Immigrant Groups in America Term Paper

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INTRODUCTION

The U.S. was formed by immigrants: they came from Europe—from England, Germany, Poland, Ireland, France, Italy, and many other countries. Later on, they began coming in from Asia, and then from Mexico—particularly during the 20th century when the Bracero Program was put into effect by the U.S. federal government to help ensure that the fields were taken care of while the men were off fighting in WW2 (Calavita 1992). This paper will compare and contrast the experiences of major immigrant groups in America and discuss the factors that account for their success or continued challenges. It will also analyze the issue of what should be the goal—whether immigrants should incorporate or assimilate—and why.

THE EXPERIENCE OF IMMIGRANTS

The Chinese

Chinese immigrants came over to the U.S. in the 19th century and went to work in the mines and on the railroads out West, laying track and laboring intensely under the hot sun. Other than their usefulness at doing jobs few others wanted to do, the Chinese were not looked highly upon by many Americans in power and that is why the Chinese Exclusion Act was passed: it promoted a xenophobic and racist ideology that was held by some Americans towards the Asian immigrants in the 19th and 20th centuries. The law itself basically excluded Chinese from enjoying the rights of being American citizens and strengthened negatives attitudes towards the Chinese. It set “the groundwork for other racially motivated laws that followed” (Hafetz 2012:628) and helped to ensure that hardships for immigrants would be a reality in the U.S. for years to come. The Asian community has always been viewed as suspect among the ruling class, and that was also seen during WW2 when the Asian community was forced into a concentration camp on the West Coast as Japan and the U.S. went to war with one another (Austin 2004). Today, Asians are more accepted in American society as the country has become more liberal—however, there is still some prejudice, especially towards China, as the American President begins to engage in a trade war that will likely cause the Asian population to shudder once more. The Asian population has never been well-represented in American politics, though they have earned respect with the IT industry and tech communities.

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The Irish

The Irish came over to the U.S. during the Great Potato Famine of the 19th century (Bartoletti 2001). Their experience was one of hardship as the majority of them settled in urban areas on the East Coast. Their stories in New York City, for example, were a tale of social conflict, as the Irish Catholics butted heads with the ruling Protestant elite. The Catholic Irish formed their own political group, which culminated in the powerful political machine Tammany Hall. This political machine helped to look out for itself but was known for being corrupt and lawless. The Irish survived in America mainly because of their tight-knit community.

The Irish also managed to come together and form a viable political threat post-Tammany Hall’s collapse. Al Smith became the first Irish Catholic presidential candidate to run in the 20th century. He opposed the law of Prohibition and wanted to see Americans be able to enjoy a glass of alcohol again, as free persons in a free country. He had a lot of support but lost in the 1928 election to Herbert Hoover. Today, the Irish like the Chinese have been accepted more into American society and have assimilated like other immigrants into accepting and embracing the cultural norms that the ruling class wants them to embrace.

The Mexicans

The Mexicans were brought into the country by the U.S. during the 20th century to help with the fieldwork while the American men were fighting in the war (Calavita 1992). The Bracero Program gave them a limited window in which to work in the U.S., and then they had to leave and go back to their country. However, many Mexicans found America to be a better land with more promise, so they stayed illegally. Indeed, the majority of illegal immigrants have been from Mexico, as this country is poorer than the U.S. and shares a border with the U.S. The border is not well-guarded and Mexicans since the Bracero Program have been entering the U.S. illegally….....

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