Changing Patterns of Immigration

Where Americans came from and when they came, does not define how they see themselves today. It is interesting to see, though, how the immigration patterns have changed over lime.

These changing patterns do affect, and have af­fected, what America is today and how Ameri­cans view the rest of the world.

Between 1861 and I960, the majority of immi­grants came from Europe. But during the past 25 years the largest share of immigrants has come from Latin America and Asia. In 1984, for in­stance, 64,100 immigrants from Europe were legally admitted to the U.S. By contrast, legal immigration from the southern Americas (mainly Mexico, the West Indies, the Dominican Repub­lic, and Colombia) was 193,500. An additional 256,300 legal immigrants came from Asia (mainly the Philippines, Vietnam, Korea, and China).

The millions of "de facto Americans"' and no one knows exactly how many there really are-are not included in the official figures. The Census Bureau estimates that there are some three to six million "illegal immigrants" already living in the US., about two-thirds of them from Mexico. It is also estimated that more than one and a half' million more illegal immigrants from Mexico are presently crossing into the United States each year.

European heritage of America is undergoing a major change as more and more people from Latin America and from Asian countries enter U.S. society. Growing numbers of Americans will be able to say that they, or their parents or grandparents, came from these regions. As a consequence, the American view of the world is more likely to be towards the south and west.

Immigration Laws

Until the 1850’s, immigration to the U.S had been largely unrestricted, with some 90 percent of all immigrants coming from Europe. In the 1920s, a number of measures were taken to limit immigration, especially from Asian countries and eastern Europe. The overall number of immi­grants was limited by law and quotas were set for countries and, later, "hemispheres." In 1968 this quota system was abolished. An annual limit of 170,000 was set for immigrants from the Eastern Hemisphere and 120,000 for the Western Hemi­sphere. Ten years later, the separate limits for the two hemispheres were abolished 'in favor of a worldwide limit of 290,000 per year. In addition, however, special measures were taken to allow large numbers of refugees from several regions ( especially East Asia and Central and South America) to enter the U.S. The 1986 immigration law, while imposing stiff penalties on American businesses that employ illegal aliens, is noteworthy for its attempt to give legal status and citizenship to those illegal immi­grants who are, in all but law, already Americans.

 Major changes in the pattern of immigration have been caused by wars, revolutions, periods of starvation, persecutions, religious intoleration, and, in short, by any number of disasters which led people to believe that America was a better place to be. More than a million Irish, for instance, emigrated to America between 1846 and 1851 in order to escape starvation and disease in Ireland. During the same period, large numbers of other Europeans fled political persecution. The largest streams of European immigrants came between 1900 and 1920, that is, before, after, and during World War I. Since the 1960s, more and more people have fled the pov­erty and wars in Asia and Latin America in the hope of finding a better life in the United States.

There is, of course, another side to America's ethnic pluralism and racial variety, one that Americans, more than any other people, are aware of. The first slaves brought to what is today the United States arrived in Virginia on board a Dutch ship in 1619. On the eve of the American Revolution, slavery was already firmly estab­lished in what was shortly to be the United States of America, in 1776, probably about a fifth of all inhabitants in the British colonies in America were Negro slaves.

Between 1777 and 1804, all states in the new republic north of Maryland abolished slavery. However, neither the North nor the South would escape the grave social, economic, political, and moral problems that are the heritage of slavery. Although the Civil War (1861-1865) brought an end to slavery in all of the states, discrimination against blacks would continue. Ironically, some countries that were among the greatest slave-trad­ing nations for so long, such as Portugal, Spain, and England, have largely escaped the conse­quences which almost all Americans have come to accept as rightly theirs. Americans know that although most of their ancestors came to America by choice, a great many did not.

The moral questions associated with immigra­tion remain today. The large number of illegal immigrants pouring over the long Mexican bor­der, for example, has led some Americans to call for much stronger restrictions. Yet many of these illegal aliens were living in poverty that is shock­ing even to the poorest Americans. If you are an American whose ancestors were poverty-stricken, saying "no" to such people is very difficult. On the one hand, this immigration provides a safety valve for Mexico. On the other hand, admittedly, some Americans welcome this source of inex­pensive labor. In any case, stopping the vast flow of illegal immigrants is much easier to demand than to do. Whether they are wanted or not, they on continue to come. Even as the countries of origin and patterns of immigration change, America's tradition as a nation of immigrants is not likely to end.

All in all, the heritage of immigrants and immigration has brought enormous benefits to America. German intellectuals who fled Ger­many after the failed revolutions of 1830 and 1848, for example, brought with them a liberal tradition that did much to change their newly adopted land. Again, a hundred years later, America was enriched by Jewish immigrants who, seen by many as the "refuse" of the world at the time, have added their brilliance to American. culture, education culture, education, and science. Many other ethnic groups have, of course, also added their con­tributions to the American Dream, and, by doing so, kept that dream alive.

Without a doubt, the American immigration experience, then and now, is one of the most important factors in American life. All immi­grants have contributed to the development of some "typical" American characteristics. Among these are the willingness to take risks and to strike out for the unknown with independence and op­timism. Another is patriotism for the many who feel that they are Americans by choice. And, equally, there is the self-critical tradition; those who were "fat and happy," as the phrase goes, never left home.

Prosperity and Poverty

Describing Americans and American society by race and ethnic background, ancestry and religious affiliation gives fundamental information about the United States today. Other basic information is concerned with economic factors. What does the average American earn and how is in­come distributed. Also important is where Americans live. How many live in urban and how many in rural areas?' What are the largest cities?

Approximately 100 years ago the United States overtook Great Britain to become the rich­est nation in the world. Since then, whether measured by average income or by gross national product (GNP) the U.S. has remained among the wealthiest nations. The American people are a very prosperous nation. Nonetheless, Americans are very concerned with that percentage of their countrymen who fall below what they consider "a decent standard of living." This is not starvation: it is being poor in relation to the rest of the nation. Most Americans are troubled by the fact that some social, ethnic, and racial groups show a disproportionate number of people living below the official poverty level.

The "official poverty level" is set by the federal government and adjusted from time to time. This is interpreted as the stage at which a decent stand­ard of living can no longer be expected. Among the areas with many people below the poverty level is Appalachia, that mountain region which includes parts of such states as West Virgin­ia, North Carolina, and Tennessee. Thousands of people there need better housing, medical treat­ment, and other services. Much poverty also exists among minority groups. The average in­comes of American Indians, blacks, and Hispanics continue, as a whole, to be lower than those of whites.

 The question of which measures might be most effective to help the poor achieve more independence and prosperity continues to be de­bated among Americans. Yet, few Americans today feel that easy answers will be found to these difficult problems.

Mobility - Moving West

Where Americans live and where they are moving also reveals how America has changed and is changing. From its very beginnings as a nation, the "population center of gravity" has been mov­ing westwards. This is the point where the country would balance if only the weight of the popula­tion were considered.

Early settlers left the original British colonies along the East Coast and pushed westwards in thin lines along the rivers, and then through the mountain passes. The American frontier - that imaginary line dividing areas with more than two people per square mile from those with fewer -was at one time just on the other side of the Appalachian mountains. Then, it was found in the areas that are today known as the Midwest. Soon it was across the Mississippi. By 1853, the U.S. had acquired the entire western part of the country, by purchase, conquest, and treaty. As more and more people entered these territories, new states were created. In 1890, the frontier was finally and officially declared "closed." In other words, all areas now had an average of more than two people per square mile. America's "manifest destiny," her mission to expand her territory all the way across the continent in order to provide room for future generations, had been completed. This frontier experience, the gradual but steady opening and settlement of new lands to the west, had continued for almost three hundred years .This experience of first surviving in and then cultivating the vast, wild land had a deep and lasting influence on the American char­acter. It strengthened the spirit of independence: the frontiersmen went ahead of governments, not behind them. It demanded self-reliance and self-confidence. It encouraged a sense of equality: what individuals could do was more important than who they or their parents were. It brought forth a restlessness, that "wanting to move on," which many observers still see in Americans today. It made Americans more willing to "get up and go" somewhere else in search of something better. It created a certain toughness: those who were weak, or lacking in willpower, did not do well on the frontier. And finally, it probably helped to develop a characteristic that has also been frequently noted among Americans. In bad times and good, they tend to move easily from one part of the country to another. They seem to settle in and feel quickly at home wherever they go.

America still is a highly mobile society. Be­tween 1975 and 1980, for example, 45 percent of the nation's families changed their residence.

 Half of those who moved stayed within the same county. The remainder moved to a different county or state. Of the over ten million adults and children who changed geographic regions during that period, seven million settled in the South and West. In the course of one year (1983-1984) alone, some 39 million Americans moved to a different house.

 

EXERCISES:

 

I GIVE RUSSIAN EQUIVALENTS TO THE FOLLOWING:

To settle, to assimilate, to take in immigrants, to acknowledge ethnic roots, religious affiliation, to maintain ethnic identity, foreign accent, to meet the legal requirements, parents’ ancestry, population density, to employ illegal aliens, to set quotas for immigrants, to abolish limits, political refugee, to impose stiff penalties, to give legal status and citizenship, to escape starvation and disease, heritage of slavery, to bring enormous benefits, to add brilliance to culture, to adjust official poverty level.

II MATCH THE VERBS WITH THEIR MEANINGS:

1 to mature, to evolve                                          A to obtain

2 to comprise, to compose, to form                      B to affect

3 to accept, to recognize, to admit                       C to maintain

4 to absorb                                                            D to make up

5 to carry on , to keep up, to retain,                     E to be fascinated

6 to think over, to suppose, to regard, to stu                   F to develop

7 to get, to receive, to catch, to acquire               G to acknowledge

8 to be charmed, to be enchanted                        H to claim

9 to choose, to pick up I to consider

10 to demand, to require                                       J to assimilate

11 to influence                                                     K to elect

III AGREE OR DISAGREE WITH THE FOLLOWING:

1 It would be very reasonable to view America simply as a collection of different immigrant groups and ethnic or religious loyalties.

2 Despite the variety of ethnic identities, immigration ex­periences, and cultural choices that have gone into making Americans is so complex, however, that describing the "average American" is not particularly difficult.

3 English in America is the common language by use, but it is not the national language by law.

4 Of all the different nationalities and ethnic groups which have gone into the making of America, many have quickly assimilated.

5 Significantly, the older categories of nationality brought from the Old World - race, lan­guage, religion, and parents' ancestry have really played and are playing a very important role in America nowadays.

6 The Constitution of the United States specifies that a nationwide census, a "head count" of all Americans, must be taken every ten years.

7 Similarly, the figures are very important in establishing how much money from federal taxes will be returned to the states, or how much cities will receive in aid from the federal government.

8 All immi­grants have contributed to the development of such "typical" American characteristics as willingness to take risks and to strike out for the unknown with independence and op­timism, and patriotism for the many who feel that they are Americans by choice.

9 However, neither the North nor the South would escape the grave social, economic, political, and moral problems that are the heritage of slavery.

 

IV COMMENT ON THE STATEMENTS FROM THE TEXT:

1 Those tens of millions of Americans who proudly acknowledge their ethnic roots are still "more American" than they are Irish, Italian, German, or Puerto Rican.

2 Major changes in the pattern of immigration have been caused by wars, revolutions, periods of starvation, persecutions, religious intoleration, and, in short, by any number of disasters which led people to believe that America was a better place to be.

3 Different nationalities and ethnic groups have largely lost or intentionally given up many of those specific markers which would make them much different from their neighbors.

4 America still is a highly mobile society. In bad times and good, they tend to move easily from one part of the country to another. They seem to settle in and feel quickly at home wherever they go.

 

V QUESTIONS FOR DISCUSSION:

1What are two reasons to say that United States is a nation of immigrants?

2Why is it misleading to view American society as collection of different immigrant groups?

3 Is it really so difficult to describe an average American? Why?

4 What is typical for the citizens of America and what not?

5 How do you understand the notion ”Americanization”?

6 What is in your opinion the best metaphor to describe American society?

7 What are the legal requirements for American citizenship?

8 Are the categories of nationality like race, language religion and parents’ ancestry important in America?

9 Why do you think Americans so much fascinated by various surveys, research studies and opinion polls?

10 What are the total population figures important for?

11 What valuable information does the census give?

12 Where can one get information about American society?

13 How can American society be characterized in terms of majorities and minorities?

14 How have the immigration patterns changed over the time?

15 Is immigration restricted in the USA?

16 Why did American government have to take measures to limit immigration?

17 What historic events and social conditions stipulated the immigration to the USA?

18 What are the moral questions associated with immigration?

19 Is the problem of poverty actual for American society nowadays?

20 What regions of the country live below official poverty level? Why?

21 American society is claimed to be highly mobile. What possible reasons for it can you give?

 

VI TRANSLATE INTO ENGLISH:

1.Население США – американцы - сложилось на основе огромного потока переселенцев, главным образом выходцев из Европы.

2. На всем протяжении исторического развития США иммиграция играла важную роль, поставляя рабочие руки для интенсивно развивающейся станы.

3 Особое положение в США занимает негритянское население - потомки рабов, насильно завезенных из Африки для работы на плантациях в южных штатах США.

4 Вековое рабство и расистский террор, которым подверглись негры в Америке, серьёзно затормозили их социальную и культурную ассимиляцию.

5 Негритянский элемент наложил своеобразный отпечаток на всю американскую культуру – начиная со специфического американского варианта английского языка и заканчивая литературой, музыкой и другими видами искусства.

 

AMERICAN GOVERNMENT

 

 MIND THE PRONUNCIATION OF THE FOLLOWING DIFFICULT WORDS:

аp­preciate  [ {#pri:Si,eit]         оценивать, (высоко) ценить;

consent      [k{n#sent]             согласие , позволение, разреше                                               ние

guideline     [# gaidlain]           директива, руководящие

                                                      указания , общий курс,

                                                      направление

ultimate      [#[ltimit]               окончательный, послед                                                        ний,конечный,завершающий,

unalienable  [ [n#eilj{n{b{l]     неотчуждаемый, не могущий                                                   быть отчуждённым

congressional [k{n#grES{n({)l]  относящийся к конгрессу

treasury      [#trEZ{ri]              государственное казначейство,

                                                      министерство финансов

bargain       [#ba:gin]                заключить сделку; договориться

appointment [{#pointm{nt]       назначение ( на должность,

                                                      место )

override     [,{uv{#raid]           анулировать, отвергать,

                                                      не принимать во внимание,

league        [ li:g]                      лига, союз, союз государств

campaign   [k@m#pein]          кампания ( against, for ); поход,

                                                      операция

convention [k{n#vEnSn]         собрание, съезд, соглашение,                                                     договоренность, договор,

succession [s{k#sES{n]        последовательность,

непрерывный ряд , преемственность,наследование, порядок

наследования, наследственное право

caucus        [ #kOk{s]              закрытое собрание членов

политической партии или фракции, фракционное совещание (для выдвижения кандидатов на предстоящие выборы или выработки

политической линии )

constituency [k{n#stitju{nsi]     избиратели, электорат,

                                                      избирательный округ

READ THE TEXT:

 

A New Nation

In 1776, the thirteen weak British colonies in America came together, stood up, and told what was then the world's greatest power that from now on they would be free and independent states. The British were neither impressed nor amused, and a bitter six-year war followed, the Revolutionary War (1776-83). It's hard to ap­preciate today, over two centuries later, what a revolutionary act this was. A new republic was founded, turning into reality the dreams and ideals of a few political philosophers. Americans broke with an age-old tradition, and so sent shock waves back across the ocean: they decided that it was their right to choose their own form of gov­ernment. At that time, the statement that govern­ments should receive their powers only "from the consent of the governed" was radical indeed. Something new was under the sun: a system of government, in Lincoln's words, "of the people, by the people, for the people."

 

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