Immigration : America A Melting Pot?

Immigration to the US in Anna Quindlen’s, “The Melting Pot” and Emma Lazarus’ “New Colossus” is depicted as a positive move. Yet, when it comes to life as an immigrant, the two pieces divide into their separate ways. First, in both passages, they agree that immigration to the US is a change. ‘“Give me your tired, your poor… send these… to me, I lift my lamp beside the golden door!”. Referring to the Statue of Liberty as the new Colossus, Lazarus highlights the fact that the statue welcomes the immigrants to the US and gives them a second chance. In Quindlen’s, “The Melting Pot” the story also sides with immigration. “Yet somehow now we have reached a nice mix. About a third of the people in the neighborhood think of squid as calamari, about

Globally, the United States has been known as "a nation of immigrants" almost from its inception. Beginning in the 1600s with English Puritans and continuing today, America is a melting pot of culture and ethnicity. In fact, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, immigration was the major source of U.S. population growth. Looking over our 200+ years we find that to clearly be true, with approximately 1 million immigrants coming to America during the 17th and 18th century. Almost 3 million arrived during the 1860s, and another 3 million in the 1870s. In the next four decades, the number of immigrants rose to over 25 million people, most from various European nations, most arriving in New York or one of the Eastern seaports (Damon, 1981). Despite the politicization, as of 2006, the United States actually was the number one country globally to accept legal immigrants into the country, with a current immigrant population of almost 40 million (Terrazas and Batalova, 2009). In fact, the peak of immigration was 1907, when over 1.2 million Europeans entered the country beginning a push towards legislation limiting immigration in the Immigration and Naturalization Act of 1924 and the 1921 Congressional Quota Act. These immigrants came for two sociological reasons: the push factor (wars, famine, persecution and overpopulation) and the pull factors (jobs and the promise of freedom). Most came by ship, and a passage often cost the equivalent of an entire life's savings causing many

The United States is a country that was built on immigration. The first settlers, Native Americans, represent less than 2% of the total population; the remaining 98% of the population are immigrants or decedents of immigrants. Today, the US still has the highest immigration rate in the world with 757,434 naturalizations in the 2012 fiscal year only (US Naturalizations 2012, Department of Homeland security). People try to immigrate to the United States for many reasons. Some people immigrate because they have been granted a refugee status or asylum and other people immigrate to fulfill their dreams. Immigration has an effect on the American society and economy. The US cannot survive without immigrants.

Since its founding, the United States has attracted immigrants from all over the world and consists of a variety of different cultures. Immigration has had an enormous impact on American society and economy and shaped the country remarkably.

Immigration has always been a major part of America. In fact, without immigration the creation of America would not have been possible. The majority of immigrants came to America for religious freedom and economic opportunities. However, for the most part before the 1870’s most immigrants were Protestants from northern and western Europe. These immigrants often migrated to the United States as families and usually lived on farms with family or friends who had already migrated beforehand. A lot of immigrants came to America with a plan or goal in mind. They often had saved up money for the long immigration overseas, were skilled in a certain trade, or had already been educated at a high level. Sadly, this would not last. Immigration

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.

Since the beginning, America has been a nation of immigrants. During the colonial era, people were coming across the Atlantic Ocean, and other lands, to either start a new life or to escape religious prosecutions. American history has been shaped by the ethnic, religious, and cultural diversity brought by immigrants in the 19th and 20th century. Without a doubt, immigration has had a very large cultural impact and influence in America.

Immigration has been around since the first time the Mayflower arrived at Plymouth Rock with immigrants from Great Britain looking for a new home in order to have religious freedom. If Americans actually glance back into the history of the United States they will understand that they are all ancestors of immigrants who came from other countries looking for a better life in the new world. What made the United States a powerful country were the positive contributions of immigrants, such contributions were only possible by the numerous mixing of races while keeping true to their individual cultures; immigrants should adopt to a “melting pot” and a American way of life to have greater opportunities.

U.S. as an immigration country, has a long history of immigration. It is a complex demographic phenomenon that has been a major source of population growth and cultural change of the United States. People came here because of varies reason, the major reason among them are fleeing crop failure, land and job shortage, rising taxes, and famine. Nearly 12 million people immigrate to the United States between 1870 and 1900, making it the world largest immigrate country.

Many of the first immigrants were from northern and western Europe. A third of these immigrants came from Ireland. In the 19th century, America received 5 million Germans who arrived to buy farms. There were numerous other immigrants with a different ethnicity who arrived later on.

Immigration is how the United States was formed and established. It shaped the nation into a diverse, unique country that is hard working and open for change. Their different cultures allowed our country to be different by being accepting and wanting to accept new ways of life.

The United States is commonly known as “The Melting Pot.” This phrase means a place where different people, styles, and theories are mixed together. The U.S. is perceived as a place where these differences are accepted, but lately things have been changing. There has been a large dispute over the concept of whether immigration has helped or hurt our country. I believe that immigration has helped the United States in a positive way. Immigration has changed the country by bringing diversity, strengthening the economy, and supporting the agricultural workforce.

America is known as the great melting pot where everyone?s beliefs, culture, and race will be accepted. Immigration also has some positive effects on our economy. Because immigrants work for a lower wage it makes it affordable for people to use their services.

Zangwill (1908) wrote, “ God is making the American!...the real American had not yet arrived. He will be the fusion of all races, perhaps the coming superman…the glory of America, where all races and nations come to labor and look forward.” This is an exert from the play “The Melting Pot.” Israel Zangwill was Jewish born in England, January 21, 1864 in London, England. Besides the “The Melting Pot,” Zangwill used his pen to defend women’s suffrage, Jewish emancipation, assimilation and Zionism. Zionism is the Jewish liberation movement (Wikipedia, 2012). In 1909, “The Melting Pot” was opened in Washington D.C. It was a hit. President Theodore Roosevelt gave the play high reviews. The New York Metropolitan Playhouse ran the production in

The United States is often called a melting pot because of the vast array of cultures that all live in the country. People have come from every corner of the world to settle in the United States. In recent years, the influx of immigration has become a contentious issue. Some people believe that the US is overpopulated and that further immigration poses a danger to the country while others contend that the US was built on immigration and that it is un-American to prohibit people from living here if they so wish. The articles "5 Myths About Immigration" and "The Challenge of Diversity" detail the different issues which are related to the immigration issue, both discuss the amount of immigration that occurs, the fear of immigrants taking jobs from American citizens, and the idea that immigrants are reluctant to assimilate into the American culture.