The Upside of Immigrants in the United States
The Upside of Immigrants in the United States
Many people have the perception that immigrants present a threat to the American culture. However, the immigrants have greatly developed the American culture and conversely enhanced the country’s influence in the world (Griswold). The views on immigration issue have been controversial over the years. About two to three centuries ago, Benjamin Franklin raised concerns that German immigrants were too many to the extent of swamping the country’s British predominant culture (Griswold). However, time has only served to diversify the kind of immigrants that settle in the U.S. with Irish, Russians, Poles, Italians, and representatives of many other nations and cultures.
The Upside of Immigrants in the United States
Immigration plays an important role in shaping up the United States. Many people may argue that it is undermining the American culture, but America has already developed to a country of immigrants. These immigrants have brought an entirely diverse way of reasoning to the American environment. Immigrants have kept the United States demographically young. What is more, immigrants have enriched the country’s culture and eventually added to the country’s productivity (Griswold). This has effectively made the U.S. stand out and, ultimately, enhanced its influence in the world.
Immigrants bring a different notion of the economy. The people migrating to the U.S come up with diverse and innovative ideas and efficient entrepreneurial spirit. These immigrants are from different parts of the world, and thus they have connections with their birthplaces and offer a bridge for the interaction with the global world. This has helped the United States be able to trade profitably and invest in the global world. There are people from different countries, ethnicities, and races in the United States and thus it is easier to make a trade with nearly every company.
An article in the New York Times back in September 2016 argued that immigrants have both positive and negative impacts on the United States. Two parties about the economic and fiscal consequences caused by immigrants led a speech. The government confirmed that the immigrants are beneficial for America. However, conservatives who does not approve immigrants being allowed in the country read the same report but altered the conclusion in such a way that it argues that taxpayers and workers lose business benefits given immigrants crossing American border (Edsall). These conservatives do not want to say that the immigrants are helping, they argue by stating that these immigrants take jobs that could be taken by Americans. The conservatives interpreted the report to mean that the immigrants do not pay enough taxes. However, immigrants have become a part of what America is. They have been in America for a long while, and they would leave a big void to fill if they were ever uprooted (Edsall). The issue of taxation has long been an issue of concern in the United States, in an article by Trussell back in 1964; the 88th Congress ended its first session without looking at the major issue, tax reduction and the issue of civil rights. People cannot argue that the immigrants are the cause of high taxation and then argue that they do not pay taxes.
Immigrants have helped to work in plantations. Most of them live in the rural areas whereby they get to work on farms to feed themselves (Edsall). They help the nation develop itself. They act as a bridge offering services to help America become better while despising their life. They work in the rural areas, while the common American garners wealth in the urban market (Edsall). The times have changed, immigrants used to be strangers in the U.S., but they have grown to be a part of the country. In January 1965, the school enrollment board tried to ensure that people were not biased due to race or ethnicity. An article in the New York Times shows that the board agreed to enrol more blacks and Puerto Rican pupils in public schools to shift the ethnic balance in schools (Buder). This article shows that these two groups are, however, were a majority in schools in two cities, Manhattan and Bronx. This shows that immigrants were still considered as a part of the United States. Immigrants are mainly located along the border of the U.S. and Mexico, and thus, the number of immigrants in the rural areas is higher than that in the Urban. However, Miami holds the highest number of the foreign-born population followed by San Jose, Los Angeles, San Francisco, and New York while Pittsburg, Birmingham, Cincinnati, and St. Louis contain the least population (Florida). This shows that immigrants still opt for the most prosperous states and maybe they enact their idea to make them better.
Immigrants have contributed greatly to the diverse culture the United States boast of. The United States has given shelter to people of various religions to get to associate with Muslims, Christians, and Buddhists among other religions. Many people assume that generally immigrants have just settled in America and assimilated the American way of life at once. However, they fail to understand that the immigrants have also helped shape the culture of the United States.
Immigrants have contributed to the American culture through performing arts and other cultural pursuits. There are a high number of talented immigrants in academia and Hollywood, and this has led to many American institutions being open to innovation (Hirschman). Some people treat immigrants like outsiders. They do not try to understand the story of their lives. They are people living in the memories of the world they left behind and the world they are living in. Besides, they encounter daily struggles to understand new dialects, the customs of the new society, living and working in strange lands, and they have to cope with unfamiliar people. Some of these immigrants bring pieces of their culture and enact them in the American culture, shaping it in a different way. Some use art as a way of expression and ultimately tell a story worth writing or talking about.
Immigration is an aspect whereby people move to another place because either it is better or they are running away from some harsh conditions or they are simply seeking refugee (Thio, Taylor and Schwartz). These immigrants offer manpower and help promote development in the United States. They colour the country with different cultures and customs and make the United States a different nation from the rest of the world. The immigrants are not a threat to the country’s cultural enrichment. Rather, they are a part of this country’s culture, and they help make America what it is today. They have been a part of the United States to such an extent that they know about the U.S. more than they know about Mexico or any country they came from.
In conclusion, it is understandable to argue that immigrants have contributed positively and negatively to development in the United States. However, the above argument serves to show that the immigrants have played a crucial part in defining the United States. They are a part of the United States and no matter how much people try to steer away from this perception; immigrants have actually played an in important role in making the United States a superpower that it is. They have assimilated well in the U.S., and they have helped develop a diverse culture (Edsall). Many people have come to the U.S. and lived together, sharing their different cultures and embracing the culture of the United States, and thus they have promoted cultural enrichment (Hirschman). Therefore, immigrants are a part of the U.S., and they have benefited the country to great extents.
Works Cited
Buder, Leanard. “Ethnic Balance in Schools Shifts .” The New York Times, 1 Jan. 1964. <http://www.nytimes.com>. Accessed 18 March 2017.
Edsall, Thomas. “What Does Immigration Actually Cost Us?” The New York Times, 29 September 2016. <http://www.nytimes.com>. Accessed 18 March 2017.
Florida, Richard. “America’s Leading Immigrant Cities.” City Lab, 22 Sep. 2015. <http://www.citylab.com>. Accessed 18 March 2017.
Griswold, Daniel. “Immigrants Have Enriched American Culture and Enhanced our Influence in the World .” Insight, 18 February 2002. <http://www.cato.org>. Accessed 17 March 2017.
Hirschman, Charles. “The Contributions of Immigrants to American Culture.” Daedalus, vol. 142, no.3, 2013, 1-19.
Thio, Alex, Tayloy, Jim and Martin Schwartz. Deviant Behaviour. Boston: Pearson, 2013.
Trussell, C. P. “Work in Congress is Far From Over.” The New York Times, 1 Jan. 1964. <http://www.nytimes.com/1964/01/01/work-in-congress-is-far-from-over.html>. Accessed 18 March 2017.
