The first reading is a paper titled The Significance of Immigration in the Formation of an American Identity by Rudolph J. Vecoli. In this article, Vecoli gives an in-depth overview and analysis of the immigration to the United States and how it was perceived at different points in the history of the country. Though the country is often praised as being the home of liberty and equality since its birth, it often created hierarchies within the groups living there. Some ethnic groups living in the country did not receive the same liberties and privileges as the ruling Anglo-Saxon class. There were multiple different migration waves to the United States, each from different regions of the world. The newest groups are always feared and discriminated against. The “native population” usually has several reactions; some embrace the new cultures while others push back against them. Eventually the immigrant groups are accepted into the American identity and then another wave comes, continuing the cycle. This article is important for looking at immigration through the lens of history. History is very important for an accurate evaluation of the state of immigration but is often ignored. I agree with Vecoli, that the country has always been heterogeneous, even though some like to believe that it was homogenous. It has been the combination of homogeneousness and heterogeneousness of the populations that makes the American identity such a complex and interesting topic. Vecoli’s optimism, regarding American identity and its inclusiveness, leaves me hopeful. This article also leaves me with a few questions of our future: Will the new groups of immigrants, like Latin Americans and the Chinese, ever be accepted into the American identity? Will cultures assimilate and keep the “American culture” stagnant or succeed in bringing changes? What will the “American identity” look like in the future and how much will it be affected by immigration?
The second reading is a paper titled Immigrants in New York City in the New Millennium by Nancy Foner. The article begins by describing why different groups immigrate to New York City, making it a hub and gateway. The reasons include economic ones, external political ones and changes in immigration policy, that bring immigrants to the city. I agree that New York is very special as a gateway because its immigrant population is very diverse and not dominated by a few ethnic groups. Once the groups are here, the things that they bring with them from their homelands affect and the change the city, keeping New York very dynamic. But this is not only a one-sided relationship, since immigrants keep transnational connections, so there is a lot of back and forth sharing between all the homelands and New York City. These immigrants also face different treatment based on they’re stereotypical occupations, race, religion and legal status. I agree with the idea that “continued inflows will enrich and replenish the city’s ethnic communities.” The changes that immigrants bring with them are generally for the better, creating a more culturally rich society.
The third reading is The Next Generation Emerges by Philip Kasinitz, Jogn H. Mollenkopf, and Mary C. Waters. The article discusses the experience of different generations of immigrants in New York City. It is shown that “by most measures, the second generation is assimilating into American society very rapidly,” which is something I agree with, based on my own experiences and observations. The experience of the second-generation immigrants is significantly different based on the immigrant group that they belong to. For example, “Russian Jews and the Chinese were significantly more likely to have graduated from high school, completed a four-year college degree, or acquired post graduate education than the other groups and significantly less likely to have dropped out of high school.” A trend that seems to be true for all the groups, is that the second-generation immigrants don’t fall into the ethnic niches of the workforce. The second generation, generally, does not have a strong interest in following or being involved in politics. This is another thing that I have also observed, living in New York City with many second-generation immigrants. I am very curious to see how the second-generation and further generations of immigrants will turn out and integrate themselves into the United States and the culture of New York City.
Nicolas Yehya
