The United States has a vast history of immigration, immigrants and immigration laws. Some laws that were made to reduce immigration were unfair. Immigration has shaped the United States to be how it is today-- a strong nation with multicultural communities, and yet immigrants consistently face obstacles based on current prejudice in the country.
Why did immigrants come to the US? There are probably as many reasons for migrating as there are people who came here. Some reasons are that they were fleeing from crop failure, job shortages, rising taxes, famine, running from war, seeking religious freedom, to be with their family, seeking fortune or individual rights.
Waves of immigrants kept coming one after another. The previous wave would always be worried that the next wave would take away jobs or erode the nation’s institutions. Many prejudices led to laws that restricted many people from entering the United States. The Naturalization Act of 1790 provided the first rules in the U.S to grant national citizenship, which stated that any alien, being a free white person, may be admitted to become a citizen of the United States .“Racial barriers were already put in place for certain immigrants, which were not removed until 1870 (for Africans)and until 1952(for East and South Asians)”.
“The first laws aimed at controlling immigration were established in 1882 which said lunatics, idiots, convicts, and other ‘undesirable’ categories were barred”. In the late 19th century Americans became very hostile with Asian immigrants. In 1882 the Chinese Exclusion Act suspended further Chinese immigrants into the United States. This was one of the first laws to be aimed at a specific group. This law came to exist because they looked alien like, had a baffling language, strange foods, and even due to their desire to work hard. Chinese immigration was banned, and those Chinese that were already here legally had their citizenship taken away. “By 1917, virtually all Asians were excluded from permanent entry”.
In the Immigration Act of 1917 a geographical strategy was used to exclude
Asian Indians because their ‘racial or ethnic status was unclear’. When an immigrant from India attempted to be a citizen by arguing that he was Caucasian, the Supreme Court change its definition again appealing more to the popular meaning of the term ‘white’.
During the 1970’s, the Mexican labor flow in to the United States was legal, there were no restrictions. At one time, when the United States needed Mexicans, the U.S even encouraged Mexicans to come into the country, but later they were restricted beginning during WWII when jobs became low and they were not needed anymore.
It seems like some immigrants were being used by the U.S when they were needed and once they were not, they were kicked out.
Just how much are immigrants significant to the United States? Since the 1950’s they have taken most of the low wage jobs in things such as construction, agriculture, and domestic services that U.S workers do not want. The immigrant low wage workers continue to be dehumanized, yet the economy addresses the need for them and the government knowing this is politically incorrect. No matter the reason for the immigrants coming to the United States, they all have one trait in common - they cling to their culture or recreate their new homes to a familiar. Immigrants have filled in for heavy labor and brought brilliant minds and creativity to the United States.
Everyone but Native Americans are immigrants. The reasons for coming to America vary, but they all struggled and were fought against, and yet have shaped our country to be what it is today. Immigration laws in the past have been unfair but if immigrants did not push harder to get in then the United States would be a boring country with no diversity. The different colored faces, the different physical characteristics and traditions are what bring America alive. It is said that the United States is the most powerful country in the nation. Compared to other countries, the U.S has definitely taken in more foreigners than other countries. Immigrants are a source of our nation’s strength.