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Immigration in AmericaAmerican Culture & Society

Spring-Summer 2012Glenn Sensei

Nation of Immigrants

Americans came to the New World from somewhere else. Except native people, of course. Even oldies like Jefferson shared immigrant hopes.

Cultural values are built on idea that everyone shares desire for more opportunities, more freedom.

Immigrant dreams helped to shape these values: Future change Achievements Equal status Individualism and privacy (from authorities)

History

Immigrants arrived in waves. English – French – Spanish – Germans – Dutch arrived in

colonial era and continued to immigrate. Along with Africans, who usually had no choice.

Irish and Italians followed during difficult times in Europe. By late 1890s, need for more laborers attracted more

people. Eastern Europeans (Poles, Ukrainians, Serbians, Greeks) East Asians (Chinese, then Japanese, then Filipinos and

Koreans)

New arrivals kept identities

Immigrant groups clustered in neighborhoods, farm areas.

Industrial revolution drove people into big cities for work.

Coal mines and railroad construction drew others. American cities became patchwork of ethnic areas.

Like a quilt design. Great question: Will groups ever really mix? Again the idea: the melting pot. (Or the salad bowl)

Struggle to fit in

Should immigrants give up their home cultures to live in America?

Remains big question today. Legal immigration still occurs. Original ethic: If first generation doesn’t mix, then the

second generation will assimilate better. Strong emphasis to fit in. But immigrants always deal with discrimination.

Before TV, jet travel and internet, keeping a national or ethnic identity was a challenge. Example: Post-war brides. We see this conflict in West Side Story.

Japan example

Were Japanese immigrants too successful? Great farmers. Superb laborers. Outperformed

natives. A new law: Immigration Act of 1924.

Banned (stopped) all immigration and non-native citizenship for Japanese, Chinese and other East Asian immigrants.

Only children born to immigrants could be citizens. Created big difference between issei and nisei. Sansei Americanized like my friend Scott Kimura.

He’s a marine biologist. Half of sansei marry outside ethnic lines.

Immigration Act of 1924

Also called Asian Exclusion Act. Limited new immigrants from certain areas. Racist

policies. Why? Leaders worried that new waves were

tipping balance from native-born people originally from North and West Europe.

In 1924, more Italians, Czechs, Yugoslavs, Greeks, Lithuanians, Hungarians, Poles, Portuguese, Romanians, Spaniards, Chinese, and Japanese left the U.S. than arrived as immigrants.

How patterns changed

By 1965, laws changed

We can think about the trends. All people created equal? (Native-born often more

equal!)

Mixing process always occurring. Immigrants of every era bring new spirit to

succeed. Big issue today: How many Latino immigrants?

West Side Story is about Puerto Rican people. Political question now: How to control border with

Mexico. Other immigrant groups want tight rules.

Informal quiz

What are the benefits of living in a nation with a big mix of people from diverse backgrounds?1. Learn to get along with everyone. 2. More knowledge, skills and talents to share.3. Can create a modern, combined culture.4. Increases social flexibility; promotes change.

Quiz 2

What are difficulties of living in a culturally mixed nation? Social rules must be created and clearly stated.

No way to ‘read the air.’ Must continually adapt social systems. Traditional cultures are threatened or lost. Groups in power may use racist policies.

Group interests placed ahead of national interests.

Closing thought

What does it mean to be an American? Who can be one? What if their mother isn’t?

How does this flexible idea of American identity influence the way Americans think and act?

What is Sensei’s background? Lots in the red side: English, Scottish, Northern Irish, German, perhaps Dutch and Portuguese, and American Indian.

And more, I hope. There must be stories we lost to history. (My German-Dutch grandfather was born and raised on the Big Island of Hawaii but died young.)