Immigration and Its Impact on America America would not be America without immigrants. In addition to America having been founded by immigrants, the nation was literally ‘built’ by immigrants. In 1565, Spanish explorers established Augustine, Florida which is America’s oldest known colony. However, the largest early colony of immigrants were the English colonists who settled in Jamestown,Virgina and Plymouth, Massachusetts. These English colonists, known as the Puritans, came to America in the early 1600’s. Soon, people from various different countries were migrating to America. What would inspire families to pack up everything they had and emigrate? Why would they leave the only land they knew of as home and make a lengthy, and sometimes fatal, journey to an unfamiliar territory? What did the new land have to offer that was so much better than their original homeland? Even though it has been over four hundred years since the Spanish first settled in Augustine, immigrants from all over the world continue to migrate to America. Although there is no single reason for the vast number of immigrants that have flooded the shores of America, there is a common objective—opportunity. In the beginning, the English colonists sought freedom of religion—an opportunity to practice their religion separate from the Church of England. Other reasons include opportunities to escape poverty, disease, and social injustice. But what do immigrants do once they arrive in this new land of opportunity? Are the effects they have on America for the good or the bad? The overall impact of immigrants in America is astonishing. America’s most famous early immigrants came across the Atlantic on the infamous ship called the Mayflower. The Mayflower held the ear... ... middle of paper ... ...r opportunity in life. America’s rich multicultural existence is a product of the first Spanish immigrants, the English immigrants from the Mayflower, the Dutch, the Germans, the Scot-Irish, the Irish, the French, the Africans, the Mexicans, the Italians, the Puerto Ricans, the Chinese, and many more. People once came by boats and arrived at check-in points like Ellis Island and registered before entering America. Now, immigrants apply for visas in their homeland, file paperwork and hope they are within the quota to be allowed to travel to America. Works Cited Kershaw, Sarah. "What if Restaurants Stopped Hiring Illegal Immigrants?." Diner's Journal. 07 Sep 2010: n. page. Web. 10 Dec. 2013. "The Mayflower." History Channel Website. n. page. Web. 10 Dec. 2013. Shea, Therese. Immigration to America. 1st. New York: The Rosen Publishing Group, Inc, 2006. 38. Print.
In the years from 1860 through 1890, the prospect of a better life attracted nearly ten million immigrants who settled in cities around the United States. The growing number of industries produced demands for thousands of new workers and immigrants were seeking more economic opportunities. Most immigrants settled near each other’s own nationality and/or original village when in America.
Immigration has existed around the world for centuries, decades, and included hundreds of cultures. Tired of poverty, a lack of opportunities, unequal treatment, political corruption, and lacking any choice, many decided to emigrate from their country of birth to seek new opportunities and a new and better life in another country, to settle a future for their families, to work hard and earn a place in life. As the nation of the opportunities, land of the dreams, and because of its foundation of a better, more equal world for all, the United States of America has been a point of hope for many of those people. A lot of nationals around the world have ended their research for a place to call home in the United States of America. By analyzing primary sources and the secondary sources to back up the information, one could find out about what Chinese, Italians, Swedish, and Vietnamese immigrants have experienced in the United States in different time periods from 1865 to 1990.
Daniels, Roger. Coming to America: a History of Immigration and Ethnicity in American Life. New York: Perennial, 2002. Print.
Lee, Erika, and Judy Yung. Angel Island: Immigrant Gateway to America. Oxford: Oxford UP, 2010. Print.
There is no denying that immigration will always be a factor in the development of the United States. Whether it is due to religious beliefs, economic problems or even war in their native country, emigrants will always come to America with hopes of starting a new life in the “Land of the Free”. Fortunately, the people who do choose to legally migrate to America are generally motivated for success and well-educated. Even the immigrants who are not well educated are motivated to succeed, work hard and take jobs in areas where labor forces are low or jobs that a native-born American may not even consider, effectively making them a contributing member of society.
In the United States, the cliché of a nation of immigrants is often invoked. Indeed, very few Americans can trace their ancestry to what is now the United States, and the origins of its immigrants have changed many times in American history. Despite the identity of an immigrant nation, changes in the origins of immigrants have often been met with resistance. What began with white, western European settlers fleeing religious persecution morphed into a multicultural nation as immigrants from countries across the globe came to the U.S. in increasing numbers. Like the colonial immigrants before them, these new immigrants sailed to the Americas to gain freedom, flee poverty and famine, and make a better life for themselves. Forgetting their origins as persecuted and excluded people, the older and more established immigrants became possessive about their country and tried to exclude and persecute the immigrant groups from non-western European backgrounds arriving in the U.S. This hostile, defensive, and xenophobic reaction to influxes of “new” immigrants known as Nativism was not far out of the mainstream. Nativism became a part of the American cultural and political landscape and helped to shape, through exclusion, the face of the United States for years to come.
The author believes the Great War was won due to the amount of immigrants that fought. In addition, America’s prosperity was a result of new people from all over the world contributing to the advancement of America. The immigrants were able to assimilate plentiful of jobs and orders in war, which resulted in as success. This monograph highlights the immigrant’s contribution to American history, which is still relevant in today’s time. This monograph could potentially open and change the minds of many to believe that immigrants in America are here to help the U.S. grow in all ways. If one is interested in the lives of immigrants and their stories, this monograph is a perfect match for his or her
Immigration to America is often a decision made in order to discover a better life for a family or individual. America’s founding ideals are usually what compel foreigners to move to the US. The stories of America being the “Land of Opportunity” have continued to persuade people to immigrate. Although immigration in the 20th century is much different from recent immigration, the underlying reasons for moving to the US are usually quite similar.
From 1880 to 1925, America looked to bolster its economy by allowing immigrants to freely come into the country. They came from Europe, specifically parts of the North and West then there were those who came from the Southern and Eastern parts of Europe. The American people’s greeting to them was varied some welcomed them with open arms while others believe that they were here to take their jobs. Religion, economics, and racism, were all elements of the imbalance between American born people and immigrant groups. The United States government proceeded by implementing antagonistic laws for the amount of immigrants coming into the country.
It has been observed that, from history American has served as a destination for most immigrants in the world the world (Williams 16).
Immigration has been part of America since before the 17th century. America has evolved into what it is today due to immigration; however immigration as negative effects as well. Immigration is the building blocks for America. Every one that lives in America today are here because their ancestors immigrated here long ago. Over the years immigration as evolved into a more sophisticated matter. There are many laws they have been put in place to monitor and stop immigration. Immigration I a big factor in America but must be done correctly to insure Americas safety.
Kessner, Thomas and Betty Boyd Caroli, “Today’s Immigrants, Their Stories.” Kiniry and Rose 343-346. Print.
Through the history and trends of Latin American immigration, one can begin to understand the impact of immigration on American society. Latin American countries have not always been the leading countries of origin for immigrants to the United States; however, with the Immigration and Nationality Act, they surpassed European countries’ immigration and rose to the top (1). Subsequently, a number of Hispanics ca...
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.
Haines, David W and Rosenblum, Karen E.: Illegal Immigration in America: A Reference Handbook. Westport, Conn: Greenwood Press. 1999. EBook. , Database: eBook Collection (EBSCOhost).