America, Even the Native Americans,

¶ … America, even the Native Americans, were immigrants at one point, so immigration forms the backbone of this nation, and it is good for the country to be diverse.

Argument 1 -- Native Americans immigrated here.

Colonists were immigrants, too.

Argument 2 -- Early immigration was encouraged.

America became a "melting pot."

Argument 3 -- Immigration policy began to change.

The Chinese Exclusion Act.

Argument 4 -- Shift in public and government action.

Limited immigration because of race and class.

Argument 5 -- Immigration today.

Controversy

Benefits

Tolerance

Argument 6 -- More benefits

Religious tolerance.

Immigration -- Good or Bad?

This paper analyzes immigration in American history. Specifically, it discusses why immigration is good for the nation and the people.

Immigration forged this nation, because even the early colonists from Great Britain were immigrants when they came to this country. Therefore, everyone here in America, even the Native Americans, were immigrants at one point, so immigration forms the backbone of this nation, and it is good for the country to be diverse.

Many anthropologists believe that at least some of the Native Americans living in North America when the first colonists arrived crossed over a land bridge from Russia or moved into the area from the south, through Central America and Mexico. Thus, the Natives living here were the continent's first immigrants, and that tide of immigration has never stopped. The colonists who populated New England and the East Coast of America were immigrants too, they came from Great Britain to create a new colony for the country. That makes America a nation forged from immigration, from its very roots to the immigration magnet it is today.

Today, the word "immigration" is almost a dirty word for some people, but that was not always the case. In the country's early history, immigrants were welcome, because they were building up the population and helping the country grow. A historian notes, "For approximately one hundred years, foreign settlers were offered almost unrestricted access to the country. This policy, while necessary to meet the demands of a growing nation, was also extremely popular among those already living in the United States" (Katzenstein). It was not until after the Civil War when legislators began to cut back on immigration and by the end of the nineteenth century, there were strict controls on most immigrants coming into the United States. In the 1920s, the country implemented a quota system that is the basis for the quota system still in place today (Katzenstein). Throughout history, America has been a destination for those hoping to better themselves, such as the thousands of Irish who flocked here in the mid-nineteenth century during the Irish Potato Famine. America offers hope for the future and opportunity for everyone who was not afraid to work hard for what they wanted. Historian Katzenstein continues, "Since elementary school, many U.S. students have learned that 'America' has welcomed immigrants from around the world and that the success of this country has been built on the hard work of all Americans, including immigrants" (Katzenstein). This hope for the "American dream" has come true for millions of immigrants, starting with those colonists who arrived here from Great Britain in the 1600s, and it helped gain America the reputation as a "melting pot," where everyone was welcome and could find opportunity.

By the end of the nineteenth-century, Americans began to turn away from allowing fairly unregulated immigration. They were especially hostile toward the Chinese, who had entered America through West Coast ports mid-century, and worked in the California gold mines, on the Transcontinental Railroad, and throughout the West. A Chinese historian notes, "Chinese immigrants were characterized as cheap laborers and inassimilable aliens who left their wives in China and brought prostitution to the United States; they were racially, socially, and politically dangerous" (Lee). Between 1910 and 1940, these immigrants passed through an immigrant screening station on Angel Island located in San Francisco Bay. The Chinese were excluded from immigrating to the country beginning in 1882, and only a few were allowed into the country. Other immigrants faced screening and limitations at Ellis Island in New York. Author Lee continues, "The result of the discriminatory Chinese exclusion laws (1882-1943) that prohibited all but a few exempt classes of Chinese to apply for admission into the country, Angel Island embodied America's racist, gate-keeping efforts" (Lee). This represented a sharp turn in public beliefs, and it represented a new type of America that no longer welcomed immigrants with open arms, and that has continued unchecked to the present day.

This shift in public thought and government legislation resulted in the first immigration law to exclude immigrants because of their race and class, and laws continued to tighten until after World War II ended in 1945. Potential immigrants were screened for health problems, but they were also interviewed, tracked, and monitored, something new to immigrants in the country. They began being treated as if they were second-class citizens, and they started settling in specific areas of a city or town, and keeping to themselves, attempting to hold on to their culture and way of life for as long as possible (Lee). This regulation resulted in many more laws governing who could immigrate and why, and led to refusal of many immigrants who hoped to move to this country. The Chinese Exclusion Act began these reforms, and it was the first document to define illegal immigration and define punishment for illegal immigration, so it was a large step for the country to take.

Today, immigration is still hotly debated, and illegal immigration is a very controversial topic. Some people want a program that will eventually offer amnesty for illegal immigrants living and working in this country, while others want to deport them, and both groups are extremely vocal. However, they do not seem to realize that this country has its roots in immigration, and that immigration can be extremely good for the country. The first immigrants who came here from Great Britain found some of the country's greatest cities and towns. The immigrants in the nineteenth-century helped populate these cities and towns, but they worked in the new factories springing up in the North, they raised their families, gave back to communities, and some rose to lead their people and their communities as politicians, community organizers, and social workers.

The benefits of immigration go on. Immigrants make the country's society more diverse, and they bring elements of their culture into the nation's society. Just one small element of that are the ethnic dishes that all Americans enjoy, from Thai food to Mexican food and Italian food, there is hardly a city or town in the country that does not have restaurants like these, and many more ethnic restaurants open up every day. Food is one minor aspect of the benefits immigrants bring to the country. A country that accepts and welcomes immigrants is more open to cultural diversity and understanding, and is more tolerant of other beliefs and values. A country that is closed to immigration and diversity is less tolerant and belligerent, and that is what America has turned into since the policies on immigration changed.