- •I. Define the following ethno political terms used in the texts:
- •Immigration before independence
- •Immigration from 1790 to 1920
- •Immigration since 1920
- •The Hispanic population
- •Contemporary immigration
- •Demography
- •Reading Comprehension Check
- •2. Decide whether these statements are true or false. Elaborate your argument.
A Nation of Immigrants Part I
Key Terms and Essential Vocabulary
I. Define the following ethno political terms used in the texts:
Alien
Colonist
Citizen
Emigrant
Ethnic group
Explorer
Disadvantaged minority
Displaced person
Immigrant
Landowner
Majority/minority group
Native/foreign born person
Non-quota immigrants
Race
Refugee
Tenant
Undocumented person
War bride
II. Study the following list of ethnic groups residing in the USA. Recall what you know about their backgrounds:
African-American
American (Native American)
Asian
British
Chicano
Chinese
Cuban
Colombian
Dutch
Dominican
French
German
Greek
Hispanic
Hungarian
Irish
Jew
Latino
Mexican
Portuguese
Puerto-Rican
Pole
Russian
Spanish
Swiss
Scandinavian
Vietnamese
III. Read the following expressions to make sure that you can use them correctly. Memorize them:
Part a
to be accepting of (e.g. traditions)
to be of (Asian/British) ancestry
to be assimilated into (e.g. one’s culture)
to be commonplace
to be engaged in illegal practices
to be handicapped by smth
to be found guilty
to be underrepresented
to abolish slavery
to accommodate (e.g. refugees)
to accomplish a goal
to adopt customs/traditions
to allow entrance
to advocate statehood
to apply to all men
to arouse a sentiment
to arrive by millions
to come on a (temporary/visitor) visa
to contend with prejudices
to convert to/into Christianity
to degrade one’s work
to deny sb. the right
to discourage sb. from (e.g. doing smth)
to drop/rise to 20 per cent
to ease suffering
to endure sth (e.g. degrading conditions)
to enroll/enrol in sth (e.g. college)
to extend equal privileges to sb. (e.g. to African-Americans)
to flee persecution
to force integration
to gain legal status
to get a start in sth (e.g. life)
to grant citizenship
to grow about 5 per cent
to hand sth down (from generation to generation)
to handle cattle
to hold a job/position
to keep to a minimum
to keep sb in power
to keep united
to leave an impact on sth (e.g. society)
to lift restrictions
to lower wages
to make exemptions
to mingle and intermarry
to operate one’s business
to permit entry
to prohibit sb from sth (e.g. from doing sth)
to provide for severe penalties
to remove the barriers
to see to practical needs
to separate by race
to sneak across the border
to span the nation
to sustain sb in beliefs
to take a leap
to threaten jobs
to total (e.g. to total 25 million people)
Part b
apartheid system
birth rate
ceiling on immigration
civil rights
commonly shared values
commonwealth status
Confederate states
ethnic assimilation
ethnic make-up
ethnic pride
freedom ride
ghetto
(the) Great War/Civil War
habeas corpus
homeland traditions
homestead (BrE/AmE)
immigration restrictions
individual identity
infant mortality
life expectancy
literacy test
melting pot
middle/low income people
national/religious backgrounds
nomination for president
non-violent movement
numeral limitations
policy to segregation
poll tax
population explosion
public facilities
quota law
racial prejudice
salad bowl
sense of identification/separateness
sit-in
American immigration (emigration to the United States of America) refers to the movement of non-residents to the United States. Immigration has been a major source of population growth and cultural change throughout much of American history. The economic, social, and political aspects of immigration have caused controversy regarding ethnicity, religion, economic benefits, job growth, settlement patterns, their impact on upward social mobility, nationalities, political loyalties, moral values, and work habits. As of 2006, the United States accepts more legal immigrants as permanent residents than any other country in the world. In 2006, the number of immigrants total(l)ed 37.5 million.
The history of immigration to the United States of America is the history of the United States itself, and the journey from beyond the sea is an element found in the American myth, appearing over and over again in everything from “The Godfather” and “Gangs of New York” to "The Song of Myself" and Neil Diamond's "America" to the animated feature “An American Tail”.
As in many myths, the immigrant story has been exaggerated. Immigrants, including new colonists from before the establishment of the United States as a separate country, were never more than 15% of the population and usually considerably less. Immigrants were often poor and uneducated but the succeeding generations took advantage of the opportunities offered. The reality is even more amazing than the myth in some ways as the succeeding generations learn how to cooperate or at least tolerate each other to build a strong system of shared core beliefs that has succeeded far beyond its original founders would have ever believed possible.
Legal perspectives
Hiroshi Motomura, University of North Carolina law professor and nationally recognized expert on citizenship and immigration, has identified three approaches America has taken to the legal status of immigrants (considering only legal immigrants) in his book Americans in Waiting: The Lost Story of Immigration and Citizenship in the United States.
The first, dominant in the 19th century, treated immigrants as in transition − that is, as prospective citizens. As soon as people declared their intention to become citizens, and before the five year wait was over, they received multiple low cost benefits, including eligibility for free homesteads (in the Homestead Act of 1869), and in many states the right to vote. The goal was to make America attractive so large numbers of farmers and skilled craftsmen would settle new lands. By the 1880s, a second approach took over, treating newcomers as "immigrants by contract."
An implicit deal existed whereby immigrants who were literate and could earn their own living were permitted in restricted numbers (with the exception of Asians). Once in the United States, they would have somewhat limited legal rights, but were not allowed to vote until they became citizens, and would not be eligible for the New Deal government benefits available in the 1930s. The third more recent policy is "immigration by affiliation," Motomura argues, whereby the treatment in part depends on how deeply rooted people have become in America. An immigrant who applies for citizenship as soon as permitted, has a long history of working in the United States, and has significant family ties (such as American-born children), is more deeply affiliated and can expect better treatment.
While an influx of new residents from different cultures presents some challenges, "the United States has always been energized by its immigrant populations..." At the 1998 commencement address at Portland State University, U.S. president Bill Clinton voiced support for immigrants, including immigrants from Asia and Latin America when he said that "America has constantly drawn strength and spirit from wave after wave of immigrants...They have proved to be the most restless, the most adventurous, the most innovative, the most industrious of people.
Given the distance of North America from Eurasia, most historical U.S. immigration was risky. International jet travel has facilitated travel to the United States since the 1960s, but migration remains difficult, expensive and dangerous for those who cross the United States–Mexico border illegally.
Recent immigration-related proposals have suggested enforcing existing laws with regard to illegal immigrants, building a barrier along some or all of the 2,000-mile (3,200 km) U.S.-Mexico border, and creating a new guest worker program. Through much of 2006, the country and Congress was immersed in a debate about these proposals. As of March 2007, few of these proposals had become law, though a partial border fence was approved. Many cities, including Washington D.C., New York City, Los Angeles, Chicago, San Francisco, San Diego, Salt Lake City, Phoenix, Dallas, Houston, Detroit, Jersey City, Minneapolis, Miami, Denver, Baltimore, Seattle, Portland, Oregon and Portland, Maine, have adopted “sanctuary” ordinances banning police from asking people about their immigration status.
History of Immigration to the United States
American immigration history can be viewed in four epochs: the colonial period, the mid-nineteenth century, the turn of the twentieth, and post-1965. Each epoch brought distinct national groups - and races and ethnicities - to the United States. The mid-nineteenth century saw mainly an influx from northern Europe; the early twentieth-century mainly from Southern and Eastern Europe; post-1965 mostly from Latin America and Asia.