Essay on Immigration and Nativism in the United States

Globally, the United States has been known as "a nation of immigrants" almost from its inception. Beginning in the 1600s with English Puritans and continuing today, America is a melting pot of culture and ethnicity. In fact, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, immigration was the major source of U.S. population growth. Looking over our 200+ years we find that to clearly be true, with approximately 1 million immigrants coming to America during the 17th and 18th century. Almost 3 million arrived during the 1860s, and another 3 million in the 1870s. In the next four decades, the number of immigrants rose to over 25 million people, most from various European nations, most arriving in New York or one of the Eastern seaports (Damon, 1981). Despite the politicization, as of 2006, the United States actually was the number one country globally to accept legal immigrants into the country, with a current immigrant population of almost 40 million (Terrazas and Batalova, 2009). In fact, the peak of immigration was 1907, when over 1.2 million Europeans entered the country beginning a push towards legislation limiting immigration in the Immigration and Naturalization Act of 1924 and the 1921 Congressional Quota Act. These immigrants came for two sociological reasons: the push factor (wars, famine, persecution and overpopulation) and the pull factors (jobs and the promise of freedom). Most came by ship, and a passage often cost the equivalent of an entire life's savings causing many

Southern- Italian was the largest group to migrate to the US during the late 19th century and early 20th century follow by the Portuguese and Spanish. More than 5 million Italians from Sicily and poor southern Italian province settle on the east coast in the US. They created their own little town called little Italies due to hostility in America. More than one- quarter people migrated from Spain since 1820 and settle in California, New Mexico, Texas, Arizona Florida and Louisiana. The other half migrated to the Us in the 19th century due to economic depression.

Immigrants have been seeking salvation or just new opportunities in America for hundreds of years. Even Americans originally started off as immigrants. They came to settle in this New World to seek opportunities. These types of immigrants were white, strong, leaders and felt they were superior. In the mid nineteenth century, the “new” immigrants were also welcomed. According to President Grant, these “new” immigrants were the weak, broken, and crippled people who had nowhere else to go. Grant thought these “new” immigrants would ruin the tone of the American life into a more vulgarized tone now that these immigrants are filling up the jails and asylums (Document 4). They mostly came from

There are millions of different countries in this world. Some are privileged, others are not. Some flee war-ridden countries in hopes of finding a better place to live and a fresh start. These people that move from one country to another are immigrants. America is full of immigrants, in fact our country was built on immigrants. But, a majority of these people are ostracized and shunned for their beliefs, race, and plenty of other things. The excerpts from the stories A Quilt of A Country and The Immigration Contribution, which both compare and contrast each other, discuss how America’s background was formed and the different people that helped construct America. We are all different, and that is what makes us great.

Most Americans practiced Nativism which is why they opposed to immigration. Based on what we learned from class, Nativism is "favoring people born in America." They don't want immigrants because they are different. They came from different countries, they spoke a different language, they don't share the same culture, they don't look like them, in short, they don't blend in. They are inferior. In addition to that, we also learned that immigrants take jobs, commit crimes and they can't speak English. After 1917, the United States required the immigrants to pass the literacy test in order to enter the country. It was inconquerable to the immigrants. Based on the editorial cartoon above, the literacy test is represented by a wall that they supposedly

Port cities, New York, Boston and Philadelphia were attracting immigrants from northwestern Europeans, many did not acquire the money to travel to the weather cities, giving better paying jobs, so they usually resided in the city (or close) to where they came into the United States. The cities would have low paying jobs and very adorable rent for the immigrants to live in. The immigrants with a substantial amount of money, like the Germans, would move to the more profitable cities and farms of the Midwest and North Central states. In 1850, more than half the foreign-born residents were located in NY, PA, MA, or NJ. These cities offered a vast, diverse collection of workers, their pack check kept low due to their rent being cheap. From this,

Between 1870 and 1900 about twelve million people arrived in the United States from other countries. Most came from europe. Another nine million arrived over the next decade (three

These early immigrants came from nations such as England, Ireland, Germany and the Scandinavian countries and constituted the first large wave of immigrants that settled and populated the United States.

Immigration has been one of the reasons that we have the America that we all know and live in currently. From 1776 when America was formed to this day, Immigrants have given each square of land its own identity and special skills. Not only have Immigrants increased our country’s population and strengthen our economy, it has also helped facilitate the industrial revolution era. To begin in a new country without the oppression of the old one was not only a great prospect to neighboring countries; it was the main goal that had driven many to begin such a journey. Yet, as immigrants kept moving to America, many Americans started to link rising criminal rates, low wages, unemployment, and poverty to the Immigrants.

Immigrants have imposed a huge burden the United States and still do. They are coming in by the hundreds of thousands and even millions a year. In the first decade of the century, the volume of immigrants was at its greatest; the numbers of immigrants often surpassed one million and brought in 10 immigrants per 1000 in most years. In Recent years, there has been a rough average of 800,000 immigrants entering the United States; bringing the ratio of immigrants to 3 to 1000 Americans. Even though the overall rational growth of immigrants has slowed down, in comparison to the first decade of the century. There are still a substantial number of immigrants entering the United State’s everyday. This numbers of immigrants is increasing and increasing; they compose a huge population in our society.

The United States’ growth and development is largely due to the migration of people from all around the world. That is the basis of why America is referred to as a “melting pot”, people of different ethnicities and cultures come to this country and unite as one. However, numerous institutionalized practices, policies and ideologies in the US makes it clear that immigrants are not welcomed or accepted by many in American society. The application of American ideologies, practices and policies has rejected immigrants and migrants in numerous ways hence negatively impacting their experience in the United States. Immigrants and migrants throughout history and today face the obstacles of being criminalized, exploited, alienated and stereotyped.

Both my grandparents on my mother’s side originated in the Netherlands. They immigrated by steamship to the United States at the beginning of the twentieth century. They were in search of religious and political freedom. Some were also hoping to find adventure, a better economic situation and the good life that the new country reportedly had to offer.

Many people immigrated , some just sooner than others. “ Between 1845 and 1870 there were at least three million Irish immigrants”(Famine,Irish. The Oxford Company). This shows how devastating and terrible the famine was to drive three million people out of their own country. “Landlords would first make phony promises of money, food and clothing, then pack

The first set of Swedes came to America around the seventeenth century for economic opportunities. These were mainly explorers who started a colony in America called New Sweden. They settled around the Delaware area. The first major waves included over one million immigrants to America in the nineteenth century. This was a quarter of the Swedish population. . After a scarce of land and a famine, the Swedes immigrated for better opportunities. Many of the Swedes settled in the Midwest part of the United States for farming purposes. Due to so many migrants the lands in the Midwest began to become occupied. As a result, the immigrants moved further west towards Montana, Idaho, Washington, and

The immigrants that migrated to the United States came from all over Europe and slaves from Africa. From Western Europe the immigrants that migrated were British, the ones that migrated were because they were poor. The Germans migrated for the same reason as the British. The Irish later came because of their problem with food. The Chinese in far Eastern Europe just migrated to the United States. Most slaves that were captured and forced to move came from Africa.