Undoubtedly, immigration has been a vital aspect throughout American history; however, American attitudes and policies toward immigration have been tumultuous and unsteady. To explain, America has experienced periods of being very welcoming and periods of opposing immigration and certain immigrant groups. However, in order to understand the current policies and attitudes towards immigration and refugees today, it is crucial to study the prior stances on immigration throughout American history. Dr. John Vile, Dean of the Honors College at Middle Tennessee State University, aimed to depict the history and implications of immigration in the United States in his lecture “Immigration and Citizenship: The American Historical Experience.” Through
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For example, the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 barred Chinese immigration into the United States; due to this law, the Chinese population dropped significantly (Roark, Johnson, Cohen, Stage, & Hartmann, 2014). Although other immigrant groups experienced heavy resistance, the Chinese Exclusion Act was one of the first acts passed that specifically barred the immigration of a specific ethnic group and was not repealed until 1942; however, the Chinese Exclusion Act was merely one of the first anti-immigration stages in American history. To explain, anti-immigrant sentiments and laws have been directed towards numerous immigrant groups, such as Eastern Europeans, Indians, Communists, and immoral women (Vile, 2016). Although these laws and sentiments seem barbaric, anti-immigration laws and sentiments continue in America today. For example, after the terror attacks on September 11th, 2001, anti-Arab sentiment spread across America; in the months following, police arrested over a thousand Muslims and public opinion of Muslim Americans decreased and suspicion increased (Roark et al., 2014). More recently, ten states have enacted anti-immigration laws that are aimed to restrict Muslim immigration (Council on American-Islamic Relations & U.C. Berkeley for Race and Gender, 2016). In Tennessee, Senator Ketron of Murfreesboro proposed several anti-immigrant bills; more specifically, …show more content…
For example, the United States was initially very welcoming of immigrants and wanted to fill the continent (Vile, 2016). Under the Homestead Act of 1862, the United States government promised 160 acres of land in the western United States to any individual willing to live and farm on the land for five years; as a result, nearly one tenth of the total land in the United States was allotted to settlers (Roark et al., 2014). Moreover, during the industrial revolution, the United States was very welcoming towards immigrants from Europe. During this time, immigrants flooded into the United States through Ellis Island to work the newly created jobs by the industrial revolution (Roark et al., 2014). These periods of welcoming immigrants have typically been to serve the needs of the country. For example, the Homestead Act was used to fill the land and meet farming needs, while the surge of immigration during the industrial revolution was due to many unfilled jobs. Although America has been welcoming towards immigrants during certain periods, these amenable attitudes have typically been due to the meet the demands of the
For example, the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 barred Chinese immigration into the United States; due to this law, the Chinese population dropped significantly (Roark, Johnson, Cohen, Stage, & Hartmann, 2014). Although other immigrant groups experienced heavy resistance, the Chinese Exclusion Act was one of the first acts passed that specifically barred the immigration of a specific ethnic group and was not repealed until 1942; however, the Chinese Exclusion Act was merely one of the first anti-immigration stages in American history. To explain, anti-immigrant sentiments and laws have been directed towards numerous immigrant groups, such as Eastern Europeans, Indians, Communists, and immoral women (Vile, 2016). Although these laws and sentiments seem barbaric, anti-immigration laws and sentiments continue in America today. For example, after the terror attacks on September 11th, 2001, anti-Arab sentiment spread across America; in the months following, police arrested over a thousand Muslims and public opinion of Muslim Americans decreased and suspicion increased (Roark et al., 2014). More recently, ten states have enacted anti-immigration laws that are aimed to restrict Muslim immigration (Council on American-Islamic Relations & U.C. Berkeley for Race and Gender, 2016). In Tennessee, Senator Ketron of Murfreesboro proposed several anti-immigrant bills; more specifically, …show more content…
For example, the United States was initially very welcoming of immigrants and wanted to fill the continent (Vile, 2016). Under the Homestead Act of 1862, the United States government promised 160 acres of land in the western United States to any individual willing to live and farm on the land for five years; as a result, nearly one tenth of the total land in the United States was allotted to settlers (Roark et al., 2014). Moreover, during the industrial revolution, the United States was very welcoming towards immigrants from Europe. During this time, immigrants flooded into the United States through Ellis Island to work the newly created jobs by the industrial revolution (Roark et al., 2014). These periods of welcoming immigrants have typically been to serve the needs of the country. For example, the Homestead Act was used to fill the land and meet farming needs, while the surge of immigration during the industrial revolution was due to many unfilled jobs. Although America has been welcoming towards immigrants during certain periods, these amenable attitudes have typically been due to the meet the demands of the