Post-reading Activity

Mark the sentences as “True” or “False” according to the text.

1. The most sophisticated civilizations arose where the population was bound in place and traded like chattels.

2. By mediaeval times a large part of Europe’s population could largely choose where they went.

3. During the early Renaissance period people were viewed as wealth and rulers even encouraged immigration by offering newcomers citizenship, tax incentives and other benefits.

4. Slave labor caused the largest involuntary migration in history.

5. The New World was settled in the 19^th century by people exercising the right to relax border controls.

6. World War II brought another exodus.

7. Large-scale restrictions have been imposed to the movement of the individual during the 20^th century.

T E X T 2

Pre-reading Activity

Answer the following question.

Traditionally the United States has welcomed immigrants from other countries. What reasons have they had for settling there?

Reading Activity

(!) Read the text and answer the following.

What does an immigrant have to go through to become a citizen of another country?

Give me your tired, your poor, your huddling

massesyearning to breathe free.

(inscription beneath the Statue of Liberty)

Nation of diversity

The United States is a country of many ethnic groups. An ethnic group is made up of people who share one or more characteristics which make them different from other groups. They may share specific racial or physical traits, speak their own language or practice a distinctive religion. They are usually bound to one another by common traditions and values, and by their own folklore and music.

The Harvard Encyclopedia of American Ethnic Groups lists 106 major groups in the United States today, including Native Americans, Albanians, Afro-Americans, Arabs, Burmese, Chinese, Eskimos, Filipinos, Greeks, Irish, Italians, Jews, Mexicans, Puerto Ricans and Swiss.

Most members of ethnic groups long established in the United States have lost much of the distinctiveness of their culture. Third generation Germans, for example, may only speak English and may think of themselves as “plain” Americans. Third generation Chinese, however, often retain their language and many cultural and family traditions. They will usually define themselves as Chinese Americans.

Black Americans are only now beginning to overcome the effects of 250 years of slavery.

Since the 1950s, Black Americans have been moving into the mainstream of American life. Though a fairly large black middle class has emerged, many blacks continue to exist on the economic margins.

The situation of the Native Americans, many of whom must choose between living in reservations or moving outside remains difficult, as well.

Racial prejudice and discrimination against the African-Americans, Chinese and Native Americans has often meant that many members of those groups have been forced to live and work in narrow sectors of American life. Recent Hispanic immigrants such as Mexicans and Puerto Ricans, also have encountered discrimination based on their ethnicity.

Those ethnic groups which suffer systematic economic or social disadvantages are called minority groups. About one of every five Americans is a member of such a group.

In the past, many minority groups overcame the barriers that confronted them. The Irish, the Italians and the Germans, the Catholics and the Jews all faced hostility and discrimination which severely restricted their opportunities for decades. In time they largely overcame these barriers and became fully integrated into national life. There are many signs that today’s minorities are following the same path. For several decades, it has been an official aim of public policy to encourage such an outcome.