Debates over Immigration Restriction

Name: Trent C. Thurman Course: HIST C175 Debates Over Immigration Restriction The term immigration refers to moving from your native country and coming to a foreign land for the purpose of a permanent residence and searching for greener pastures. There are several arguments by scholars about immigration restrictions to the United States. They had several similarities supporting immigration restrictions. Prescott Hall, Robert Ward, Frank Wright, Frank Fetter and John Mitchell all argued supporting the immigration restrictions. Immigrants from countries other than the United States came in plenty during the 1900s. They were strong and worked in industries during the industrialization era developing the United States at a very fast rate. The Native American saw that the immigrants were highly valuable and so encouraged more and more immigrants. This led to a high population increase and a growing economy. As this high influx of immigrants continued, some issues emerged. The immigrants didn’t bring change in political, social economic and educational matters. They were three times as illiterate as the native whites and those living in Massachusetts were twice as illiterate as the natives. They were very illiterate such that they didn’t see a reason for taking their children to school. Immigrant children were three times as criminals as native Americas. It forecasted that a second generation of immigrants was more objectable to degenerate in future. The immigrants took the jobs of Native Americans but at a very low pay which resulted to cheap labor. The immigrants were very unintelligent, had low vitality and poor physique. They made cheap labor to be very common such that it reduced the standard of living of a worker and led to emerges of poor classes, poor homes and very bad personal customs. It led to socio-economic problems which affected education and charitable institutions. Immigrants were not physically and mentally alert and were unfit for job training. Cheap labor was mainly in railroad, large industries, mining, contractors, and grain growers. They were very arrogant and unskilled such that the towns they lived in were of low standards. They worked as domestic servants in rich Native Americans at very low pay. Illiteracy led to alleged evils on political, social and morals standard of living in communities. The overall effects of a high influx of immigrants’ resulted to more negative effects to native America. For America to prosper, they had to improve their own industrial organization, elevate standard of living and limit the number of immigrants by passing a bill restricting immigration. While others argued supporting immigration restrictions to the United States, other scholars argued against the immigrations restrictions. They were Max Kholer, Sulzberger, Willcox, Bailey, Isaac Horwich, Grace Abbot and Jane Adams. They argued claiming that immigration of foreign persons brought a high influx supply of materials of different characters. Immigrants had the free mind to choose on whether to come or not. They had high intelligence, some financial resource and high levels of energy to work. They were industrious, worthy, courageous, family men, liberty- centered and of high integrity. Those arguing for immigration restrictions should remember that the largest employer of external labor was iron and steel industry. Cigar makers had a high numbers of immigrants from Scotland and English Jews. The company that made direct steamship between china and Japan employed external immigrants from china. The Chinese claim to provide materials for constructing railroads, reclaimed swamp, mining, farming, and fruit culture. Immigrants brought up American civilization by working smart and providing intelligent decisions in industrialization sector. They also brought about assimilative influence in the environment, schools, newspapers, political institutions and social places. A census conducted showed that illiteracy wasn’t found in immigrants but the country they came from and mostly affected their children. In the case of labour, increase in demand led to increase in labour supply, so there is no statistical proof of an oversupply of unskilled labour resulting in displacement of Native Americans by the foreign immigrants. America didn’t have a national system of labour exchange that showed how unemployment is misadjusted on supply to demand and oversupply of labour. From my own point of view, I think the better side is being against the immigration restrictions. They should let immigrants come to a foreign land because he/she carries different, multi- cultural skills and information which have a very positive effect on the native people. It leads to understanding and appreciation of culture, abilities, strengths and weakness of one another.