The first chapter of Nancy Foner’s “From Ellis Island to JFK” titled ‘Who They Are and Why They Have Come’ offers an interesting perspective on the evolution of American immigration. I think the most interesting part of this change is the idea that, in most cases, the immigrants from the first wave of immigration post-Revolution are now the people who consider themselves American. Generations upon generations of American-born and raised families have turned these once-immigrants into fully Americanized citizens. And so, is it safe to say that a century or two from now, the immigrants from this age (Latinos, Asians, West Indians, and more), will also become the new citizens of the US? Or will the many arisen and arising immigration laws keep them from truly melting into the pot?

In many ways, it seems that American immigration will continue its transformation from a melting pot into a salad bowl, with immigrant groups retaining distinct and separate identities in the mix of everyone else.