Is This A White Country Summary

To be an American is to embrace the American cultural identity, to be keen to grow the country's economy, and stay loyal to the country. In order for someone to consider themselves a citizen of a country, they do not only have to hold a passport of this country, but they have to spend most of their life in it to develop a sense of belonging to this country.

Historically, the Supreme Court made decisions on whether people are eligible for citizenship based on race. For instance, the 1790 naturalization act stated that only white free individuals can apply for citizenship (Schultz September 9). Also, the Johnson reed act of 1924 banded immigrants from becoming American citizens based on racial backgrounds. Only people with European background were allowed to enter the United States, because they are considered white. It was not until the 1965 Hart Cellar Act that allowed immigration from all countries (Schultz September 25). Therefore,

They are afraid people take over their country and their jobs. Lilian Rubin in “Is This a White Country or What?” declares, “For whites the issue is compounded by race, by the fact that the newcomers are primarily people of color” (Rubin 119). Americans continue to have difficulty accepting the idea that colored people can become American citizens. In order for people to fit in they have to have a white background. People come to America thinking they will have a pleasant experience and they end up having a “hazardous journey and being met with fierce hostility and scorn. It is about immigrants struggling” (Behrens 3). These experiences are mainly due to people's actions who give immigrants a feeling of non-belonging developed by the treatment from the Americans. That is ironic, because America is a country of immigrants. Everyone is from a different descent, the difference is the external color; which definitely cannot be part of an American