A Nation of Immigrants
A Nation of Immigrants is a book published in 1958 that deals with the history of the immigration of the people into the United States. The book was written by Senator John F. Kennedy of Massachusetts.
1. Immigration laws were not in place until the 1840s
While the history of immigration in the United States is a long one, the first wave of immigrants landed on the shores of our great nation in the 1820s. The second wave came in the 1840s and 1850s. These were predominantly Irish and German Catholics. Throughout the 19th century, immigrants were a boon to the American economy. They were a ready source of labor for construction and transportation sectors. Several laws were passed to regulate immigration, including the first quota system in 1875.
A third of the American workforce in 1920 was foreign born. Many of these workers performed less remunerative and more laborious jobs. Nonetheless, the growth of the overall economy created a strong managerial and professional demand. This influx of new talent led to the creation of better and more efficient production methods. Ultimately, this resulted in higher profits and higher wages for both native and immigrant workers.
Another milestone was the passage of the first law granting citizenship to people of African descent. In the early 1900s, immigration shifted from Europe to southern and eastern Europe. At the same time, the geographic dispersion of railroads in the country attracted a growing number of descendants of native born workers. Eventually, every major city had a rail head.
Overall, immigration has occurred in waves and has been regulated by laws that have reflected the political climate of the times. Some of these have been shaped by fears of unauthorized immigration, terrorism and the refugee crisis. One of the more recent laws, the Temporary Protective Status (TPS), was enacted in 1990 to shield immigrants from deportation. It was followed by a law allowing for a limited number of visas for Chinese and other Asians.
2. Settler colonialism sucked immigrants through a seasoning process of Americanization
The United States is a settler colonial nation. It is a nation that has a population that is largely composed of descendants of settlers who arrived in the early colonial era. This is not a unique feature of the United States. Many other countries are dominated by settlers, including Australia, Canada, and Northern Ireland. In addition to the nation’s settlers, many immigrants came from Africa and other places around the globe. Some of these settlers include the Irish, Scots, and Anglo-Saxons.
A recent study shows that the United States has the largest immigrant population of any country in the world, but that doesn’t mean that it is the greatest immigrant nation. While immigration plays a role in the history of the US, the idea of a nation of immigrants is a misnomer. Even though the nation is now much less “white,” the US has not changed a bit from its colonial heritage.
The fact that the US is a settler colonial state is a topic of discussion that has been ignored by mainstream society. However, it is a subject that is now coming to the forefront of the political left. One example of this is the book Not a Nation of Immigrants: The Untold Story of America’s Settler Colonial Past by Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz. Her work offers an alternate trajectory to a nation of immigrants.
The book also provides a useful guide to the US’s settler colonial history, which is often hidden in the shadows of the more popular narratives about the US. This includes a historical perspective on the American Dream. Also discussed is the nation’s racialized and racializing history.
In short, the book is an informative and well-researched look at settler colonialism in the U.S. and its impact on the lives of immigrants in the U.S. Lastly, it offers an alternative vision of the country and its future.
3. Localized famines caused migrations
Famines are one of the main causes of migrations. The Irish potato famine, for instance, was the largest famine of all time. In the 1860s, an outbreak of a major fungal infection of grape crops in the western part of the Russian empire led to migrations. As a result, 2 million people emigrated.
Climate disruption has also been a key cause of migration. It has prompted sweeping changes in the global population. For example, crop losses in Egypt and Libya led to the Arab Spring uprisings. Scientists have been learning to project climate change around the world with surprising accuracy. However, they have learned little about its human consequences.
Although famines are well studied, the politics of famine-migration is less studied. There is a need for deeper research into the connections between famine and migration. Researchers have asked whether government policies or a lack of political support for emigration prompted starvation, and whether migration mitigates or worsens starvation.
While migration can bring good opportunities to migrants, it is also possible that a lack of preparation for the sweeping changes can destabilize countries. With so many millions of people in need of help, it is crucial that policymakers take steps to avoid mass flight and death. Those with goodwill and the capacity to manage turbulent political forces will ultimately produce the best outcomes.
There is also a need to better integrate the work of famine demographers and migration specialists. In addition to a lack of uniform research, the complexity of the issue and its political contexts have contributed to a fragmented approach. The academy has been slow to address this nexus of issues. Ultimately, the academy is limited by disciplinary silos, and it is in need of a more comprehensive and sustained approach to addressing the complex nexus of famine and migration.
4. Multiculturalism lasted into the neoliberal twenty-first century
Multiculturalism is a social movement that emerged in the twentieth century. It was a response to civil rights movements. But as societies become more culturally diverse, issues of inequality continue to exist. In some countries, ethnic and racial divisions persist. Across racial and ethnic lines, there are countless instances of bias incidents. Despite these trends, there are new forms of reflexivity emerging around these newly affirmed cultural values. Here, we take a look at what these changes mean for globalization and the rise of identity politics.
The twenty-first century saw the emergence of a constitutive form of governmental rationality. This is characterized by an emphasis on mobilization of self-regulating communities and cultivation of culture assets. It is also marked by the redistribution of regulatory authority. While this is a welcome development, it raises some important questions. For example, does this change the role of neoliberal governments? Or does it limit the potential for local actors to exercise power?
A twenty-first-century utopian political project consists of revitalizing traditional political forms, such as communal models of labor and intercultural communication. These forms are often based on structuralist models of social reciprocity, and they redirect market economies toward a range of social concerns. As a result, these projects also help revive participation in political deliberations.
In Latin America, postneoliberal politics have appeared. These involve reterritorialization and multiscalar alliances, which reestablished legitimacy for indigenous governance. By recognizing community members as responsible subjects, transnational authorities are able to recognize and legitimize their role in local communities. However, in practice, reterritorialization and multiscalar partnerships do not necessarily empower communities.
Identity politics has seen the fusion of trans-Asian Pacific American identities, Native American Red Power, and Mexican American youth. Moreover, identity politics has transformed the ways in which European immigrants see themselves. As a result, the cultural power of whiteness is being eroded.
5. Immigration hating in the United States is primarily about Mexicans
It’s no secret that the president has a penchant for rescinding the Obama-era executive order that deferred action for childhood arrivals. The senate may be debating whether or not to hold a hearing on the topic, but that isn’t stopping Donald from getting his own back. If he chooses to go that route, the federal government could be in for a lot of heartburn, as many as ten million young and old alike will have to face the wrath of a reversal of fortune.
Trump is not alone in his anti-immigration stance. In fact, the federal government has long been synonymous with racialized treatment of immigrants, from the heyday of the so-called “Latino gang” to the current crop of undocumented workers. But, it’s not all bad news. There are a few perks that come with being a United States citizen. For example, a passport allows for free travel, and many employers are willing to hire you on the condition that you prove yourself a bona fide employee before committing to a full-time gig. This is especially true in states like California and Texas, which make it easy to get a head start in the workforce. Aside from these benefits, the state has some surprisingly well-funded social services programs, such as its plethora of welfare offices, which can help ease the load on the most vulnerable among us.