My Immigration Story
My family has been in the United States since the early 1900s. In 1912, my great, great, grandpa Fiskevold immigrated to the United States from Norway. He arrived in New York, like most immigrants of that time, and immediately moved to Minnesota because the climate was similar to Norway's. My great, great, grandpa Stutebeck immigrated to the United States in 1920 from Germany. He also arrived in New York and moved to Minnesota.
My family members arrived in the United States during a time of rapid immigration that consisted of mainly European decent. My family members were not treated as "outcasts" because they were white. At the time, 7/8 US citizens were white. The social treatment of immigrants in the US changes as the economic conditions change. In the early 19th century, when my family came to the US, immigrants were welcomed because they filled unwanted jobs, and improved the lives of current citizens by contributing to society. This would not be the case today; today's immigrants are commonly seen as a threat. Many people in the US have resentment towards immigrants because of competition over jobs and resources, racism, and the strains on social institutions.
Public education is a social institution that has changed drastically since the early 1900s. In the early 1900s, people went to school for only 6 or 7 years, oppose to today, where most people have 12 plus years of formal education. Today, public education has to cater to immigrants unlike when my family arrived. Many US citizens think that immigrants are taking educational opportunities away from current citizens because public education has to cater to the educational needs of immigrants. The hostility towards immigrants regarding education simply didn't exist when my family immigrated to the US.
In today's economic circumstances, many people are unemployed and rely on government assistance in order to have housing, food, and clothing. The resources provided to citizens during economic hardships is also available to immigrants. The competition over government resources has created a selfish hostility and resentment towards immigrants. If my family immigrated to the US today, they would feel this hatred along with the millions of other immigrants in the US. The social attitudes towards immigrants in 1920 was much different. Immigrants in the 1920s improved the lives of current residents which changed the attitude and treatment towards them.
If my family members were immigrating to the US today, they would face many social issues that weren't relevant in the early 1900s. My family would be a threat to the community and face criticism, racism, and hostility.
I think this is a really well-written post. I would have talked about what kinds of social issues were relevant in 1900 and what kinds of social issues they would have to deal with today.
ReplyDeleteYou only scratch the surface in addressing the core question of the assignment. More important, be careful with assumptions or unsupported claims. E.g., Many, many immigrants are actually prohibited from receiving public assistance. What do you mean by education "catering" to immigrants in a way that takes away from citizens?
ReplyDeleteI agree with the professor, you begin to talk about the issues that Americans have with Immigrants, but you do not provide much detail. What could have happened if your family came over at a different time? What hardships might they have faced then?
ReplyDeleteI would try to say more about the issues you would face as an immigrant today. I agree with the professor also, you talk a lot about the issues people have with immigrants but don't talk about how this effects them.
ReplyDelete