Introduction
Immigration in America originally began after the U.S. proclaimed independence; however, a few laws were imposed to reduce the number of potential new settlers. In addition, Americans blamed Chinese immigrants for low wages and the unemployment rate, which further influenced the ban on Asians to move to the U.S. The new laws granted black people their freedom from slavery and were mainly related to Chinese individuals. Still, most immigrants came from Europe, and restrictions for Asians did not reduce the numbers considerably, which severely affected the American system. However, in 1965, the Hart-Celler Immigration Act made the immigration of numerous races illegal, forcing them to hide from the police and live in the U.S. under constant pressure.
When German Immigrants Were America’s Undesirables
America’s attitude to German immigrants used to be highly damaging since they were recognized as rural people with insufficient knowledge of English and a lack of skills. The German diaspora influenced the U.S. significantly; people ran their beer breweries, newspapers, and German-speaking schools. Furthermore, Americans started to fear immigrants since they could have been still loyal to Kaiser and were not attempting to integrate into American culture. On and whole, the war only increased suspicions of Americans toward Germans, and they were recognized as a threat to the residents’ safety.
The Trump Family’s Immigrant Story
In 1885, Friedrich Trump illegally sought peace in the U.S. from the military service in his motherland, Germany. He hid his heritage and pretended to be Scandinavian to avert possible repercussions of his immigration. Friedrich’s family was full of immigrants, and only his one relative was indeed born in America and spoke English as his first language. Friedrich and his wife settled in New York City and had three children. Fred, Donald Trump’s father, was the middle child and soon became a successful businessman in his city. Fred married Mary MacLeod, who was Scottish and frequently returned to her hometown. Overall, Donald Trump’s international origins distinguished him from the U.S. presidents considerably, and the fact that two of his wives were immigrants granted him an exceptional reputation among politicians.
Born in the USA: The Immigrant Son Who Fought for Birthright Citizenship
Wong Kim Ark was born in San Francisco to his Chinese immigrant parents, who came to the U.S. to work on railroads. However, a soon signed Chinese Exclusion Act restricted Chinese from entering the country and becoming naturalized citizens. This law provoked numerous protests and disapproval from the Asian immigrants, including Wong’s parents. Even though Wong was born in America, he was denied his return to the country despite the paper proving he was born in the USA. Consequently, he was trying to argue this decision with a U.S. attorney, who further proclaimed that he remained a Chinese person despite his birthplace. The case was then brought to Supreme Court, which eventually announced Wong as an American citizen.
The Diversity Green Card Lottery Was Originally for White Immigrants
A new immigration law imposed in 1965 gave preference to European immigrants over others. Most candidates were assessed on their bonds in the U.S., skills, and refugee status, making it easy, especially for Italians and Irish, to move. However, after a few years of the new law, more people from Latin America and Asia settled in America, passing Europeans in immigrant numbers. Irish and Italians were trying to win their upper hand back and increase their chances of moving as the system of these countries was weak, and people sought more opportunities in the USA. To sum up, American Congress then offered a lottery system to give Green Cards to illegal European immigrants that remained in the U.S. after their visas’ expiration.