lose the contribution immigrants bring into the economy.
America is sometimes referred to as a "nation of immigrants" because of our largely open-door policy toward accepting foreigners pursuing their vision of the American Dream. Recently, there has been a clamor by some politicians and citizens toward creating a predominantly closed-door policy on immigration, arguing that immigrants "threaten" American life by creating unemployment by taking jobs from American workers, using much-needed social services, and encroaching on the "American way of life." While these arguments may seem valid to many, they are almost overwhelmingly false, and more than likely confused with the subject of illegal immigration. In fact, immigrants actually enhance American life by creating, not taking jobs, bolster social service funds through tax payments, and bring valuable technical knowledge and skills to our country. If we are to continue to excel as a nation, the traditionalists who fear an encroachment of foreign-born Americans must learn to accept that we achieved our greatness as a result of being "a nation of immigrants."
The United States of America, being a country founded by immigrants, is known all over the world as the land of great opportunities. People from all walks of life travelled across the globe, taking a chance to find a better life for them and their family. Over the years, the population of immigrants has grown immensely, resulting in the currently controversial issue of illegal immigration. Illegal immigrants are the people who have overstayed the time granted on their US, visa or those who have broken the federal law by crossing the border illegally. Matt O’Brien stated in his article “The government thinks that 10.8 million illegal immigrants lived in the country in January 2009, down from a peak of nearly 12 million in 2007.”(Para, 2) While some argue that illegal immigrants burden the United States of America and its economy, others believe that they have become essential and are an important part of the US, economy.
The current effects of immigration throughout the United States has had a negative impact on its economy. Whether foreigners are legal permanent immigrants or illegal occupants, nations must diligently keep track of all individuals. This is a brief analysis on how immigrants impact the U.S and strategies to minimize their effects on this nation. In addition, the U.S must implement and monitor plans of action to lessen unemployment of citizens and reduce the excessive use of benefits and resources by immigrants.
All in all, the United States was growing an image of being the free land of opportunities that started attracting immigrants from many parts of the world. Despite the wonderful opportunities for a better life, immigrants faced hardships when they actually came to America; they had to live through tough times in order to earn respectable and prosperous life for their children. No matter how hard it was, new comers managed to maintain their cultures, and those who worked long and hard enough managed to achieve their dreams, the dreams they came for to the new land.