Lynch, 3rd Hour

Katie Lynch
Miss Neitzel
05 January 2018
Winter Assignment
The United States of America is a country born and bred with immigrants. Being called
the “melting pot” for so many years, the country has a reputation for the diversity of its
population. Rarely, a person has ancestors that all came from the same country, resulting in
immense {?diversion with American citizens?}. But today, immigrants are coming into the country
and are often viewed differently than previously. For centuries, immigration laws have
been a highly controversial topic. America asks this question: would it benefit or be more of a
detriment if immigration rates were restricted?

[This last sentence was removed. Answer at the end after weighing up]

The issue on immigration has always been present, and the American people have unique
views which differ from one person to the next. America was established to become a land of
immigrants, a land which welcomes all. The Statue of Liberty, built in 1875, “glows world-wide
welcome” to incoming immigrants all across the world (Lazarus 2). Immigrants came to
America, seeking a new life and an escape from the problems they faced in their old land, but
immigrants faced a new challenge after traveling to the country. America’s economy worsened
in the 1890s resulting in the rise of immigration laws. It became difficult for immigrants to be
accepted into the country, especially for those who were not natural-born English speakers.

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“Intelligence test were biased against all non-English-speaking persons and medical
examinations became increasingly strict…”(Gordon, 16). A large number of immigrants were rejected as a result.
Mary Gordon, a journalist and novelist who wrote the article, “More than Just a
Shrine” in 1985,  explained that for many who were rejected, “there was nothing to go back to,
or there was certain death”(Gordon, 16). Others who were rejected, such as the adventurers, felt
like failures and resorted to suicide. Suicide rates increased among immigrants due to the strict
laws. They had high hopes and dreams of coming to the “melting pot” that is America, but
instead were declined and were left with nowhere to go. Although America was built by
immigrants that had planted the seed for the country, they were treated in ways they did not
deserve. Even today, immigrants are not treated equally with American-born citizens, and they
will continue to face discrimination as long as they keep coming into the country.
There will always be people that  disagree with immigration laws and resent immigrants
that come into the country. As the United States' population grows larger, jobs are taken by
immigrants which angers American citizens. Dennis Kearney and H. L. Knight, who are against
immigration wrote an article, arguably racist [why? explain], against the exclusion of Chinese workers. They
exclaim, “We have permitted them to become immensely rich against all sound republican
policy, and they have turned upon us to sting us to death”(Kearney/Knight, 3). They viewed the
Chinese and other kinds of immigrants very harshly, held negative views toward them, and
successfully convinced many people’s views. Many people, like Kearney and
Knight, viewed immigrants as aliens or animals. This view toward immigrants is unfair and
unjust, but will always be present . Robert H. Clancy tried to create sympathy for several specific
groups of immigrants to disallow the ratification of the Johnson Reed Act in 1924 as he

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saw the racial discrimination happening in all parts of America. He described, “Since the
foundations of the American commonwealth were laid in colonial times over 300 years ago,
vigorous complaint and more or less bitter persecution have been aimed at newcomers to our
shores”(Clancy, 8). He sympathized with immigrants and hoped people would change their views.
Ultimately, Clancy failed his goal and the Johnson Reed Act was ratified. In addition to stopping
the ratification of the Act, his wanted people to see eye-to-eye with immigrants and
exterminate discrimination, although it was not certain that discrimination would have halted had he been successful.
 Many still resent immigrants, and the
only way to drastically reduce immigrant persecution is to reduce their numbers in the country,
as immigrants hold a high percentage of the entire population of the United States while the
country is expanding fast. [This sentence might need reworking]
When the country was first established, immigration rates were high. Since the
population was low, it did not present a problem. Today, America’s population is in the hundred
millions, and some places are overpopulated. Ellison DuRant Smith, a Senator in South Carolina,
presents a speech which argues for the ratification of the Johnson Reed Act. He presents the
claim of overpopulation, stating “We are increasing at such a rate that in the natural course of
things in a comparatively few years the landed resources, the natural resources of the country,
shall be taken up by the natural increase of our population”(Smith, 11). Since 1924, the
population has risen over two hundred million people. As the population continues to rise, more
production, resources and land are needed to help make this country habitable. Smith explains
that the natural resources available to America is will decline, it will be
more difficult to provide for the growing population. If we restrict the number

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of immigrants coming into the country, the population will not increase as quickly and we will
have more time to find the resources we need. Smith also points out “we have sufficient stock in
America now for us to shut the door, Americanize what we have, and save the resources of
America for the natural increase of our population”(Smith, 11). When America was first
established, we needed immigrants to help accumulate the country and make it prosperous.
Smith explains that America is now at a high number of citizens, and the country is not desperate
for immigrants anymore. We hardly have room for more families coming into the country, as the
resources we have are limited. America needs to limit the number of
immigrants coming into the country as the population keeps growing to preserve the resources it
has already and to lower the number of people being discriminated against.
In many cases, restricting immigration rates would benefit both the immigrant and the
American citizen, whether it is clear or not. [More?] America needs to preserve its natural resources for us
to survive in this country. Ever since the late 1800s, laws and regulations has made it difficult to be
welcomed into the country and to gain citizenship. Even though today, the process is much
simpler, racial discrimination still exists and continues to be a big issue. America should do what
is right for all, and restrict immigration laws even more than they are today. The country used to
be the “melting pot”, but traditions are fading and times are changing. Just because America used
to be a country bred with immigrants doesn’t mean it still needs to be today. We need to adjust to
the differences of the 21st century and do what is best for all.

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