The History of Immigration to the United States - Essay Example

s Immigration and Ethnic Relations in the U.S Discuss what the history of immigration to the United States indicates about the nature of race/racism and/or ethnic groups (as covered in the Race and Ethnicity in the United States class/readings) and how they change over time. Instead of just briefly summarizing U.S. immigration history, make sure you are applying the concept of race and/or ethnicity to your understanding of it.  The increase in the number of people coming to the United States in search of greener pastures has had a profound impact on the entire U.S immigration history at large. The immigration has not only caused diversification in the societal structure but has increased the interactions between people belonging to various races and ethnic groups. The diversity within the American society has always been the subject of many debates and from an historical perspective, the concept of immigration has now become a part of the American society and it is nothing less than a culture melting pot. The economic stability in the United States had also attracted a number immigrants coming in from all over the world. One of the hypotheses held by anthropologists was that the Native Americans had descended from the wanderers of North East Asia who were then followed by the arrival of European settlers and then subsequent colonization at the hands of the British took place. United States gained their freedom from colonial rule and became an independent nation that worked on the principle of democracy that became major fad of the 19th century and further attracted people from various parts of Europe, Asia and south west regions of the globe. Ever since then, there has been a rise in the number of immigrants coming to America from all the over the world, particularly from Europe and slaves from Africa. Slavery became a trend that started around the year 1619, when a Dutch ship brought 20 to the shores of the Virginia territory and reached its height till its abolishment in the year 1865 by Abraham Lincoln after the American civil war. The American civil war was one period in the history of the United States, which was marked by a decline in immigration but as soon as it ended the pace was picked back up again. Considering the aforementioned facts about the history of US immigration, the concept of race had become synonymous with everyone but ethnic and cultural identities was something that the American society was still in the process of discovering. A second wave of European immigration took place from the central region; a number of Jews migrated to USA, in order to escape the atrocities of the holocaust. There were immigrations from Ireland and Germany too due to crop failures and to avoid the destruction of war. As the United States made its transition in to the 20th century, many important events transpired that altered the course of society such as “the civil rights movement” by the African Americans and the ethnic revival of 1960’s whereby, white segment of the population revitalize their culture in order to gain back their identity in a society that is characterized by an assortment of peoples and cultures. Diversity in America has led to one of the major errors in defining various concepts for instance, race refers to the physical characteristics of an individual; therefore, using it interchangeably with the notion of ethnicity is incorrect. Ethnicity on the other hand, is the set of cultural practices, religion, language and beliefs. In other words, an individual may belong to a particular race but it does not necessarily mean that they belong to the same ethnic group as well and this is the key demarcation that has been established over the years. Ethnic groups are now often referred to as “minority groups” and though such groups are usually coexist peacefully but in the last few decades there has been a significant rise in ethnic turbulence and friction. This is largely due to the vast difference between their socioeconomic statuses and the fact that majority of the population often favor their own race over others, which is also one of the reasons because of which the terms race and ethnicity are often used interchangeably by the people today. The discrimination is now directed towards immigrants coming from Asia and Latin America, who have now become one of the largest minority groups in America. This trend is usually brought about by the turbulence in their respective countries and poverty that causes them to immigrate to the US usually seeking political or in pursuit of achieving high standards of living. Immigrants have now become a major part of the American society as they not only contribute to its economy but are now actively working in fields including that of medicine, business, advertising and filmmaking. The charm of a high standard of living and greater opportunities has also given rise to the problem of human trafficking and people crossing the American border through illegal means that caused an influx of people coming to the United States from Mexico. Illegal immigrants have been on the rise due to this aspect the American government had to set proper quotas in order to control the number of people entering the country. As the immigration in the country reached its peak, the American authorities tightened their immigration policies and made the visa regulation stricter than ever. Media also played a huge role in shaping the racial identity and pattern of interaction between people belonging to various ethnicities as they formed the basis for the establishment of stereotypes. The negative image of the Muslim population that included Arabs and South East Asians epitomizes this aspect of the American society, whereby significant conflicts between the aforementioned ethnic groups surfaced that linked them to terrorism. As a result, there has been a decline in the number of people coming from the Middle East and South East Asia but despite the decline it still constitutes a major segment of the American population. Terrorist conflicts actually brought about an overnight change in the status and societal image of Muslims, which is by far the most logical example that sheds light on the changes in racial interactions that were brought about by the events perpetrated by a foreign organization. Ethnic and racial clashes have been a part of the American society but it is understandable that a country that possesses a mosaic palate of races and culture is bound to conflict with the beliefs of other groups. 2. Choose two of the issues covered in the Race and Ethnicity in the United States class/readings (race, different types of prejudice/discrimination, the nature of ethnicity, and/or ethnic hierarchies/stratification) and discuss how they are relevant to the experiences of one of the ethnic groups covered in the course (White Americans, African Americans, Asian Americans, or Hispanic/Latino Americans).  Living in a culturally diverse country as the United States of America is not always easy and is even a bigger task for the authorities to establish rules and legislation that grants equality and freedom to every individual regardless of their race or ethnicity. It is a known fact that the American society is composed of a myriad of racial and ethnic groups that interact with each other and it is this diversity that gives rise to a number of issues such as racial or ethnic discrimination and the establishment of hierarchies in order to create a division between superior and inferior races. In historical context, the stratification in the American society largely entailed the Anglo-American or the white segment of the population occupying the top of the hierarchy. On the other hand, the obvious presence of a color line separated the Anglo-Americans from the Black Americans, who at that time occupied the bottom of the hierarchy with Asians and Hispanics or Latinos placed in the middle of the two extremes. As it is quite ostensible that the distinction was largely made on the basis of color it can be easily understood that the aforementioned issues are most pertinent to the black segment of population that has faced the most amount of discrimination. The discrimination and hierarchal model in the society stemmed way back from the colonial rule, when almost all black people were enslaved and brought to the American territories to serve the white man. Even though, abolishment of slavery in 1865 by the then-President Abraham Lincoln had elevated the social status of Blacks from slaves to individuals but the superiority complex within the major segments of the population remained. Furthermore, as it has been outlined in the book “Immigration and ethnic relations in the U.S.” Black American struggled immensely to make their mark in the American society and this is evident through the brutalities that were inflicted upon them and the establishment of supremacist groups. The suppression of African American population led to heightened efforts to achieve equality and a say in the running of the country. The World War II became a turning point in changing the social structure of the society. It was during the Great War that the social barrier between the whites and black was terminated and the fact that they fought side by side actually led to a greater understanding of their contribution to the country that in turn entitled them to equal rights and all the privileges that the whites were enjoying at that time. Thus, from there the Black population became more involved in politics, arts, and adopted a method of non-assimilation, which meant embracing their roots and not trying to become a part of the society that was headed by only the “Whites”. These efforts then materialized in the form of the civil right movement during the 1950’s and 60’s that defined the black identity and was a significant step in raising Black pride. There were very intense scene of violence and rioting, as a result many Black activists along with leaders of the movement were jailed or beaten in public. The brutality actually led to further turbulence and more black people were coming to terms with their identities. The discrimination was widespread but many blacks had begun to take immense pride in their colors. They did not education or proper jobs to support their families, as a result many black men had resorted to illegal means of earning a livelihood and women had resorted to prostitution. The Black people were even barred from casting their votes in elections and had practically no say in the governance of the state. However, the culmination of the civil rights movement was brought about with the signing of the civil rights act of 1964 that granted every Black equal opportunities and employment, it further went on to state that there will be no discrimination in the workplace, labor unions or places of accommodation. Though, civil rights movement has had a huge impact on the society but has hardly had any real effect on the people’s mentality. The hierarchy within the society still exists and is often backed by Darwinist theories and beliefs. Besides the fact that Blacks had always been seen as a slave population it was also Darwinism that further deepened the implementation of the hierarchy and also deepened the schism between Anglo-Americans and Black people that further established grounds to suppress the latter group and dominate them. They often viewed the black population as crude and unsophisticated race; hence in line with Darwinism and Eugenics argument it was only logical to either suppress them or wipe them out. Although, there has not been any real genocidal threat to the Black population in America but the suppressive policies and perception that still prevail the society is equally debilitating and detrimental. However, racism directed towards the Blacks has now taken a new form and is now less direct than it used to be. From using direct harassments and abuses that were directed to their heritage, discrimination towards Black people is now subtle and inconspicuously done by employers and in school organizations. Even in media presentation of Black people or households, they are clearly misrepresented and are often depicted as uneducated and belligerent people. Though, like African Americans other ethnic groups have also experienced similar discriminatory practices. However, as mentioned earlier out of all the ethnic groups the discrimination that the African Americans had to bear was by far the greatest and their experiences are the most relevant with the issues of ethnic hierarchy and discrimination that has prevailed the American society. The civil rights movement played a significant role in improving the image of the Blacks and they are now active participants in both religious and political affairs of the society. They were a segment of the population that was regressing as a result of the suppressive policies but with their efforts they have now become an important part of the country. Work Cited Tsuda, Takeyuki. “Immigration and Ethnic Relations in the U.S”. Cognella Academic Publishing. University Readers Inc. 2011 Read More