An Immigrant Nation

Paper Summary:

This paper examines the statement by Joppke that America is ?a nation of immigrants?. The writer argues that this argument does not make sense for the current reality of America's society. It examines concepts such as "native, "immigrant", and "American" in order to see the way Americans view their nationality.

From the Paper:

"I am an American. I am not an immigrant. Therefore, America is not a nation of immigrants. This is the reason of logic. Of the abundance of knowledge and understanding that I've accumulated since returning to my studies, I think none is more important than basic principles of logic, namely, the language. In all disciplines the ability to reason abstractly in solving problems is an important tool. One must be able to understand the written and spoken word of reasonable people, to analyze problems objectively and to avoid arriving at conclusions hastily without considering all the evidence. Surely, intolerance and prejudice thrive in the absence of clear thinking individuals. Christian Joppke in Immigration and the Nation-State begins with the faulty assumption that America is indeed "A Nation of Immigrants". He bought into the premise presented by John F. Kennedy in his book by the same name, hook, line and sinker. But, according to the 2000 U.S. Census, ninety percent of our population is born in the United States. How could that ascendancy of homegrown Americans justify us being called a "nation of immigrants?""

More papers on An Immigrant Nation:

• Term Paper # 141255 : "Is A Canadian An Immigrant?"
• Analytical Essay # 150277 : "Immigration and Society: Views from Michael Lind's "The Next American Nation" and Peter Brimelow's "Alien Nation"
• Analytical Essay # 132245 : "Immigration Policy and Canadian Nation-Building"

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