Lady Liberty Essay Topics

These words by Emma Lazarus, inscribed on a plaque on the Statue of Liberty, strike a chord of yearning for freedom in the minds of suffering yet hopeful people, and invoke a picture of the United States meeting the immigrant with open arms. The United States is often called a nation of immigrants, and yet US history reveals many examples of anti-immigrant sentiment, actions, and legal restrictions. Which is true --that America is a nation of immigrants or that it is a nation that does not support immigration?

Immigrants have always been a part of the United States and played a major role in building the foundation for the life in America, therefore, legal immigrants, should always be welcome granted that they come with good intentions. "Life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness" is a saying that has been associated with the country of The United States of America since its founding. That saying has infused immigrants with the idea that upon reaching this holy land, their lives will drastically change for the better. With that dream in mind, hundreds of thousands of immigrants, flock to this country to become part of its evolving culture.

Humanity is ever so much more complicated than one could have ever imagined. Humans can thrive on change, but ultimately look for something to declare as home. In search of this home people travel long distances and risk everything they have. When an American contemplates the word immigrant, one imagines the countless people from Mexico crossing into our country or the refugees that hope to make this country their home. What eludes most of us, however, is the reality that most people were, at one point, immigrants to this country and that our forefathers came here exactly the same as refugees come today. What is brought to mind when I hear the word immigrant is hope and perseverance. I remember the countless people who have traveled here

America thrives on its concept of free speech and democratic government that gives the opportunity to have a voice in the world. Many immigrants come to the United States for new opportunities and ways to express themselves with “[hearts] and [souls] pregnant with the unlived lives of generations clamoring for expression” (Yezierska, 19). Because of oppression and limitations in the lives of immigrants in home countries, the United States is seen as a safe haven and a place to show the creativity and ideas that were once frowned upon. The State of Liberty is a symbol of such freedom and opportunity to many immigrants coming to the United States as well. However, some groups of people are attempting to hinder the access to new opportunities in America to others.

In the United States, the cliché of a nation of immigrants is often invoked. Indeed, very few Americans can trace their ancestry to what is now the United States, and the origins of its immigrants have changed many times in American history. Despite the identity of an immigrant nation, changes in the origins of immigrants have often been met with resistance. What began with white, western European settlers fleeing religious persecution morphed into a multicultural nation as immigrants from countries across the globe came to the U.S. in increasing numbers. Like the colonial immigrants before them, these new immigrants sailed to the Americas to gain freedom, flee poverty and

“We are nation of immigrants. Some came here willingly, some unwillingly. Nonetheless, we are immigrants, or the descendants of immigrants, one, and all. Even the natives came from somewhere else, originally. All of the people who come to this country come for freedom, or for some product of that extraordinary, illusory condition. That is what we offer here—freedom and opportunity in a land of relative plenty.” (Middletown Journal 2005)

In “America” by Claude McKay, the author tells about how the statue of liberty is a part of American freedom and how it means a difference to immigrants coming in. in the passage the author explains, “yet as a rebel fronts a king in state, I stand within her walls with not a shred of terror, malice, not a word of jeer.” the author is a rebel to the state he immigrated from. Also He feels confident in the beginning life beyond the beauty of the statue of liberty. The author believes he’s protected by the new country, and that’s what America is, freedom and

The increasing fear of crime and terrorism in the world is persuading many Americans that the country should close its door. But what about the fact that this country itself was founded by the immigrants? American journey of success would have not been possible without the generations of immigrants who have come to its shores from every corner of the world. I believe immigrants are a positive influence on America because they strengthen the country’s economy, allow people of America to learn about different cultures, languages and ideas, and shapes how the world views America.

Immigrants are part of a very important role in our American community. And it is that the historical roots of the United States can not be explained without immigration. Since its independence in the late eighteenth century, the country has experienced several waves of migration. For many years, the presidents of the United States have tried to end immigration no matter the damage or problems they can cause to immigrant families and the country. Immigration from the United States is made up of people from all over the world, people from different countries, races and, colors. Over time, groups of people in the United States government have created programs to help immigrants

I. Newly inaugurated President Donald Trump has recently approved a ban involving the restriction of travel into the United States of immigrants from seven Muslim countries. Since this ban is only for up to 90 days, this is just the beginning of a potentially longer or even permanent ban. This is not the first time he has demonstrated the lack of regard with social equality.

Immigration has modernized America’s workforce, economy, society and culture. Each group of newcomers brings optimism, hope and determination in pursuing the American Dream. Each group makes America more diverse and stronger. Immigrants are people who come from another country and move to a new one. An illegal or undocumented immigrant is a foreigner who enters or lives in a country unlawfully or without the countries authorization. In the US, immigrants are people who risk their lives to make the journey to America in search of a better life and future. Those who came to America between 1892 and 1954 had to go through Ellis Island. Ellis island helped more than 12 million people become immigrants and more than 40 percent of current US citizens can trace at least one of their ancestors back to Ellis Island (History1). People came for different reasons and in the 1910s many “Jews escaping from political and economic oppression in czarist Russia and eastern Europe and Italians escaping poverty in their country”(History1), came to the US in search of a better life. They left their homes for many reasons including “war, drought, famine and religious persecution, and all had hopes for greater opportunity in the New World”(History1). My family came through Ellis Island and endured the long journey by boat across the Atlantic along with millions of other people and their families too. I have a few friends who are abiding in America on visas and had to make the journey to

Our 32nd President Franklin Roosevelt once said the famous words of,” Remember, remember always, that all of us, and you and I especially, are descended from immigrants and revolutionists.” (Roosevelt, Franklin) In the dilemma we face today people love to bring this up as an excuse. In all the years our great country has been established, we have always thrived upon immigrants, because even we are descended from immigrants. However when others come here to our country and are not documented and drastically change our country, then we must fight back against them to reclaim what is ours. We live in a nation where each culture and a single person is just a single important piece to make our country great, but there are recent visitors to

Give us your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free. These words are engraved on the Statue of Liberty that was assembled in 1886. The statue was meant to be a beacon of hope for all immigrants that enter the U.S. Do we still agree with what those words say?

Since President Donald Trump became a candidate for the President of the United States in January of 2017, Muslim discrimination has become more frequent in American society through his use of propaganda. Even though President Trump’s priorities as the President are to protect American citizens from events like the 9/11 and the San Bernardino terrorism attacks in 2015. The discrimination against Muslim citizens has made it seen as acceptable since they are labeled as terrorists and President Trump has not protected them from verbal and physical harassment from other citizens who are afraid of them.

Emma Lazarus’s iconic poem referring to the “huddled masses yearning to breathe free” conjures an image of an idealistic, accepting America welcoming refugees with open arms into the bosom of freedom and liberty. (Magleby, O’Brien, Light, Peltason, & Cronin, 2008., p. 114) However, in contrast with this image, America has always been inconsistent with it’s acceptance and instead is frequently suspicious of any newcomers due to differences in religion, political ideology, skin color or any number of reasons that could potentially be suspect. Despite this suspicious and oftentimes ethnocentric nature American society also prides itself on its diversity, which is typically called the “melting pot”. Due to this diversity among the inhabitants of the country and the established political traditions that developed political identity is made up of a broad spectrum of characteristics that come together to create one’s ideology.