Immigration and Immigrants in America Essay -- American History

Immigration and Immigrants in America Most Americans place their pride in being apart of a country where a man can start at the bottom and work his way to the top. We also stress the fact that we are â€Å"all created equal† with â€Å"certain unalienable rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness.† (Jefferson 45) During the early 1900s white Americans picked and chose who they saw fit to live in America and become an American. â€Å"Those that separate the desirable from the undesirable citizen or neighbor are individual rather than race.† (Abbott 307) In the 1900s the desired immigrant was one who spoke English and practiced customs who were similar to ours. Whereas an undesirable was one whose â€Å"customs he (Americans) understood, whose language is quite unrelated to English, the American finds â€Å"strange† and even â€Å"suspicious†.† (Abbott 307) The biggest debate today would be what could the individual/race can contribute to the American economy. â€Å"The American is a new man, who acts upon new principles; he must therefore entertain new ideas and form new opinions.† (Crevecoeur 26) With Crevecoeur’s definition anyone with half of a brain could be an American. This statement is basically contradicted by everything that is American. American society only wants people that can contribute to our economy. For decades people in America were sure of two things concerning immigrants. They came for the opportunity to build a better life for their families and they would not seek nor would they accept a handout. The drive and attitude of immigrants who came to America during the nineteen twenties through the nineteen sixties built strong work ethics that created our now famous American melting pot. But for the past thir... ...d to the building of America; Therefore other races can only but add on to the good things that are happening in America. Works Cited Abbot, Grace. â€Å"The Immigrants Place in a Social Program.† Primis. Michigan: McGraw-Hill, 1997. 304-309 Crevecoeur, Hector St. Jean De. â€Å"What is an American?† Primis. Michigan: McGraw-Hill, 1992. 23-40 Hall, Prescott F. â€Å"The Future of American Ideals† Primis. Michigan: McGraw-Hill. 300-303 Thompson, Ginger. â€Å"U.S. and Mexico to Open Talks on Freer Migration for Workers.† Handout from newspaper. **no date or name on handout*** Ward, Robert De Courcey. â€Å"Race Betterment and Our Immigration Law.† Proceedings of the First National Conference on Race Betterment, January 8,9,10,11,12,Battle Creek, Michigan. Battle Creek: Gage, 1914. 543-544, 545 CD-ROM. American Identity Explorer Immigration and Migration. McGraw-Hill, 2000.