Immigrant Groups in America

INTRODUCTION
The U.S. was formed by immigrants: they came from Europe—from England, Germany, Poland, Ireland, France, Italy, and many other countries. Later on, they began coming in from Asia, and then from Mexico—particularly during the 20th century when the Bracero Program was put into effect by the U.S. federal government to help ensure that the fields were taken care of while the men were off fighting in WW2 (Calavita 1992). This paper will compare and contrast the experiences of major immigrant groups in America and discuss the factors that account for their success or continued challenges. It will also analyze the issue of what should be the goal—whether immigrants should incorporate or assimilate—and why.
THE EXPERIENCE OF IMMIGRANTS
The Chinese
Chinese immigrants came over to the U.S. in the 19th century and went to work in the mines and on the railroads out West, laying track and laboring intensely under the hot sun. Other than their usefulness at doing jobs few others wanted to do, the Chinese were not looked highly upon by many Americans in power and that is why the Chinese Exclusion Act was passed: it promoted a xenophobic and racist ideology that was held by some Americans towards the Asian immigrants in the 19th and 20th centuries. The law itself basically excluded Chinese from enjoying the rights of being American citizens and strengthened negatives attitudes towards the Chinese. It set “the groundwork for other racially motivated laws that followed” (Hafetz 2012:628) and helped to ensure that hardships for immigrants would be a reality in the U.S. for years to come. The Asian community has always been viewed as suspect among the ruling class, and that was also seen during WW2 when the Asian community was forced into a concentration camp on the West Coast as Japan and the U.S. went to war with one another (Austin 2004). Today, Asians are more accepted in American society as the country has become more liberal—however, there is still some prejudice, especially towards China, as the American President begins to engage in a trade war that will likely cause the Asian population to shudder once more. The Asian population has never been well-represented in American politics, though they have earned respect with the IT industry and tech communities.
The Irish
The Irish came over to the U.S. during the Great Potato Famine of the 19th century (Bartoletti 2001). Their experience was one of hardship as the majority of them settled in urban areas on the East Coast. Their stories in New York City, for example, were a tale of social conflict, as the Irish Catholics butted heads with the ruling Protestant elite. The Catholic Irish formed their own political group, which culminated in the powerful political machine Tammany Hall. This political machine helped to look out for itself but was known for being corrupt and lawless. The Irish survived in America mainly because of their tight-knit community.
The Irish also managed to come together and form a viable political threat post-Tammany Hall’s collapse. Al Smith became the first Irish Catholic presidential candidate to run in the 20th century. He opposed the law of Prohibition and wanted to see Americans be able to enjoy a glass of alcohol again, as free persons in a free country. He had a lot of support but lost in the 1928 election to Herbert Hoover. Today, the Irish like the Chinese have been accepted more into American society and have assimilated like other immigrants into accepting and embracing the cultural norms that the ruling class wants them to embrace.
The Mexicans
The Mexicans were brought into the country by the U.S. during the 20th century to help with the fieldwork while the American men were fighting in the war (Calavita 1992). The Bracero Program gave them a limited window in which to work in the U.S., and then they had to leave and go back to their country. However, many Mexicans found America to be a better land with more promise, so they stayed illegally. Indeed, the majority of illegal immigrants have been from Mexico, as this country is poorer than the U.S. and shares a border with the U.S. The border is not well-guarded and Mexicans since the Bracero Program have been entering the U.S. illegally and staying and living as undocumented workers. Their lives have not improved much, as they are still looked down upon by much of American society. Republicans and Democrats have different views on what to do about Mexican immigrants. The former want immigration to be lessened while the latter want to support it: some view Mexican immigrants as a drain on the economy while others view it positively and argue that Mexican immigrants add rather than take away from the U.S. economy. This point is disputed still. Mexicans tend to live in their own communities in the U.S. and stick together.
The Jews
The Jewish population came to America throughout the nation’s history. They started out not having very many rights, but when Abraham Lincoln was president they found favor from him and were granted more liberties. They even called him “Father Abraham” in thanks for his kindnesses. Today, the Jews have risen to positions of power that have surprised sociologists like Bill Domhoff (1982). Jews are on the Supreme Court, in the Oval Office, members of Congress, and in powerful positions on the boards of large corporations all over the nation. They have power at the local, regional and national levels unlike anything any other immigrant group in the U.S. has ever seen. They are the true success story in the U.S.’s history of immigrants.
THE MELTING POT
America has always had a “melting pot” type of approach to immigration in theory, with the expectation that immigrants should come together and merge into one harmonious society. The reality is not that simple. Oftentimes immigrant groups retain their own character and do not assimilate in the way that the “melting pot” concept would suppose.
Immigrant Incorporation vs. Assimilation
While the “melting pot” that America is supposed to be indicates that assimilation is essentially the goal for immigrants in the U.S., the reality is that neither assimilation or incorporation really takes place. All over the U.S., there communities where like ethnicities come together—there are Chinese neighborhoods, for instance; Muslim neighborhoods, black neighborhoods, Mexican or Latino neighborhoods, and white neighborhoods. Sometimes ethnicities mix together and assimilation occurs—but oftentimes there is not even any real integration.
Assimilation supposes that blending in and melting together is a good idea—but in doing so, the culture of the ethnic group can be lost and with it the heritage and stories and customs that made the group special, and this can be bad for the people within that ethnic community as it causes them to lose a piece of their identity. Integration should be the goal therefore as integration means that many different groups can work together and live together while still maintaining their unique, individual ethnic identities, customs and traditions. America has always been a nation of immigrants, but when it comes to defining the American character the principles that the country was founded upon included the principle of liberty. Liberty implies that people are free to be who they are—and for that reason immigrants should not be expected to become “more American”—which usually just means more English (as the Protestant English were the ones who formed the ruling class in the early days of the country and thus set the tone and direction of American society and government). Immigrants should be respected and allowed to be themselves so long as they work towards integrating and getting along with their neighbors in a friendly, helpful and respectful manner.
CONCLUSION
In conclusion, immigrant groups in America have all had different stories. Some have had a harder time than others. Most have faced some form of oppression from the ruling class—the White Protestant Anglo Saxons who established the foundations of the nation during the War for Independence. However, most immigrant groups have come to be better respected and represented in American society. Today, these groups have assimilated more than they have in the past but they are still separate in many ways as there still exist large communities throughout the nation that are wholly Hispanic or Asian or Muslim or Jewish. Of all the immigrant groups in America, perhaps the most successful in the U.S. have been the Jews who have powerful influence at many levels of society.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Austin, A. 2004. From Concentration Camp to Campus. Chicago, IL: University of
Illinois Press.
Bartoletti, Susan C. 2001. Black Potatoes: The Story of the Great Irish Famine, 1845-
1850. New York, NY: Houghton Mifflin.
Calavita, Kitty. 1992. Inside the State: The Bracero Program, Immigration, and the I.
N. S. New York, NY: Routledge.
Domhoff, Bill. (1982). Jews in the Protestant Establishment. New York, NY: Praeger.
Hafetz, J. 2012. “Immigration and national security law: Converging approaches to state
power, individual rights, and judicial review.” ILSA Journal of International and Comparative Law, 18(3):628.