Immigration's impact on American economy, environment, and culture

Immigration: The Creation and Destruction of America's Most Momentous Decision

Immigration has always been a part of American history. The decision to let foreigners into the country is perhaps one of the most momentous of American decisions, as both the benefits and drawbacks of this issue become apparent. Immigrants come to the country both legally and illegally. The impact of this has been both destructive and constructive in terms of the economy, the environment and the culture of the United States as a whole.

Firstly, the initial benefit of immigrating to the United States was experienced by the immigrants themselves. They left their home countries in order to flee disasters such as crop failures, job and land shortages, and several forms of persecution, including political and religious. America, especially during the seventeenth to early twentieth centuries, was seen as the land of ultimate freedom and opportunity. Thus any person who came into the country expected it to provide them with freedom from the problems experienced in their home countries: " With hope for a brighter future, nearly 12 million immigrants arrived in the United States between 1870 and 1900." (Wikipedia)

The reality was however often far different from the idealistic dream. Immigrants often found themselves taken advantage of because of their ignorance and desperation. Furthermore social tension resulted from discrimination and stereotyping leveled against immigrants. Related issues include verbal and physical abuse, and of course the forced immigration of many Africans for the purpose of slavery.

Nonetheless, the immigration issues also included positive social outcomes: "While large-scale immigration created many social tensions, it also produced a new vitality in the cities and states in which the immigrants settled." (DinAlt). American society and culture are currently known as the most diverse in the world. Indeed, it is this diversity that has made the United States a main player in the global arena. The many different cultures on American soil are representative of the many different countries in the world. Thus, more than any other country, America is truly in touch with the world at large. This may be one of the reasons for the country's huge economic and social successes.

On the other hand, there are also serious economic and ecological consequences connected to the decision of letting immigrants flow into the United States. Immigration in the past was connected to the fact that America was rich in apparently abundant natural resources. This is no longer the case: "Many biologists and ecologists believe that we are now living beyond the Earth's long-term carrying capacity." (DinAlt). An increasing amount of immigrants to the country thus makes unreasonable demands on the diminishing capacity of the land. Indeed, the immigration rate to America is about eight times of its emigration rate. This could entail an ecological disaster.