Immigration in America Immigration in America, the concept of an illegal immigrant has sparked many controversies in America for centuries. People from all over the world have decided to make America their homes, but how did it start, why the first settlers were here at the first place, how was the living conditions of a certain group of immigrants compare to another group? Many unanswered questions will be discussing the history of immigration in America, why still today some group are priorities over some others. Nowadays immigration in America seems taking the same path that congress took in the 1800’s.
This is an imperative issue which requires a national debate or a consensus for better or for worst. An estimation of 11. 4 million illegal immigrants live in America and are expected to be deported (Homeland security). This year the US government have decided to get rid of all these people, so if this happens data to show how defective the result could be for the country. Immigration in America Started in 1600 with two groups of people from England, the Pilgrims were about 100 men and women sailed to America which came first and established themselves in Plymouth Massachusetts.
The second group was the Puritans which came in 1607 and established in Jamestown in Virginia colony. The Plymouth colony was founded 1620 also led by Mayflower’s Pilgrims. The Pilgrims were church members of a separatist congregation led by Williams Bradford, and it was strictly governed under military command. Early in 1630, many other religious groups left England looking for religion freedom which was the second waves of immigrants come to America. The Puritans sailed with 11 vessels contained with a total of 700 passengers on board ( Alchin).
People tend to migrate to other countries for a different reason, religious, work, traits, sex orientations. The first settlers were, in fact, looking for wealth and religious freedom. Words about the new world have spread in Europe leading thousands of migrants to come to America. By 1620 and 1640 immigrants had a total 13 colonies that pushed the Native Americans away to grab more land. With a total of 13 colonies which were, Virginia, Maryland, Connecticut, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, South Carolina and Georgia.
An estimation of 50,000 people took a long journey of 3000 thousand miles to migrate in America (Alchin). Life was not easy according to Linda, in many occasions, migrants had to fight with the natives for the right to be part of this society. The journey from Europe to America was expensive and people were willing to give up their pride just come here in the US. Miss Alchin mentions how many came as an indentured servant, this system allowed them to come and worked as a servant for very low wages.
Established by the English, the indentured servants had to sign a contract saying they will work for a period of 5 to 7 years in exchange for transportation and the hope of getting a new life. About 80% Europeans immigrant’s percent of migrants came to America in that same circumstance, and many of these indentured servants eventually realized their dream by becoming landowners. By the beginning of 19Th century over 2 million English citizens have migrated to America, this time their desire has shifting from seeking freedom of region to seeking of happiness, they were fascinated with “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness” (Alchin).
As many years passed, more newcomers as landed to America in quest of a better future, people China, Japan, Australia, in exception to Africans slaves that were brought here by force. That period was one of the worst era of the United States, Discrimination, racial profiling, brutality and the unfairness encounter here in America was heart-wrenching. In 1864, big companies in America hired Chinese to help built the massive transcontinental railroad. More than 40,000 Chinese immigrants arrived in America during the 1850s, many of them came from southern China. They imply wanted to escape famine or scarcity from their native country. These newcomers were expected to make a decent life for the gold Rush but later that dream vanished. With no job and no other way around many of them end up working in silver mine while others worked as domestic servants and cooks (United States Citizenship). The transcontinental railroad work began 1863 and measured 1776 miles, this was one of the biggest construction projects in America. Because of discrimination neither the Union Pacific nor the Central Pacific wanted to hire these immigrants.
However, it was very difficult to find workers that were willing to stay at the job. And, Irish migrants demanding raise of their wages, not only that the transcontinental route had to go through Nevada mountains which elevate to 14,000 feet also was very dangerous and slippery. Knowing the Chinese were longing for work, the company needed thousands of men to work but could not find anyone who was willing to work under the condition presented. To build the railroad the companies began to recruit large Chinese population in the northern part of the state.
These Chinese workers were so resilient and were willing to lay tracks in dangerous areas for extremely low pay and were also viewed as peaceful and submissive (United States Citizenship). The Chinese immigrants proved to be very efficient workers, they had a balanced diet that gave them an advantage on the Irish workers. By 1869, the Union Pacific and Central Pacific railroads had already reach Utah. The Chinese laborers worked in a very fast paste that the contractors had to get additional thousands of workers from China.
According to United States Citizenship, 90 percent of the central pacific workforce were Chinese. The transcontinental railroad was a very dangerous and risky job for all the workers but the Chinese suffer the most. They had suffered discrimination, for example, the white workers were provided shelter and food and a higher pay rate. Where the Chinese get lower wages and no food and they were responsible for finding their own tent. Many of them end up lived in underground tunnels that they were building.
Often, they were subject to racial slur and policies of the company where attributes them not to the white’s counterparts. According to one survivor of the of Chinese immigrants Lee Puey: Everybody said that coming to America was like going to heaven, but they treated us Chinese like criminals (Yung, Judy)”. They Chinese died by hundreds, accidents, and avalanches have taken their lives, dying in quest of a new life. Their contribution the railroad has lifted America’s economy to the highest level.
And the United States of citizenship goes further to say, “If it was not for the Chinese immigrant the great transcontinental railroad would have been an idea of innovation that would have never built”. Regardless of their contribution and their hard work, the Chinese immigrants have experienced a lot of discrimination for generation after the completion of the railroad. Later, the US government came up with a proposal to ban them from any social activities and implemented the Chinese exclusion act. n 1882, the federal government passes the exclusion act banning Chinese from entering the country. And for those that were already here in America were prohibited being a witness in courts, segregated Chinese children, stop all Chinese from became US citizen and voting right were rip from them (United States Citizenship). .
“The 1882 Chinese Exclusion Act forbade immigration; Chinese laborers were denied the chance to become citizens. “A few categories of Chinese–merchants, diplomats, teachers, students, and visitors–could still enter. During the same period, congress voted to make it more difficult for people from Asia from entering the country, and some of the group were targeted. Back then immigration law prohibited admission for criminal, prostitutes’ lunatic, polygamist, anarchist, and perverts. In 1907-08 the Japanese began in a series of negotiation with the US government that allow Japanese immigrant to file legal document to allow their relative to come in America. This accord was nickname “gentleman’s agreement which denied entry to Japanese and Korean laborers in America.
The treaty is valid if Japan controls its people and its colony from pouring in the United States. Compromise and diplomacy have played a great role on behalf of the Japanese, and between 1924 more than 65. 000 Japanese immigrants have granted admission to stay in the country. Angel Island is known as the place where immigrant normally detained but the living condition was very hard, one of the survivors described the place as unsanitary. Teiko said in a statement in 1921 “we did not understand the language” and goes further to say, “We all cried and cried because we did not know when we were going to be free”.
Besides the labors issues there were other issues the immigration agents were fear of “disease” new arrivals underwent a list of inspection and leprosy, syphilis, hernia, heart disease, and tuberculosis were among disease that could be spread in America. Immigrants with such disease were immediately qualified for exclusion, and immigrants with the healable disease had to pay 5 dollars a day for treatment. Immigrants were not treated equally, depending on which side of the world you come from but the Chinese were, for the most part, they were treated like criminals.
In 1986, President Ronald Reagan came up with a resolution on the immigration that gave a break through a compromise to the illegal immigrants. According to an article published by NPR in 2010, Ronald Reagan signed a sweeping immigration reform bill into law. It was sold as a crackdown: There would be tighter security at the Mexican border, and employers would face strict penalties for hiring undocumented workers (NPR). In that bill, illegal immigrants that entered the country before 1982 were granted immunity.
About 3 million immigrants were finally able to come out of the closet and start a fresh life in the United States. In a statement made by president Reagan in 1986, he concludes that “Reagan “knew that it was not right for people to be abused,” Simpson says. “Anybody who’s here illegally is going to be abused in some way, either financially [or] physically. They have no rights”(NPR). President Reagan was trying to do the right thing but private companies have found it unsuccessful because causes too many sanctions for them. former Wyoming governor Allan K. Simpson declared in 1986: the amnesty provision saved the act from being a total loss. “It’s not perfect, but 2. 9 million people came forward.
If you can bring one person out of an exploited relationship, that’s good enough for me” (NPR). President Reagan was determined to make a difference when it comes to immigration regulation and called for a securing border with Mexico. In the presidential debate 1984, Reagan said to Democratic presidential nominee Walter Mondale in 1984,”| believe in the idea of amnesty for those who have put down roots and lived here, even though sometime back they may have entered illegally,”.
He (Ronald Reagan) understood the calamities and the hardships immigrants were going through and he wanted to at least help the minorities. In politics, Oppositions always their objection but Simpson who was a senate member advocates for tighter border control and clearly stated in 1986:”That’s always the palliative that makes people feel good,” he says. “You just say, ‘Well, we’re still dinkin’ around with immigration, so since we can’t seem to get anything done and our constituents are raising hell — how do we get reelected? ‘ Well, you just put some more money into the border” (NPR).