The Impact of Immigration on The United States (History Essay Example)

In the years before and surrounding the Civil War, immigrants to the United States began to grow in number, mostly coming from Europe due to issues with food and civil wars, attempting to find refuge. These people were mainly accepted, due to most all of them being white, but over time, as the numbers grew, people found ways to discredit and discriminate against them. Also around the same time, industry was experiencing a shift, with the new territories acquired from the Mexican-American War providing new opportunities to gain wealth and to acquire resources, once again fueling immigration to the United States, as well as economic shifts and growth, particularly with the later abolition of slavery. Immigration greatly affected the changing culture of the United States in numerous ways, with immigrants being used as a scapegoat for issues and attacked both verbally and physically by Nativists, fueled by xenophobia, and uniting Americans negatively against a supposed common enemy, while also bolstering the workforce and allowing for faster production and industrial growth, leading to some of the changes of the 20th century.Although earlier immigrants were viewed without a large amount of bias, as their numbers grew, fear did as well, with xenophobia promoting nativism, aggression, and rejection, particularly of those who were non-white. In the earlier days of immigration, around the 1840s and 50s, most immigrants coming in were from Europe, fleeing from the conflict there. In the mid 1800s, there was a particular influx of Irish immigrants due to the Irish Potato Famine. As with most unfamiliar groups, people became prejudiced against them, with stereotypes of the Irish portraying them as violent and unstable, as well as being all Catholic— something widely considered negative in the U.S. at the time. This fear mongering allowed for a new common enemy, especially after the abolition of slavery after the Civil War. However, another group became more prominent than the Irish immigrants— Chinese immigrants. Around the 1850s, an influx of Chinese people began to immigrate to America, particularly to areas on the West Coast, such as California, many due to the rumors of the gold rush. These immigrants were initially met with distrust and disrespect, with their skin color lending to even more stereotyping. Even the government bought in on this paranoia, with the 1882 Chinese Exclusion Act being passed following rumors that unskilled Chinese immigrants were stealing American jobs. Additionally, the “model minority” stereotype was born, with many publications depicting Chinese railroad workers as obedient and docile, as well as hard-working and smart. They were viewed not as people to respect, however, but as people who needed to be controlled and supervised by whites, once again showing the pervasiveness of racism.In addition to being used as fuel for xenophobia and being shown as a common enemy or a scapegoat, immigrants were able to bolster the economy and work in numerous difficult manual labor jobs that were thought unsafe for Americans. This directly contradicted the rumors blaming immigrants for “stealing American jobs,” but this fact was largely ignored. With many Chinese immigrants coming to California due to the gold rush, they were able to be employed in jobs such as railroad construction or similar unfavorable jobs. These “opportunities” given, combined with the large number of immigrants, allowed for massive growth in a short amount of time, with the most significant pause occurring around the time of the Civil War. After that, however, as the U.S. began to foster economic prosperity, immigrant workers became even more important, particularly with the demise of slavery, which previously was largely depended upon by Southern farmers, despite its clear unethicality and general cruelty. In the later 1800s, around the era of the industrial revolution, immigrant laborers continued to work heavy-duty jobs, forming communities and even living in specific areas due to discrimination and cultural connections. These factors were all able to contribute to another kind of community within the U.S.— one of immigrants.Even now, the U.S. continues to view itself as a diverse and radiant blend of cultures, reflecting all of their good elements and acting as a “mixing pot” of sorts. However, discrimination based on ethnicity still exists, and immigration continues to be a hot topic, with the same conspiracy of immigrants stealing jobs being spread to this day. In particular, non-white immigrants are shunned, as demonstrated with the large amount of hatred towards Chinese immigrants versus that towards European immigrants. Additionally, these tight-wound immigrant communities continue to exist as well, with bonds being formed despite— or in addition to— adversity. All of this shows the prevalence of some aspects of American culture, both good and bad. Just as community exists, prejudice and xenophobia does too, continuing a lasting trend.