HIS 271 Professor Kim Exam 3 PDF

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History 271 Professor Kim Exam 3 When people think of America, it is often associated with being the land of opportunity. America is, in fact, the land of the free and the home of the brave. Immigrants travel from countries all over for their very own chance at the “American Dream.” For many, this dream was a struggle to obtain, and still remains so even today. Has the “American dream” changed, though? America has been built by immigrants and those who sought a better life for themselves and their families. When industrialization began to overtake the United states in 1860, mass immigration began from countries all over the world. By 1920, nearly 33 million people from Europe, Asia, and Latin America had immigrated over to the United States (Globalyceum, Gutierrez). The vast majority of these immigrants, however, were from European descent, so the demographic at the time was mainly caucasian. At the beginning of the great depression, though, immigration nearly came to a halt. This was not necessarily due to the great depression, but partially because of the Immigration Act of 1924. This acted banned immigration from almost all of Asia and placed strict immigration restrictions on southern and eastern Europe, Russia, and Africa (Globalyceum, Gutierrez). Immigration continued to steeply decline, falling all the way to 4.7 percent by 1970 (Globalyceum, Gutierrez). Even though immigration rates declined, that did not discourage others seeking opportunity and work in the United States. During World War II unemployment was almost nonexistent because of all the jobs that needed to be done, so employers sought immigrants to fill the jobs needed in mainly agricultural work (Lecture, April 30). This led to the creation of the

Bracero Program, which allowed undocumented immigrants to hold work contracts with employers in America (Globalyceum, Gutierrez). At the time, the Chinese Exclusion Act was still in place, so the majority of agricultural workers were Hispanic/Latino. By 1952, the U.S. Supreme Court struck down the racial definition of “aliens ineligible for citizenship” (which was in effect since 1790, making it so only white males could obtain citizenship) and the McCarranWalter Immigration and Nationality Act was passed which removed all racial restrictions on immigration (Lecture, April 30). Thirteen years later, the Hart Celler Act was also passed, which removed immigration restrictions on specific countries, such as Japan. Although this restriction was lifted and everyone could apply for citizenship, only those with the skill set for jobs needed in the country were granted the opportunity for priority citizenship (Lecture, April 30). While progress was being made on immigration and being able to obtain citizenship, those who had been working here on contracts through the Bracero Program no longer had the security of this initiative in 1964 when congress voted to end the program. This led to a rise in border apprehensions, going from the annual average of 57,000 unlawful immigrants in the early 1960s all the way to 1 million by 1983 (Globalyceum, Gutierrez). Short after the abolishment of the Bracero Program in 1964, congress imposed the Immigration and Nationality Amendments (INA), which granted 120,000 visas annually across the country (Globalyceum, Gutierrez). The overall demographics over America have shifted dramatically when comparing the national ethnic demographics from 1970 to 2016. In 1970, seventy-eight percent of residents were white, twelve percent were Hispanic, three percent were Asian American, and seven percent were African American. In 2016, the state census proved forty-three percent of residents were white, 36% of residents were Hispanic, six percent were African American, and mixed races now comprised of three percent of California’s population (Lecture, April 30). I believe the rise in

mixed race residents was partly due to the Civil Rights Movement and interracial couples being more accepted, which led to the creation of more mixed race children. In today’s immigration climate, circumstances are more tense than ever before. As showcased in the documentary Who is Dayani Cristal?, we are able to see why there is such an influx of Hispanic immigrants and the struggles they go through in hopes of a better future. The documentary follows the struggle and process of trying to identify those who did not make it when trying to illegally enter the United States, which is hard to do because those who try to come here more often than not do not bring any belongings with them--especially forms of identification. I’d like to believe the American dream is still something to be obtained today. If it wasn’t, we would not have as many people trying to find a better life for themselves and their families. The American dream started with the immigrants who were from all over the world and all shared one dream of a new start, and later became Americans (hence, the American dream). Acts and laws have been implemented to both aid and restrict immigration in this country over the course of our country’s history, but the American population will continue changing and growing with more diverse demographics, because that is precisely the American dream.

References History 271 Lecture, Professor Kim, April 20, 2018 Globalyceum, David Gutierrez, Core Essay: The Demographic Revolution, 1972-present Who Is Dayani Cristal? produced by GarcDa Bernal, Gael (2013)...