Recent happenings around the world have brought the subject of migration to the forefront of everyday conversation. However, the “migration phenomenon” is not a new one but can be traced as far back as human history itself. In some way, migration can be seen as an innate part of animal behavior and the human experience. Historically, several push and pull factors have forced several groups to move across the globe in the hopes of improving their situations. However, the circumstances surrounding one’s migration to a new place differs for each individual. Apart from the political and economic strife of migration to a different country, immigrants and refugees are left with the added struggle of maintaining their social identity, culture, and kinship when acclimating to a new environment.
In order to properly explain this topic, I draw on the information from several articles, lectures, films, and interviews I have conducted with close family and friends.
A common problem faced by immigrants is social identity. Social identity refers to the need to identify as a member of a group and not merely as an individual. Man is a social being and being able to identify with a group helps in giving a sense of belonging, developing self-esteem and a sense of pride. Social identity and sense of self are therefore important to an individual’s well-being. As a member of a group, every individual performs the role(s) and expectations of that group. However, intersectional identities exist
The U.S has a prolonged history of discrimination. In the late 17th century, when America declared as a free country, only the white gentility had the privileged of “freedom” and African American continue their life as slaves for many decades. As the country grows, it became a dream land, a refuge for immigrations fled from their country to seek freedom and pursuit happiness. However, the gene of discriminations stuck deeply in the mind of the early founding fathers; hence their descendents also obtained the hatred toward immigrations who look differently. In the late 1800s and the early 1900s, many immigrants such as the Jews, Chinese and Japanese immigrations came to America with the hope for
Illegal immigration has been exponentially escalating since 2002, the percentage of illegal immigrants in the United States has grown from 39.2 percent to an increasing 59 percent. This shows that the immigrants population in the United States has increased, which affects many parts of the nation. The subject of Illegal Immigration in the United States is a social injustice, because the rise of illegal immigrants causes economical and social problems, such as an increase in population and a lack of jobs, and FAIR works to address this issue by regulating the numbers of illegal immigrants entering the United States by placing national standards.
The United States has been a host to a wide diaspora of people. Immigrants have had to transition from their familiar land to a new-fashioned foreign land that they must consider home. They bring with them the essence of their initial homeland such as customs, traditions and beliefs that inadvertently change the dynamics of culture within the United States. As a result the United States is an extremely culturally diverse nation. The continual changes or accretions that Americans encounter have always been a controversial topic depending on the experiences of individuals and communities that have immigrant populations. This essay will critically explore
“Mom, will I ever be treated as a regular person? When will I be like the others without people look at me in a strange way and make fun of me, when mom? When?” Those were the questions I did to my mom almost every day after getting home from school. Fourteen years ago that my parents brought me to this country offering a better life with better opportunities than where I was born. I was seven years old when came to the United States, but I still remember the happiness I felt when I first step in this country. Throughout the years, I have realize that not everything is easy and simple as I imagined. My parents worked in the fields because of the lack of a social security and not knowing how to speak English. Many Americans do not know how hard it is the life of an immigrant, they should have a consideration for us and not just blame us for the deviance of the United States.
The culture of every ethnic group is beautiful in its own way and worth cherishing. Today, America is known as the great melting pot not for the number of immigrants it has but rather because of the wonderful cultures and traditions the immigrants brought with them. Immigrants do not need to forgo their mother tongue, significant celebrations or customs to become American. However to be socially accepted, they will need to learn English, take part in celebrating national holidays and fulfill their patriotic duties Americans like every other U.S citizens.
America is traditionally a country of immigrants. Very few people today have relatives who were Native Americans, many of them because of religious persecution, and others because of they were just looking to start a new life on the exciting untouched frontier. For instance, in Florida, the first arrivals were European, beginning with the Spanish explorer Ponce de Leon who explored the land in 1513, following French and Spanish settlement during the 16th century. From the past, America was seen as a country of opportunities. People from all over the world have moved here looking for better opportunities. There are a lot of reasons why immigrants should live in this country, but I would like to mention three of them.
Immigrants have been migrating to the Unites States for years. Many people in the United States have different opinions on immigrants: some are negative and some are positive. Some Americans assume that immigrants are here to destroy the United States, but immigrants are here for many purposes: to support their families, succeed in their future, or to escape violence occurring in their home countries. Many Americans think that once an immigrant has settled in the United States that he or she will right away get a job or quickly learn English. Imagine moving to a new school not knowing a single person. You will feel anxious or even discouraged. Now just imagine arriving in a new country and not knowing anyone and you can’t speak English. Well, that is how millions of young and adult undocumented immigrants feel every day when trying to fit into the American culture. Life is hard for an undocumented immigrant. Immigrants in the United States face many challenges when trying to adapt or assimilate into the American culture. But my question is, what kind of mental health issues or other psychological problems do immigrants face when they are trying to adjust to the American culture, and how can our society alleviate some of that anxiety?
This essay will focus primarily on the immigrants and their struggles faced in America. As it has been noted, many immigrants who come to America seek economic opportunity. Their goals of advancing and becoming successful at times can be over turned by discrimination. As seen in the essay from literature reviews and intensive interviews, the struggles faced by American immigrants are discovered. However, the goal is to explore the various acts of discriminations and look at how some immigrants have preserved.
The changing environments throughout the ages have caused the movement of thousands of families out of their homelands. Whether forced to make such decisions or doing so by their own desires, all immigrants have had to survive the physical and psychological challenges encountered along the way. To speak about the experiences of all these different people using the same ideas and examples would be quite inaccurate. They all, however, had to live through similar situations and deal with similar problems. Many of them succeeded and found the better future they were looking for. Many others found only hardship and experienced the destruction of their hopes and dreams. All of them were transformed.
There are many reasons why my family decided to leave their homes in Italy and make the move to America. There were many political and religious issues, along with towns and homes being overcrowded. My family were farmers looking for a change and the unification was rural along with the land management was poor. As my family did not have a lot of cash, we could only afford to buy tickets in the cargo area of the ship. The food was horrible as we were sailing to the new land. We ate a lot of potatoes, soup, and left overs. It was food to comfort us but not what I really wanted to eat.
“I had always hoped that this land might become a safe and agreeable asylum to the virtuous and persecuted part of mankind to whatever nation they might belong” this quote is by George Washington, but A Country is for all is another quote by Jorge Ramos. Everyone of any culture should be aloud in every country they want. There shouldn't be a law that doesn't let people out of a country to find a great new start for them. In this essay we will be talking about immigrants in the late days, border crossing, and families being separated.
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 “all created equal” with “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. “Those that separate the desirable from the undesirable citizen or neighbor are individual rather than race.”
For me, the biggest difficulties were at the beginning, I assume it would have been the same for everyone. When I arrived, I didn’t like anything there, didn’t want to live there longer. I would start crying and whispering; I want to go home. I was experiencing the cultural shockIn spite of all the challenges we were facing when they arrived to this country “ The united States”, they felt much safer and free. They had been welcomed as new and valued members of American society. Freedom and safety are the fundamental rights of all and the most important goal for the immigrants.
Nowadays migration is getting to be one of the dominant characteristics of the modern world since at the present moment that movement of people and migration of citizens from one country to another become a norm. Not surprisingly that such unparallel and extremely high level of migration results in substantial demographic, ethnical and socio-cultural changes in many countries of the world.
The question of identity is always a difficult one for those living in a culture or group, yet belonging to another. This difficulty frequently remains in the mind of most immigrants, especially the second generations who were born in a country other than their parents. Younger generations feel as if they are forced to change to fit the social standards despite previous culture or group. Furthermore those who wish to adopt a new identity of a group or culture haven't yet been fully accepted by original members due to their former identity.