Innledning
Greetings everyone, my name is Emma Vermehren, and I am a student enrolled at Boston University. My academic pursuits revolve around American culture and history, which I engage with on a daily basis.
I am truly honored that the school has selected me to stand before you today and deliver my speech on the subject of immigrants in the United States.
In the course of my talk, I will delve into the dynamics of immigration in the United States, tracing its historical context and examining its impact on the economy.
Lastly, I will explore prevailing trends in the ongoing immigration debate within the U.S. and offer my personal perspective on this phenomenon.
Utdrag
Examining the historical context, in the 1920s, the United States adopted stringent immigration restrictions. These laws aimed to impede the entry of immigrants from Asia, Southern Europe, and Eastern Europe, with the intent to preserve ethnic identity.
Consequently, immigration plummeted by over 60%, with the annual quota remaining below 300,000 for nearly four decades. Professor Moser's insight underscores a crucial lesson from this era: the pitfalls of excluding individuals based on ethnicity.
Research during this period revealed that these quotas failed to safeguard domestic scientists and inventors, ultimately stifling innovation and diminishing patent filings.
As a result, fewer American-born individuals pursued careers in science and invention, leading to a staggering 60% decline in scientific patents compared to other fields.
The detrimental impact of this exclusion on knowledge and idea-sharing underscores the fallacy that immigrants contribute nothing. This apprehension has hindered the proper integration of immigrants into society.
Moreover, I believe that Americans maintain a complex relationship of both fondness and apprehension, fear and hope, towards immigrants.
Yet, why does animosity towards immigrants persist? An African American perspective eloquently illustrates this sentiment.
The narrative recounts the painful legacy of African Americans brought to the U.S. as slaves, enduring captivity, deprivation, and premature death. Their families were shattered, and they were subjected to torture and abuse under successive slave masters.
However, their resilience during their migration experience played a pivotal role in the nation's progress, setting the stage for the subsequent influx of Italian, Jewish, and Irish immigrants.
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