Edwin Lee: Immigrants In The US

In the eyes of the early American colonists and the founders of the Constitution, the United States was to represent the ideals of acceptance and tolerance to those of all walks of life. When the immigration rush began in the mid-1800's, America proved to be everything but that. The millions of immigrants would soon realize the meaning of hardship and rejection as newcomers, as they attempted to assimilate into American culture. For countless immigrants, the struggle to arrive in America was rivaled only by the struggle to gain acceptance among the existing American population.

Throughout the history of the United States immigration has become apart of our country’s fabric which, began centuries ago. Only to become a hot topic in the US in recent years with its primary focus being illegal immigrants. Illegal immigration is when people enter a country without government permission. As of 2008 the Center for Immigration Studies estimated that there are 11 million illegal immigrants in the US which is down from 2007‘s 12.5 million people. Although the Center for Immigration Studies estimates are very different from other estimates that range from 7 to 20 million. While the Pew Hispanic Center estimated in March of 2009 there are 11.1 million illegal immigrants and that number is from March 2007’s peak of 12

Many people from all over the world saw America as a place to create a better life for them and their family. America was a place full of many job opportunities, ones that were not available anywhere else in the world. It was in America that people from different nations saw the chance to escape the place they originally lived because of unfair government or as a chance to have money to send back to their family in their homeland. The period after the civil war was an era of tremendous migration from southern and eastern Europe as well as from China, because of all the opportunities that were available here that were not available anywhere else. Migration was also prominent within America when African Americans

In the late 1800s , America became the land of new opportunities and new beginnings and New York City became the first landmark for immigrants. New York City was home to Ellis Island, the area in which migrants were to be handed for freedom to enter the nation. Living in New York City gave work and availability to ports. In time the city gave the chance to outsider's to construct groups with individuals from their nation , they were classified as new and old settlers. Old outsiders included Germans, Irish and, English. The new outsiders incorporated those from Italy, Russia, Poland and Austria-Hungary. In 1875, the New York City populace was a little 1 million individuals contrasted with the 3,5 million it held when the new century

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.

After the war in 1953, some Korean women migrated to Australia as war brides and orphan children were adopted by Australian families.

While Asian immigrants were first generation migrants, female Mexican-American teens in the early 1920s differed in that they were first generation Americans. Still, these teens faced similar pressures of formative gender identity set by both American culture and by the ancestral customs of the Mexican familial oligarchy. The familial oligarchy of Mexican culture refers to the system by which familial elders “attempted to dictate the activities of youth for the sake of family honor,” as the family’s communal standing depended on the “purity,” or virginity of their daughter with little mention of the son. Due to the sudden rise of the flapper culture, American temptations were a constant threat to traditional Mexican values. These temptations were controlled through the use of a gender medium, usually a mother or grandmother, known as a dueña or a

The 1840s and 50s experienced a massive escalation in the number of immigrants from Europe especially from Ireland, and Germany, arriving on U.S shores in densely populated urban areas (Arenson, 2011). Most of them afterward became vigorous in domestic politics, much to the aggravation of old-stock, authentic Americans. The consequence was a renaissance in the formation of “nativistic” societies (small, indistinct, anti-foreign and anti-catholic organizations), some which banded together in the early 1850s to form the American Party (Arenson, 2011). Commonly referred to as the “Know-Nothing,” the party rode a wave of racial intolerance as well as racism into the mid-1850s.

Immigration has existed around the world for centuries, decades, and included hundreds of cultures. Tired of poverty, a lack of opportunities, unequal treatment, political corruption, and lacking any choice, many decided to emigrate from their country of birth to seek new opportunities and a new and better life in another country, to settle a future for their families, to work hard and earn a place in life. As the nation of the opportunities, land of the dreams, and because of its foundation of a better, more equal world for all, the United States of America has been a point of hope for many of those people. A lot of nationals around the world have ended their research for a place to call home in the United States of America. By analyzing

1-Shin Dong-Hyuk is the main character of the book Escape from Camp 14, his story is

The Lee family escaped Laos during the war, frequently witnessing and experiencing horrifying tragedies along the way. They were moved to

Prior to the 1920s, President Theodore Roosevelt led the Americans under the progressive wing, by eliminating political corruption, improving societal matters and regulating the economy. After a decade of this stable economy, the roaring twenties transformed into a period of cultural dynamism that included mass culture, hyper-emotional patriotism and debates over American morals and its national identity. The era transformed through industrial growth with a high consumer demand. However, leading after the era of wealth and excess, the Great Depression negatively affected the majority of the citizens leaving them unemployed, homeless and desperate for change. Ultimately, the nativist groups and restrictions on immigrants were not entirely abolished

Not much is given about his early life and family structure, except that he had three brothers. Since he could not afford to attend a university in Korea, Kwon applied to work on Hawaii’s sugar plantations. In 1905, the year that the Korean labor supply to Hawaii was cut off, he successfully immigrated as a seventeen-year-old sugar plantation laborer with the hopes of fleeing poverty (Pai 4, Takai 238). Approaching his mid 20’s as a young bachelor, he was working as a yardboy for a Mr. Hackfeld when his picture bride sailed across the ocean. Afterwards with the help of a friend, Kwon took up a more respectable job as an apprentice upholsterer at the Coyne Furniture Company. As years passed and he became noted as one of the most prestigious upholsterers in Hawaii, the company he was working for shut down, causing him to lose his job in 1928. Young Soon Han states, “The most viable businesses would be the same ones they [Koreans] did before, because…they have only this experience” (249). Just like the solution to the Korean liquor storeowners who lost their businesses in the L.A. riots, Kwon’s solution was to get back into the same business. The only difference was that this time he was an entrepreneur.

Since the first immigrants moved into American neighborhoods, many issues have arisen between Americans and the Korean community. In 1911 and 1913,

In 1972 M*A*S*H aired on television directed by Larry Gelbart who showed us an army hospital stuck in the middle of the Korean war and how laughter is used to deal with their situations. I would like to look deeper into a few characters, Col. Sherman T. Potter, Father Francis Mulcahy and Maj. Margaret ‘Hot Lips’ Houlihan. With these characters I would want to see how they portrayed the Korean War to us the viewers as in if they were for this War or not.