Kimmy's Thoughts

The role of women in American society has always been an interest to me, and Kimmy's blog was able to continue that interest. Kimmy put this topic in a light that I had never thought about before. Within the next 10 years I will be joining the workforce and I never thought that I would have to deal with discrimination in this day and age. I always used to think that things in the work force had evened out between the men and the women. However this presentation demonstrated that this is not the case. There are many instances in which women get lesser pay or they do not get promoted just because of their gender. I find this to be appalling that even in todays society people cannot find a way to leave the racism of the past in the past. I feel though that the Obama administration is doing a good job at trying to make things better for women. Recently Obama passed the Lily Ledbetter Fair Pay Restoration Act. This act helps to ensure that women are receiving equal pay as men. I believe that this is taking a step in the right direction, in an effort to make things more equal for women in the workplace. I also feel that these new laws are extremely important to todays current economy. Due to the bad economic times, many women have had to leave there roles as stay at home moms and join the work force. This has great importance because as time progresses more and more women will be searching for jobs and they should have just as good of a chance as the men do.

This presentation has helped me to see why there is such discrimination between men in the women in the workplace. Kimmy began her presentation with an image of a housewife turning into a business woman. This is where I see the problem, it is the images that people have in their minds of what a woman is suppose to be like. For many she is suppose to stay at home with her children, but in modern times that is not always what is best for the families. As society progresses, the minds of the people need to do change. The government can pass all the laws they want, but its the people who need to be able to change. As shown by the video clip from Houston, there have been other acts proposed in the past, but they were not able to go through. It was because not enough of the States agreed to pass them. It cannot be just one group of people willing to end the discrimination, it has to be everyone. Laws may exist, however that does not mean that people will not stop breaking them.

I think that the actions that the American woman took to gain their equality is what it means to be an American. I agree with the statement Kimmy made that an American fights for what they believe. It seems to be in most of the instances where there has been injustice in the United States, the oppressed or unequal people have been able to fight for what is right. They accomplish this by uniting. Unity is what America is founded upon and that is what the woman were able to do. I feel that that the woman will have to keep on fighting to make sure that their equality is maintained, but hopefully they will just be accepted.

Jill's Blog

As I have been reading Jill’s blog, I have seen that music is not just something that some can express themselves, but it also can bring a people together. For instance in the most recent weeks there has been the devastating earthquake in Haiti. One of the ways that people have been trying to raise awareness and earn money was by remaking Michael Jackson’s song We Are the World. Personally I love this song and I find it to extremely cool that they are able to use this for more than just enjoyment. This song is able to bring people together and do something for people, even if they are not from our Country. As Jill states in her blog this song represents unity, it shows that we are people willing to help each other in times of need.

Music has also been used as a way to break racial barriers and differences among groups of people. At the Grammy’s various artist of a variety of genera’s were able to come together and do a tribute song to Michael Jackson. Each artist was different in their personal background and even music style, but they were able to put on one amazing show. Their differences are what made the song great, it also made it possible for all different people to enjoy the tribute.
The presentation talks about Sonny Blues, whose music career allowed him to break away from the racial boundaries that society put up. What I think is most interesting was that he saw that music was a way to break those boundaries. I think that one of the ways that society could move past all the racism is music. If everyone liked the same music then they would have something in common. That then could lead to other things in common, which could help break the barriers. Another thing that music can do is force a society to face its issues. One way that is America has had to is the creation of gangsta rap. As the blog says, once can look at all the negative thing s the raps refers to. Or one could see the under lying issues in society that the music is attempting to put in the spotlight.

Music can be used as a method to affect people and make a difference, but it all depends on what a person is trying to promote. Many worry about the gangster ways that rap talks about affecting the children of America. It could lead people to supporting the wrong things: such as violence and money. Those things are not what life is all about, all music including rap can be much more than that. Music is a form of expression like an opinion, no person should take it for fact or they way they should live their lives. Music can be used for many things, but what I believe is most important is the fact that it can bring people together. In times of need or in times of joy people can relate to each other with music, and that is timeless.

Britt's Blog

While reading Britt’s Blog I realized that much of the things her topic was dealing with were similar to the issues that I was exploring in my own blog. This blog’s focus is on bilingual education and how it is important for both the Hispanic immigrants, as well as for the Americans. In my blog I focused on immigrant racism and this focuses on one specific immigrant group and what they have to deal with when living in this Country. It helps to identify the challenges that many immigrants face when they do not know English. In the short story I read the woman did not know the language and it was extremely clear that it was preventing her from the being able to succeed in the United States. “The workers were under the impression that they would be making more money than they were in Mexico, so they came with their families for the chance of a better life. However, the bracero contracts were in English, and the workers signed them without fully understanding their rights and the conditions of their employment.” When I think of what an immigrant expects when coming to America, this is the idea that I think of: that they will be able to have a better life. However as I have done my research and read this presentation I have come to the conclusion that those dreams do not translate to actual life. One just cannot move to the United States and think that things will automatically be better for them. Not knowing the language of the new place can make it very difficult to succeed. One other idea that I thought about in my own blog was that once a person is accepted into America then they should also be accepted into the society as well. This blog shows that to gain this acceptance the Hispanics used the court system to get what they desired. The children of immigrants were not doing well in school or being treated equally, just because they did not know English. The judge’s ruling made it so these children would be able to receive a better education, one where they would be able to learn the language.

Something that surprised me was the fact that there are schools for American children to come and be immersed in another language and culture. Brittany was using a video to try and prove that a bilingual education is not just beneficial for immigrants, but for Americans as well. Bilingual education works to improve: “verbal and linguistic abilities reasoning concept formation, the ability to analyze and talk about language, and control language processing.” All of these things are useful for any human being to survive in this diverse world. I am glad that these kinds of schools exist because it demonstrates that Americans are willing to accept the immigrants and their culture. When I was researching mostly saw the opposite, people always trying to make things harder for immigrants.

This blog helped to reinforce my beliefs about how the United States needs to do what is best for its entire people. To help the Hispanics be able to prosper in America, we need to help them to learn our language. By helping them we will also be helping ourselves in the long run. If they now English they can do better, which will help the economy. It will also help the United States to stay a diverse country, or the melting pot as it is commonly referred as.

Citations

"Anti-immigration movement." American History. ABC-CLIO, 2010. Web. 30 Jan. 2010.

Francis, Samuel. "Immigration Must Be Restricted to Protect America Against Terrorists." Opposing Viewpoints: National Security. Ed. Helen Cothran. San Diego: Greenhaven Press, 2004. Opposing Viewpoints Resource Center. Gale. Deerfield High School. 7 Feb. 2010 .

"Help Haitians, but don't throw open U.S. borders.(NEWS)(Editorial)." USA Today. (Jan 29, 2010): 07A. Opposing Viewpoints Resource Center. Gale. Deerfield High School. 8 Feb. 2010 .

"Immigration." American History. ABC-CLIO, 2010. Web. 28 Jan. 2010.

"Immigration and Naturalization Service." American History. ABC-CLIO, 2010. Web. 31 Jan. 2010.

Paul, William G. "Immigration Laws Do Not Treat Immigrants Fairly." Current Controversies: Immigration. Ed. Louise I. Gerdes. San Diego: Greenhaven Press, 2005. Opposing Viewpoints Resource Center. Gale. Deerfield High School. 7 Feb. 2010 .

Schepers, Emile. "Opposition to Illegal Immigration Is Based on Racism." Opposing Viewpoints: Illegal Immigration. Ed. Margaret Haerens. Detroit: Greenhaven Press, 2006. Opposing Viewpoints Resource Center. Gale. Deerfield High School. 5 Feb. 2010 .

Sen. Edward M. Kennedy. "Immigration Legislation Should Not Punish All Illegal Immigrants." Contemporary Issues Companion: Illegal Immigration. Ed. Paul Hina. Detroit: Greenhaven Press, 2008. Opposing Viewpoints Resource Center. Gale. Deerfield High School. 8 Feb. 2010 .

"SS St. Louis journey." American History. ABC-CLIO, 2010. Web. 30 Jan. 2010.

"Theodore Roosevelt: Gentleman's Agreement (1907)." American History. ABC-CLIO, 2010. Web. 1 Feb. 2010.

Yezierska, Anzia. "America and I." "The Oxford book of Jewish stories." Ed Ilan Stavans.New York:Oxford University Press, Inc,1998.68-77 Print.

VIDEO

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GFz_UVjygG4 (Ellis Island, The Statue of Liberty Part 1)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d__6piOcsYw (FAIR)

IMAGES

http://contexts.org/socimages/files/2008/07/ch2.jpg

http://www.immigrationcontrol.com/MyImages/cartoon.jpg

http://www.learner.org/amerpass/unit09/images/5088-author10.jpg

http://nicedeb.files.wordpress.com/2009/04/terrorist.jpg

http://www.slapupsidethehead.com/wp-content/media/2007/11/deportation.jpg

Current Events Analytical

Many of the same issues with immigration that were in the past still exist today; the American people are still pushing for reform. Within the last few years there have been many reasons to enforce tighter restrictions on immigration. There have also been instances where it seems as though maybe there are certain people that America should open its border for. Two of the main reasons that the citizens want more reforms are due to the high rates of illegal immigration and the terrorist threats. America is a Country that was formed by immigrants, but it is becoming harder to know if an immigrant could actually be a terrorist. "Patterson's mayor notes: "We have 72 identifiable nationalities here, 170,000 people in eight square miles. With a lot of different folks moving in and out of the city, unless you raise a ruckus, you could live here for a while without anyone noticing."' For many it is a scary thing and they feel the best way to protect ourselves is to have tighter boarders. Though for many this is a legitimate fear, many people believe that the reason so many people want stricter reforms is for racist reasons. There are people who are so against immigrants that they want to prevent them from being able to obtain their drivers license.This is just one of the methods groups like FAIR (a group against immigrtaion)use to fight against immigration. There are many people who worry that their jobs will be taken by the immigrants; however the illegal immigrants are the ones who are willing to work for less. Some even believe that the immigratns help boost the economy. There are many people who want to protect themselves and the best way they feel to do that is reform.

It is not just the people of America who treat the immigrants poorly, the government does as well. There have been various laws passed that pose a threat to all immigrants, even ones who have done nothing wrong. There have been many cases of people being separated from their families and could possibly be deported for no reason at all. People have escaped poverty and oppression to come to America, yet all they find are people who deny them their rights. The citizens of the United States want immigration reform, but at this rate they are hurting those who are already here more.

There are many people pushing for immigration reform, however in the process they could be hurting national security. "Ground truth comes from all sources, and often from immigrant communities. If communication shuts down because immigrants are afraid to approach local law enforcement for fear of being deported, then we lose important information and we jeopardize the security of our nation." There are so many immigrants living in such close quarters, because they are not welcome anywhere else. Due to this they may hear things from others living the area who may pose a threat to national security. However if they feel as though they are not welcome in America, they may not come forward and tell the authorities. If America does what is best for the immigrants, then they will also being doing what is best for themselves. If immigration reforms are passed then, "future immigration will be within the law, instead of underground, so that immigrants are less likely to be exploited, less likely to harm American wages and jobs, and are more likely to pay taxes." The American citizens will no longer have to worry about things like that if they help keep immigration going. They have to be able to think of the big picture, not just what they want. America needs to realize that immigrants are needed, both for our security and to help our economy.

In recent weeks there has been an earthquake in Haiti, many people feel that we should allow mass immigration from Haiti. Yet that may not be what is best for the Uniteed States or Haiti. The people need to stay to help rebuild, if they leave there will be no one there in the future. Also America cannot just open its doors for one group of people; there are others who are just as desperate to get to America. There is an issue of only allowing qualified people into America, but many question what makes the Haitians or other peopole more qualified than anyone else. "Should those entrants include people from parts of Haiti untouched by the earthquake? Or only those from earthquake-ravaged areas? Or only those who've lost their homes? Or limbs?" Right now they are the ones in the spot light, but there are so many people who are suffering just as they are. In order for the Untied States to do what is right for everyone, people feel there needs to be immigration reforms .Or the chaos that people see will continue.

Literature Analytical

The short story “America and I” tells what happened to Anzia Yezierska when she immigrated to America. Anzia had come to America filled with hopes and dreams, but almost right away they were dashed. She had been told she would be able to do what she wanted,“In the golden land of flowing opportunity I was to find my work that was denied me in the sterile village of my forefathers.”(69). Once she arrived in America she took a job working at the house of former immigrants. For a month she did everything she was asked of, but when it was time to get paid her bosses refused. They said that it was enough that they fed her and gave her a place to live. Anzia assumed it would be easy for her once she got to America, but immediately she was faced with the challenge of people taking advantage of her. One of the reasons she was not able to ensure that she would get paid was because of the fact that she could not speak English. In order to survive in America an immigrant needs to be able to speak the language. It will help them in both the work place and being able to assimilate into the culture. Not being able to speak English makes the difference between the immigrants and everyone else more obvious. The American people do not want different, so it would be to the immigrants benefit to learn English. By Anzia not being able to speak English various employers were able to take advantage of her. The employers see that the immigrants are easy prey and will do almost anything to make money, so they make them work extremely hard for little compensation. At Anzia’s third job they began to teach her English, yet she did not understand why people did not just speak the language of their birth place. One of the main ways to become and an American is to be able to speak English; it would help her to reach the dreams that she once had. As time went on Anzia had to find a way to survive in America and in order to that she had to “Americanize.” In order for her to feel welcomed she has to find a way to fit in more to the culture, but try not to lose herself in the process. Most immigrants come to America like Anzia Yezierska, filled with desire, but it is much harder once they actually arrive. In the end Anzia realized, “America is no Utopia. First you must become efficient in earning a living before you can indulge in your poetic dreams.”(75). As demonstrated by the trials Anzia had to face, it is not easy to be accepted into the American society. To be accepted and to succeed the immigrants need to be able to adjust to the new culture.The culture in America is pretty set, and before a person can add their ideas to it, they must become part of it.

Background Analytical

America was founded as a Country of immigrants, but now that tradition and the culture have been defined, the citizens are not as welcoming. There is a continuous flow of immigration to America, and though they are accepted by the government they are not accepted into the culture right away. Many people decide to emigrate from their homelands are searching for a better life, the one that they believe the Americans have. Even though they have this desire there have been many instances in which they cannot be fulfilled. America has a government that is based on the people and the people felt there needed to be immigrant quotas. Due to those quotas it was harder for people to come to America and start a new life. In the case of the SS St. Louis the Jews who were attempting to flee Europe right before World War II and after being turned away from Cuba arrived in the United States. However upon arrival they were forced to go back to Europe. The reason they were not admitted was that, “President Franklin D. Roosevelt said that the United States could not accept any more European refugees because of immigration quotas.” The immigrant quotas were not the only way that the United States was able to keep people out. President Theodore Roosevelt made a deal with Japan called the “Gentleman's Agreement.” In this document Japan and the United States agreed that Japanese immigration would be limited. The only people who could come were those with family already in the States. This way Japan was able to keep their workers and build their army and America did not have to deal with new immigrants. Both of these cases demonstrated the issues that America had with immigration. In each instance there were people who wanted to come to America; however the people in America decided that they did not want anyone else coming.

One of the main reasons that the people wanted to put a halt on immigration was because they wanted to be able to maintain the Anglo- Saxon image. The people of America did not think that the immigrants would be able to assimilate into the society, "Denial that immigrants could be assimilated, that they could participate in or even comprehend democracy, or that they would be loyal was the justification for the movement." The people of America felt that they had the right not to allow people to immigrate; not realizing that they were talking away these peoples freedoms. America is based on freedom and liberty, but they want that for themselves and have trouble giving it to others.

There are other reasons that have caused people to want immigration reforms; the main one is the spike in illegal immigration. Due to the immigrant quotas many people have been taking the process of immigration into their own hands. There is a great deal of Americans who are against the aliens living in America and want them out. Along with getting them out they want stricter immigration reforms. There is a lot of chaos that goes along with immigration and with the chaos things have gone unnoticed. The terrorists of 9/11 were able to immigrate to America for a short time before the attack. This has increased the fear that the Americans have about immigration. This event reforced the fears people have about immigration, which has led the government to exclude various categories of people from being able to immigrate to America. The United States is looking for a certain kind of person that can easily fit into the culture and the job market. As a result of the certain image the America wants there has been great prejudice amongst various immigrant groups. The main groups that were targeted in the past were, “Irish, Germans, Italians, Swedes, Finns, and Poles.” They had to deal with persecution and poor living conditions. The United States has progressed immensely since it was established in 1776, and because of that they are beginning to shut themselves off from immigration. The culture in America has been set and immigration is just adding to the chaos. For many people it easier to just put more limits on immigration, and the government agrees. The reforms for immigration are continuing to be implemented. The harshness of immigration can be seen by both the process and the way that immigrants are being treated once they get to America.For right now this is how things are going to stay, and people are okay with that.

"Help Haitians, but don't throw open U.S. borders"

In the recent weeks I have been watching a lot of the news coverage that has been aired about Haiti and I have seen the great destruction they are faced with. However I agree with this article that allowing a vast amount of the Haitians to immigrate to the United States is not the right decision. One of the things this article talks about is how it would not be fair to the other people who are already on the immigration waiting list. This is a true disaster,yet that does not mean that they should all up and move from Haiti. One of the important things to think about is what will happen to Haiti in the future. If many of the Haitians choose to up and move then how will they ever be able to rebuild. I feel that America is doing to the right thing by sending aide, but the doors to America should not just fling open. They should try to make things better for their own Country before they decide to leave it. This is one of the ways the United States has handled immigration correctly. I like the idea that people who already have family living here can come, but that does not mean that everyone should come. It would raise a lot of questions such as, "Should those entrants include people from parts of Haiti untouched by the earthquake? Or only those from earthquake-ravaged areas? Or only those who've lost their homes? Or limbs?" Many people feel that in order to immigrate to America the person has to be qualified. In this kind of disaster how does the government decide who is qualified.

The article also mentions that there are other extremely poor Countries that have long waiting lists, but they are not being admitted. They have to suffer through many problems as well, like in Bangladesh there are monsoons, but that does not give them an immediate entrance. There are some instances in which people should stay where they are and this is one of them. If the Haitians love the Country of their ancestors then they should be willing to fight through this difficult time and help create a better tomorrow.Immigration is not always the best answer and people need to realize this.

citation
"Help Haitians, but don't throw open U.S. borders.(NEWS)(Editorial)." USA Today. (Jan 29, 2010): 07A. Opposing Viewpoints Resource Center. Gale. Deerfield High School. 8 Feb. 2010 .

"Immigration Legislation Should Not Punish All Illegal Immigrants"

Many people are in agreement that there needs to be immigrant reforms. This article is attempting to show that not all immigration is bad, it can even help the United States. This author believes that the want for a immigration will continue and that if it is going to, then only "qualified" people will be allowed to immigrate. the question is who defines whether someone is qualified or not. If this method of qualification is going to be established, then I believe it is necessary for the qualifications to be written down. All people should have an equal chance at immigration. Stopping immigration would also cause problems for security, "Ground truth comes from all sources, and often from immigrant communities. If communication shuts down because immigrants are afraid to approach local law enforcement for fear of being deported, then we lose important information and we jeopardize the security of our nation." In a previous article that I read it said that terrorist are able to live in immigrant neighborhoods and go undetected. However if they are noticed someone could tell the cops, but they will not be willing to if they are afraid. The immigrants do not hurt the economy, they actually help it. I feel that a lot of the things that immigrants do to help America goes overlooked. As a result of that people tend to only see the negative aspects. It also says that the immigrants do not take the American jobs. I feel that is one of things that America needs to understand. People are in fear of losing their jobs and they need to realize that they do not need to fear the immigrants. I think that if that fear could be put aside then there will be less racism against the immigrants.Many job fields are dependent on immigrant labor, which means they play a large role in supporting the economy. With such a poor economic climate, I think the government should be doing everything in their power to help boost it.

With immigrant reform there will be the correct number visas given based on the United States economy. It will also assist in other aspects such as, "future immigration will be within the law, instead of underground, so that immigrants are less likely to be exploited, less likely to harm American wages and jobs, and are more likely to pay taxes." There is now a bill trying to get passed by the Senate that addresses a lot of the things many Americans are worried about. Such as being able to get jobs and ensuring good working conditions for temporary workers. I feel that it is very important to make sure that the citizens are the ones who get the first chance at employment. They are the legal citizens and they need a job just as badly as the immigrants do. The main point the article is making is that the immigrants are needed. If they are truly needed then I feel that there should be a way to help them become citizens, but only if it is done legally. The high volume of illegal immigrants does not help their situation of the citizens. The government needs to find a balance that makes everyone happy.


citation
Sen. Edward M. Kennedy. "Immigration Legislation Should Not Punish All Illegal Immigrants." Contemporary Issues Companion: Illegal Immigration. Ed. Paul Hina. Detroit: Greenhaven Press, 2008. Opposing Viewpoints Resource Center. Gale. Deerfield High School. 8 Feb. 2010 .

"Immigration Laws Do Not Treat Immigrants Fairly"

I had always realized that there were many Americans who did not treat immigrants with respect, but hearing these stories show that it is also the government treating them this way. The article opens with a few stories about immigrants who are possibly going to be deported, all on injustice and in-humanitarian grounds. There are children who have escaped because they were facing great opposition in their birth countries, but when they arrived they were arrested and may be sent back. There is other stories about women who either were adopted and tried to get citizenship or they were beaten by their husband but the police arrested them. I feel that America should be helping these people, they have done nothing that grounds them for deportation. The United States is known around the world for their humanitarian efforts, however when these immigrants need help the only thing that they do is threaten to deport them. Where is the justice in that, where is the immigrants equality. There are three acts that are at the root of the issue,the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act (IIRAIRA) and the Anti-Terrorism and Effective Death Penalty Act. The INS also has great power in deporting immigrants and their decisions cannot be appealed. They now have an overflow of detainees, and they numbers are going to continue to increase. The detainees are even kept away from their families, the INS seems to taking away all of their rights.

There was a woman who was deported when she was trying to see her children, and she still sees that America is a great country. It just goes to show that many immigrants are escaping such extreme oppression that they are just use to being treated so poorly. That is not right, if a person's papers are legal than they should be allowed to enter the United States. What really surprises me is,"Another provision of IIRAIRA is aggravated felony, which reclassifies past crimes of noncitizens to more serious and deportable offenses, even if they have already served their time for the infractions, have been rehabilitated, or never spent a day in jail." In America you can not be tried for the same crime twice, so why are they immigrants. The article sums this issue up in the best way, "The U.S., a nation of immigrants, cannot be free if it takes freedom from those who believe in the promise of justice for all." I agree what the government is doing is going against what America is all about and things need to change.

citation
Paul, William G. "Immigration Laws Do Not Treat Immigrants Fairly." Current Controversies: Immigration. Ed. Louise I. Gerdes. San Diego: Greenhaven Press, 2005. Opposing Viewpoints Resource Center. Gale. Deerfield High School. 7 Feb. 2010 .

"Immigration Must Be Restricted to Protect America Against Terrorists"

As I was reading this article I realized that many of the ideas that I have been thinking about are things that others things about as well. There are many loopholes for people who are trying to get into America. This is shown by the mass illegal immigration in America and this article tries to demonstrate that it can also relate to the terrorist attacks.I had never thought of this connection until I read this article and it proves that the connection is there. The author discusses how there are many neighborhoods like the one a few of the 9/11 terrorist lived in where there are so many immigrants that it is so easy for people to go unnoticed. The article says, "Patterson's mayor notes: "We have 72 identifiable nationalities here, 170,000 people in eight square miles. With a lot of different folks moving in and out of the city, unless you raise a ruckus, you could live here for a while without anyone noticing."'Due to all the chaos in the neighborhood, it is extremely hard to notice everyone who is living there. It really scares me that these people can live in America for so long and do such a horrible thing and the whole time no one knew that they were even there. At the beginning of the article it says that there needs to be tighter regulations, but to do that the government would need to spend more money. Money is not something they want to be spending more of, so I feel they need to do better with what they all ready have. Maybe they could start with better training courses for the people who are suppose to be looking out for these things. As I have been watching the news in recent weeks have seen more arrests of people planning terrorist attacks while living in America and this trend does not seem to be stopping. For a long time I was under the assumption things were in control. It has become very clear that in order for the United States to control the terrorist attacks, they have to start having tighter regulations of immigration.

The article says that the danger comes from within America, "Precisely because of mass immigration and open-borders policies, perhaps thousands of unnoticeable young men have been able to enter the United States (and Europe) to prepare jihad against their enemies. Short of expelling entire populations in a massive act of ethnic cleansing, there is virtually nothing the United States and the West can do about the new enemy within." There may not be much to do to prevent the terrorist from coming into America, however there are actions that need to be taken that can help to protect the citizens once they are here. In the end it will be very hard for immigration reforms to be enforced because many leaders and upper class see the immigration as a way for cheap labor. I think that people who see it that way need to be thinking about the protection of all Americans, not just making money.

I understand that the United States cannot just start "ethnic cleansing" people in America. Yet they need to do something. We cannot allow another 9/11 to occur and they only way to do that is to tighten the immigration regulations.


citation
Francis, Samuel. "Immigration Must Be Restricted to Protect America Against Terrorists." Opposing Viewpoints: National Security. Ed. Helen Cothran. San Diego: Greenhaven Press, 2004. Opposing Viewpoints Resource Center. Gale. Deerfield High School. 7 Feb. 2010 .

"Opposition to Illegal Immigration Is Based on Racism"

This article is trying to prove that the many things people say about why immigrants should not be welcomed, just means that they are being racist. There are various arguments discussing how immigrants hurt the environment, take American jobs, and threaten American culture. There are even organizations out there that try to "immigrant bash." I feel that if America is willing to accept immigrants into the Country and they should also be accepted into the society as well. People say though that allowing them into society is just causing more problems. The author of the article believes the haters are able to cloak their motives by saying that they are looking out for the best interest of the United States workers. One of the organizations trying to bring about reform is the Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR). One of the things that FAIR has attempted to do is create Proposition 200 in Arizona which works to stop immigrants from obtaining their drivers license. I think this is just cruel and it is not going to stop people from trying to immigrate to America. People who are trying to immigrate from their country are mostly in search of a better life. The better life consists of more equality, better living conditions and a better job. For the most part people are able to get those things in America and not having their drivers license will not stop them. Many of the poorer immigrants could probably not even afford a car anyways.

In response to the argument that the immigrants do the jobs that American citizens prefer not to do, the article says that not letting them have the jobs can force the working conditions to be bettered. "'Well if immigrants were not so readily available and easily exploitable, those employers would have to make the jobs more attractive by cleaning up the workplace and offering better pay.'" That may be true, but what are the chances that a business owner is going to put out the extra money if they are able to find such cheap labor. There are already so many companies outsourcing to other countries that if they were forced to this then they would most likely move as well.

One thing that article talks about which I actually am in agreement is with overpopulation. If America become over populated then the conditions are going to deteriorate for everyone and things could go into chaos. That is why I believe there should be strict regulation on immigration. People have to go through the proper process so things stay in order. If they chose not to follow the process that is when the United States is going to be overpopulated and have many problems.

citation
Schepers, Emile. "Opposition to Illegal Immigration Is Based on Racism." Opposing Viewpoints: Illegal Immigration. Ed. Margaret Haerens. Detroit: Greenhaven Press, 2006. Opposing Viewpoints Resource Center. Gale. Deerfield High School. 5 Feb. 2010 .

"America and I"

The short strory America and I by Anzia Yezierska focuses on her early experiences as a Polish emigrant living in America. Yezierska came to America with a vast array of hopes and dreams, but as the story progresses it is clear that the dreams are out of reach. In the beginning she says this is what she thought America would do for her, “In the golden land of flowing opportunity I was to find my work that was denied me in the sterile village of my forefathers.”(69). Yezierska believed that she would be able to find a better life in America. She was not the only one who believed the golden image of America. Many immigrants believed that America could give them a better life, but when they arrived in America they realized reaching that dream would be harder than they had anticipated. During her early time in America she went through a few different jobs, but none of them made her happy. One of the things stopping Anzia from doing what she wanted to do was the fact that she was not able to speak English. Due to the fact that she could speak the language, her employers were able to take advantage of her. The first people that she worked for in America ended up not paying her anything at all. They thought it was enough that she was being fed and had shelter and she was asking for more than she deserved. I found it to be surprising that they would treat her so poorly, because they too were immigrants. When Yezierska went to the Vocational Guidance Center at the Women’s Association started one of the workers told her, “America is no Utopia. First you must become efficient in earning a living before you can indulge in your poetic dreams.”(75). This person is pretty much telling her to give up on everything that she believed about America. The woman is supposed to be helping her find a good job, but instead she is crushing all her dreams. This is one of the examples of how many Americans did not want to the immigrants to become Americanized. By not helping her, the worker was helping to perpetuate the division among the native born Americans and the immigrants. In order for the United States to be a strong unified Country then it needs to do what their name is all about: be united. If they allow the people to immigrate then they should also be accepted into society. At Anzia’s third job, they treated her as a worker should be treated. On top of that they taught her English, which is the key to surviving in the American society. Yezierska did not understand why the people she worked for did not like using the language of their birth Country. What she did not understand is that to succeed you have to Americanize and part of Americanizing a person has to learn English. I think that an immigrant should never forget the language of their birth place because it helps to make up who they are. It also helps to give the United States the nickname the Melting Pot. Anzia Yezierska is an excellent representation of what it means to be an American immigrant. America is not a land that has streets paved with gold, but that does not mean there is not great opportunity. To find the potential that America has to offer one must Americanize without losing themselves. In order to accomplish the transition they must be welcomed into the society. If that happens the immigrants may be able to find their “gold streets” that they are yearning for.

citation
Yezierska, Anzia. "America and I." "The Oxford book of Jewish stories." Ed Ilan Stavans.New York:Oxford University Press, Inc,1998.68-77 Print.

Where I am At

As I have continued to study immigration I have noticed that we are an extermly strict Country. For over a few hundred years, people have been trying to immigrate to America, but they have been met with great opposition. Throughout the years there has been quotas passed on how many people are allowed to come to America. Along with the quotas there was deals with other Countries on how many people would be allowed to immigrate or even let people immigrate. Due to the restrictions on immigration, many people have taken it into their own hands, doing whatever they can to cross the border. There are millions of illegal immigrants living in America, many of them doing the jobs that most Americans prefer not to do. This is why I think people always have such a hard time allowing immigration, people do not follow the laws. The one idea that has stuck with me this whole time is the fact the Americans were not just racist to African Americans, they treated other groups of people just as poorly. Many of the immigrants were forced to live in bad conditions and were not immediately welcomed into the society.I find this to be very interesting that a Country who prides itself on being about equality and freedom will not grant that to all people. I think the United States has problems with both the idea of immigration and the people who are immigrating. They have to learn that if they are going to allow people to immigrate then they should be able to accept them as well.

Theodore Roosevelt: Gentleman's Agreement

I feel that in the case of the Gentleman’s Agreement both the Japanese and the American governments were overstepping their boundaries. They should not have the power of preventing people from living where they wish to live. Both the governments agreed that this was what was best, but did they even ask the people. The only people who could emigrate to the United States were those who, “seek to resume a formerly acquired domicile, to join a parent, wife, or children residing there, or to assume active control of an already possessed interest in a farming enterprise in this country, so that the three classes of laborers entitled to receive passports have come to be designated former residents, parents, wives, or children of residents, and settled agriculturists.” The only thing that the people in power did right was allow for families to be united, other than that the agreement limited the freedom of the people. In the past America has not been very accepting of various groups of immigrants, but by the Japanese having the power in this situation, they did not look bad. The Japanese were the ones in control because they were the ones who issue the passports. What I find most surprising is that is the United States is based on the ideals of freedom and equality, but they are not willing to give that to other people. The Japanese attempting to immigrate most likely have good reason, but they cannot take action and move. The governments had forced them to stay where they were, instead the governments should let the people do as they wished.I think that immigration should not totally stop, but it should be regulated. If immigration is not regulated than the governments, then a country of very unhappy citizens will be formed.

citation
"Theodore Roosevelt: Gentleman's Agreement (1907)." American History. ABC-CLIO, 2010. Web. 1 Feb. 2010.

Immigration and Naturalization Service Article

As America has changed, so has the process of immigrating to America. Many people are choosing not to follow the proper process and are living in the Untied States as illegal immigrants, otherwise known as aliens. It is the job the the Immigration and Naturalization Service, the INS, to keep this issue under control, but as this article states, they are not in control of their own administration. I think in order for America to maintain its safety and keep the immigration process in check, the government needs to step up. The article says that the INS, which has been run by Department of Homeland Security, is becoming two separate divisions. However it will take several years to smooth things out. I do not think that is acceptable, while there has been chaos in these organizations the number of aliens have increased by seven million. I believe they need to find away to fix the problem fast, or the number will continue to increase. The job of the INS is, "facilitating legal entry of aliens, assisting aliens seeking permanent residence or naturalization, preventing illegal entry by aliens, and catching aliens entering or staying in the United States illegally." With all the chaos they are not fulfilling their duties.

Due to all of the disorder, there have been major mistakes that these organizations made.The one the article talks about scares me the most. "Arrival of student visa approval notifications at a flying school in Venice, Florida six months to the day after the September 11, 2001 attacks; the notifications were for two of the hijackers. Though the men had been approved prior to the attacks, the notification was sent after September 11." The 9/11 hijackers were able to get flying approval and the United States government did not even realize it. Our Country should be aware of these things at all times, I do not understand how the INS and DHS could have let this go unnoticed. If they cannot do their jobs, then the government should form a new organization who can do it better. I believe that if the problems in the government can be worked out, then there can be a solution on how to fix the problems with the aliens.

citation
"Immigration and Naturalization Service." American History. ABC-CLIO, 2010. Web. 31 Jan. 2010.

anti-immigration movenment

It is clear that immigration has been a "hot" topic ever since the end of the Civil War. When they Civil War ended many people from Southern and East Central Europe began to immigrate to America. The citizens of the United States wanted the immigrants to be people who were just like them. They banned many groups of people from immigrating to America, just because they did not fit the Anglo-Saxon image. Some of those groups were non-Europeans, polygamists, and anarchists. I think that the people were able to continue to shape their society they way they wanted because of the the success they had with the Africans. The citizens were able to force the Africans into slavery, so why would they not be able to deny admittance to their Country. When studying history I have only learned about the racism that many people had against the Blacks, but this article is saying that they were racist towards anyone who was not like them. Just like they had done with the African Americans they created reasons that explained their actions. The article said, "Denial that immigrants could be assimilated, that they could participate in or even comprehend democracy, or that they would be loyal was the justification for the movement." They were trying to make the foreigners sound like the people who do not understand America, but it is them who does not understand. The whole part of being an American means that you have freedom. Most immigrants come in search of that, however the Americans felt that they would not be able to understand the freedom in America.

I think it is the diversity in America that makes our Country so great. We are all people and there is no reason that a person cannot comprehend what a democracy means. All people should have to opportunity to become an American if they want to, as long as the follow the proper process. Then end of the article discusses how some people want there to be more immigration reforms. I feel that people should not be able to just come and live in America, but if they are trying to improve their situation then there should be more effective ways of making people citizens. I just do not want America to become over populated because that would be bad for everyone. That is why there needs to be regulations. People should not be just shut out, but they can not just do what they please. I do not see the problems with immigration ever ending, however one thing I know for sure is that people should not be banned from America based on what Country they are from or what color their skin is.

citation
"anti-immigration movement." American History. ABC-CLIO, 2010. Web. 30 Jan. 2010.

SS St. Louis

While reading this article, I felt that I had heard parts of this story before. However I never understood the great impact that the immigration laws had on the refugees trying escape the terror occurring in Europe. The SS St. Louis was allowed to leave Europe with its passengers preparing to move to Cuba. When they had arrived in Cuba the refugees were not allowed to enter the Country despite the fact that they had visas. This was a scheme created by Nazi propaganda minister Joseph Goebbels, he was attempting to show the Jews that no Country wants them. I think this is a horrible thing to do, especially because the Nazi’s were already torturing them enough in their homelands. The ship sailed away from Cuba and the refugees were not admitted into the United States. The article states, “President Franklin D. Roosevelt said that the United States could not accept any more European refugees because of immigration quotas.” This is one of the worst decisions I have ever heard a President make. America is not isolated; they knew there were problems because many people had been trying to immigrate to the United States. The government should have accepted the passengers of the SS St. Louis despite the Great Depression going on in America. There would have been more people, but that means that there could have been more people to help try and bring the depression to an end. I do want to mention that America did accept 105,000 people from Nazi Germany; at least not everyone was turned away. As an interesting side note, Albert Einstein was one of the refugees who were admitted to the United States. It makes me think of how many people like him could have been brought to America if it was not for the strict immigration quotas.

Due to the fact that these European refugees were not accepted into any Country, they were all sent back to Europe. Two months after their return, World War II began. Over 600 of the 937 passengers were killed during the war. The article says the American people felt great “shame” when they learned of this information after the War concluded. I feel that they should feel shame; they could have saved those people’s lives if they had just changed the quotas. This was a desperate time throughout the World, but everyone should be able to live in a place where they feel safe. In future instances I hope that the American government will ignore the quotas and help people who are fleeing for their lives.

citation
"SS St. Louis journey." American History. ABC-CLIO, 2010. Web. 30 Jan. 2010.

Immigration Article

One of the things that struck me the most while reading this article was the fact that we are a nation that was built on foreign immigrants. Despite this the Untied States now has to turn people away. As well as the fact throughout recent history there has been discrimination of the who can come to this Country. When I think about discrimination I think of things like slavery, not about other Countries. The article states,"Congress also passed a variety of measures designed to exclude various categories." This means that the people were only being admitted if the government thought that they would be good for society. Many people were admitted based on job qualification. I feel that if a person has a legitimate reason for wanting to come to America then they should not be turned away. Most people will be able to support the success of the Country in some way. I found it surprising that one of the main groups of people who were turned away were the Chinese. It was not a great choice made by the government, because now China is one of the most elite nations in the World. We could have gotten some real geniuses and not even know it.

Another important issue that the article discussed was the fact that when various groups of immigrants arrived in America they were faced with persecution. The article says,"Many immigrant groups faced severe social prejudice." Some of those groups included the Irish, Germans, Italians, Swedes, Finns, and Poles. They had to deal with poor living conditions on top of the unfair treatment. Religion also had a great impact on how a person was treated, this was due to ethnic stereotypes. Though as time has progressed the people have become more and more accepted in to the culture of the United States. For me this is extremely important, because of the fact that in the past Jews were one of the ethnic groups that were persecuted. Luckily as time has gone on the Jews have been welcomed into society. I know that my life would be so much different if the change in society had not occurred.

This article ended with the focus of illegal immigration. I feel that this a problem that America has to figure out. I agree that many of these people do the jobs that a lot of Americans do not want to do. These aliens help our economy, but they put a burden on the tax payers. I am not exactly sure how the government should go about this, but the need to do so something and fast.

Citation
"immigration." American History. ABC-CLIO, 2010. Web. 28 Jan. 2010.

Intial Response to Immigration

When I think about immigration, my mind always goes back to the times in 4th grade. Immigration day was so much fun and you really got to see what it may have been like from the immigrants coming to America. I do know that they people immigrating to America had to overcome a lot of hardships in order to reach their final destination. Many people came from oppressive countries or extreme poverty. I also learned from books that I have read that the people had big dreams upon arrival,the roads are paved with gold, but they did not always pan out the way that they had hoped. One of the things that I really want to learn about is how the immigrants decided that they wanted to move to America. Who was giving them the ideas of how great the United States was. Most of all I want to know how they survived after they past immigration. Also what happened if not all the family memebers were able to pass inspection at places like Ellis Island. When I was in New York I went and visited Ellis Island, it was giant, it would be interesting to see the hustle and bustle there was once was going on in this station.

Change has not come fast enough~State of the Union

Throughout President Obama’s candidacy and presidency the idea he stood behind was change. Despite this he acknowledges that for many people in America “change has not come fast enough.” I think this is one of the most important things that Congress needs to be fully aware of. They are suppose to be working to make things better for the American citizens and to do that they have to realize that at this point they are not doing enough. President Obama kept mentioning all the letters that he receives from people around the Country, who are telling him what their problems are. I see this to be in a way an act of Civil Disobedience. These people are speaking out when they see a problem and taking it directly to the source. During the speech it is said that the people have the same anxieties and at the same time they are resilient. To me this demonstrates that even in the bad times the people of the United States are united in some aspects. If the people are united then it would be easier for change to come about. This unification also has to begin to take shape in Congress. As I was watching the division between the Democrats and the Republicans was extremely obvious. If the Congress is truly going to work to make things better for the people, then they need to show some unification in their thinking. They need to make decisions not based on what side the ideas are coming from, but whether it is what is best for the citizens. Overall I feel that President Obama did a good job covering all the issues in the society right now. I see him as a President who is rooted in Self-Reliance. He said that he would not do what was popular, which is thinking for himself. I believe that this speech can help to lay the ground work to help the improvement of the American society.

video watching

Sarah and I spent most of the class watching hilarious videos. It was so much fun. they allowed us to continue our witty banter...

This is a link to the site where we saw the videos:
http://must-see-videos.blogspot.com/