Summary of The Making of a Nation
The United States has been from the very beginning a nation of immigrants, many of whom have gone to America in search of better opportunities. Most of the early settlers that went to America were British, but many other Europeans followed suit, mainly attracted by prospects of wealth.
Upon arriving in the “New World”, many immigrants preserved the traditions they had in their home countries. However, many immigrants also underwent acculturation so as to narrow the gap between themselves and the dominant WASP (White Anglo-Saxon Protestant) culture.
The arrival of Europeans in America changed the destiny of Native American Indians since the latter had their lands seized. Many battles were fought due to this fact.
It was in the years between 1840 to 1860 that the United States received the greatest number of immigrants in its history, with 50 million people arriving in America at that time.
Even up to 1880 it was still the Europeans that made up the largest portion of immigrants arriving in America. We call “old immigration” the northern and western Europeans who arrived between the years of 1840 and 1880.
It was in the late 1880s that a new wave of immigration started, the new immigrants being mainly Latin, Slavic and Jewish peoples from southern and eastern Europe.
The great number of foreigners arriving in America gave rise to ethnic neighborhoods, such as Little Italy and Chinatown. Many Americans didn’t accept immigration all too well and resented foreigners for fear that they were changing the composition of the country; besides, foreigners mean cheap labour, triggering unfair competition between Americans and foreigners since the latter were willing to perform similar tasks for much lower wages.
Immigration dropped significantly after the 1920s; however, the number of immigrants has risen again sharply of late, which has once more given rise to an assimilation problem.
Many immigrants who have arrived in America are in fact refugees that were allowed in under the Refugee Act signed in 1980.
Illegal immigration has also been a problem for America, with many immigrants accepting work for much lower wages than Americans would. In the past, altough illegal immigrants were not allowed to work in the United States, companies were not penalized for hiring them. However, in 1986 a law was passed that changed this situation.
Many Americans are in favor of imposing stricter bans on immigration because they believe that overpopulation is a threat. Moreover, they also fear that it affects the country’s identity. On the other hand, many Americans also recognize the importance that immigrants have had to the country, creating a more diverse atmosphere.
Americans are now said to be facing an identity crisis, with fewer and fewer Americans actually claiming to be WASPs. This has obviously led to a change as far as attitudes towards ethnic and religious differences are concerned.
