Immigration
Emma Tran
Essay 1
Give an overview of immigrant history in the United States from 1820-1920. There were two major waves of immigration. Identify them and explain their differences.
Essay 2
Countries of Origin: 2012
Illegal Immigration 1990 - 2014
States of Residence: 2012
Approximately how many illegal immigrants are now residing in the United States? What are the top five nationalities of illegal immigrants? Where are the top five places they reside? (Include numbers in each state.) During what period in our history did the largest arrival of illegal immigrants occur? Why do you think this was so?
According to data from 2014, 11.3 illegal immigrants reside in the United States. This means that they are living in the US without citizenship, a green card, or visa. The top five countries these illegal immigrants originate from, in order from greatest to least, are Mexico, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and the Philippines. The top five places illegal immigrants reside are in are as followed, from greatest to least: California with 2,820,000, Texas with 1,830,000, Florida with 730,000, New York with 580,000, and Illinois with 540,000. Illegal immigration peaked in 2007 with 12.2 million illegal immigrants residing in the US. Today’s massive amount of illegal immigration is due to the early 1940s, during the war years. A shortage of workers caused the US government to set up a program, the Bracero Program, to import Mexican laborers to work temporarily in agricultural during harvest season and then coax them into going home. This was probably because the usual workers were being drafted into war, causing the labor shortage, leading to the Bracero Program. The immigrants saw this as an opportunity for a higher pay because of the better economy and the opportunity for a “better life.”
Essay 3
What are some valid indicators that tell whether an immigrant has assimilated (adapted/adjusted) into American society? You should identify at least three indicators. Why do these signify assimilation?
Essay 4
Define citizenship. How does a person become a citizen of the United States? Explain the two-part process. What is it called?
Essay 5
To what degree should we be proud or ashamed of American society and government between 1880 and 1920? Explain your answer.
Lady Liberty
The idea for creating a monument for the United States was initially proposed by Edouard de Laboulaye from France in 1865. Later, sculptor Frederic Auguste Bartholdi was commisioned to design a sculpture to commemorate America’s 100th year anniversary of independence with 1874 as the completion date. It was named “Liberty Enlightening the World.” Both the US and France contributed to the construction. The US was responsible for the creation of a pedestal while France was responsible for the creation of a statue and assembling it in the states. Due to a lack of funds, both nations held events to raise money for the statue’s effort. In 1883, poet Emma Lazerus wrote a famous sonnet titled, “The New Colussus” for an auction to help raise money. In France, Bartholdi was assisted by engineer Alexandre Gustave Eiffel to design the framework for the statue. In 1884, architect Richard Morris Hunt designed the pedestal in America. A year later, the funds for the statue had been obtained and the two parts were completed: the pedestal, in April 1886, and the statue, in 1884. Almost a year later in the New York Harbor, Lady Liberty had arrived on a Frence frigate named, “Isere.” The statue was then reassembled in 4 months time.
The Statue of Liberty is a symbol of freedom to millions around the world and is a tribute to those who created her: the people, the ideals, and the hope. A bronze plaque of Emma Lazerus’ “The New Colussus” has come to symbolize the statue's universal message of “hope and freedom for immigrants coming to America and people seeking freedom around the world.” (http://www.libertyellisfoundation.org/)
Ellis Island
Sources
"5 facts about illegal immigration in the U.S. | Pew Research ..." 2015. 6 Dec. 2015 <http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2015/11/19/5-facts-about-illegal-immigration-in-the-u-s/>
"About Ellis Island - The Statue of Liberty & Ellis Island." 2014. 6 Dec. 2015 <http://www.libertyellisfoundation.org/about-the-ellis-island>
"About the Statue of Liberty - The Statue of Liberty & Ellis Island." 2014. 6 Dec. 2015 <http://www.libertyellisfoundation.org/about-the-statue-of-liberty>
"citizenship Definition in the Cambridge English Dictionary." 2015. 6 Dec. 2015 <http://dictionary.cambridge.org/us/dictionary/english/citizenship>
"Demographics of Immigrants in the United States Illegally ..." 2010. 6 Dec. 2015 <http://immigration.procon.org/view.resource.php?resourceID=000845>
"Do We Really Want Immigrants to Assimilate? | Brookings ..." 2012. 6 Dec. 2015 <http://www.brookings.edu/research/articles/2000/03/immigration-skerry>
"Ellis Island – Faiths and Freedom." 2010. 6 Dec. 2015 <http://macaulay.cuny.edu/eportfolios/drabik10website/iconic-immigration-sites/ellis-island/>
"Ellis Island History - The Statue of Liberty & Ellis Island." 2014. 6 Dec. 2015 <http://www.libertyellisfoundation.org/ellis-island-history>
Flynn, Stephanie. "Journey to America." 3rd Period. St. Laurence Catholic School 2630
Austin Parkway Sugar Land, TX 77479, Sugar Land. Dec. 2015. Lecture.
Flynn, Stephanie. "Push and Pull Factors." 3rd Period. St. Laurence Catholic School 2630
Austin Parkway Sugar Land, TX 77479, Sugar Land. Dec. 2015. Lecture.
Flynn, Stephanie. "The Great Migration." 3rd Period. St. Laurence Catholic School 2630 Austin Parkway Sugar Land, TX 77479, Sugar Land. Dec. 2015. Lecture.
"History of Illegal Immigration in U.S. - End Illegal Immigration." 2011. 6 Dec. 2015 <http://www.endillegalimmigration.com/History_of_Illegal_Immigration_in_US/>
"Overview - AmericansAll." 2013. 6 Dec. 2015 <https://americansall.org/sites/default/files/resources/pdf/simulations/Ellis_Island_Overview.pdf>
"Statue History - The Statue of Liberty & Ellis Island." 2014. 6 Dec. 2015 <http://www.libertyellisfoundation.org/statue-history>
"U.S. Citizenship | USCIS." 2013. 6 Dec. 2015 <http://www.uscis.gov/us-citizenship>