Posted on 09/19/2015 9:41:05 AM PDT by Kaslin
"Immigration reached a level five times greater than a decade earlier.....new arrivals... crowded into the tenements of large cities. Crime and welfare costs soared..." Anyone who reads this excerpt from Battle Cry of Freedom by James McPherson, may think he was describing today's Europe or United States. Actually, he was talking about the United States in the mid-1850s and the "new arrivals" referred to newly arrived German and Irish Catholic immigrants.
By the mid-1850s, the U.S. received a large influx of immigrants, including two million German immigrants and over one million Irish immigrants. The City of Boston was called the "Dublin of America" because one of every three people living in the city were Irish. These immigrants were often regarded by native born Americans as unwanted competition for jobs, especially low paying jobs. In addition, many Americans regarded Irish Catholic immigrants as threats to our "republic values" because they feared Catholics would be more loyal to the Pope in Rome than to an American president.
A group of anti-immigrant native-born Americans formed the Native American Party, commonly known as the Know Nothing party because their party members' standard reply to questions about their activities was, "I know nothing about it." The Know Nothing Party advocated severe restrictions on immigration, the exclusion of the foreign-born from voting or holding public office in the U.S. and for a 21-year residency requirement for citizenship. In addition, they argued the nation's business owners should employ true Americans by denying employment to immigrants. Riding the popular anti-immigrants sentiment, the Know Nothing party won a series of local and congressional elections. It even nominated Millard Fillmore as their presidential candidate for the 1856 election. Fillmore lost the election, carrying only one state: Maryland. The party quickly declined after that.
Why is a history lesson on the "Know Nothing" party important? Because Donald Trump's anti-immigration rhetoric sounds similar to the rhetoric once uttered by members of the Know Nothing party. Trump began his presidential campaign by taking a strong anti-illegal immigration stand. He accused Mexico of sending "people that have lots of problems" to America including rapists, drug runners, and other criminals. In his recently issued immigration policy plan, Trump expanded his anti-immigrant rhetoric to include legal immigration. He declared an "influx of foreign workers holds down salaries, keeps unemployment high, and makes it difficult for poor and working class Americans," and he calls for a halt to the issuance of new green card until Americans are back to work.
Trump's soaring popularity among GOP voters forced some other Republican candidates to take a tough stand against legal immigrants as well. The most noticeable one is Scott Walker, who spoke favorably of a plan from Senator Jeff Session to reduce legal immigrants. Trump deserves credit for making immigration an important election year issue. But he is also running the risk of turning a fraction of the Republican party into the modern day "Know Nothing" and it is not a good thing.
We have 42 million immigrants in this country, including the 11 million illegal immigrants. This means the majority of our immigrants came here legally, followed the rules and met our requirements. Unfortunately, legal immigrants don’t have much of a voice in the current immigration debate. When most policy makers talk about immigration reform, they largely ignore the legal immigration group. It is important whenever we talk about immigrants and immigration reform, we need to draw a clear distinction between legal immigrants and illegal immigrants.
Legal immigration benefits our economy. Legal immigrants have a higher propensity to start businesses than native-born Americans. That shouldn't come as a surprise because only people who are risk-takers will pick themselves up and move to another country. Immigrants are 13% of the U.S. population, but they own 20% of the small businesses. In Silicon Valley, 44% of the high-tech businesses has at least one immigrant founder. These immigrants are creating jobs and contributing to America's Economy. For example, the Manhattan Institute analysis showed that in 2012 alone, immigrant founded businesses employed approximately 560,000 workers and generated $63 billion in sales. The same analysis concluded that " To help move our economy forward, we must embrace a more flexible system that allows more potential workers to enter the country legally. This will benefit native-born Americans, who will see broader job opportunities."
Thus, we must reform our immigration system. I strongly support securing our borders, enforcing immigration laws and reforming welfare eligibility for immigrants. But reforming immigration laws is different from being anti-immigration. As Rick Perry pointed out in his address suspending his presidential campaign, "We can secure the border and reform our immigration system without inflammatory rhetoric, without base appeals that divide us based on race, culture and creed. Demeaning people of Hispanic heritage is not just ignorant, it betrays the example of Christ. We can enforce our laws and our borders, and we can love all who live within our borders, without betraying our values."
One such conservative values is our faith in a free enterprise system, which is not a zero sum game because when everyone is empowered to better their lives through hard work, we can grow the pie. Rick Perry continued "we cannot indulge nativist appeals that divide the nation further." What we should do is to support a political leader who has the courage and wisdom to craft a new legal immigration proposal based on free market economic principles which not only keeps the bad guys out, but also attracts more America -loving and hard working immigrants to come to America and help grow our economic pie.
If we want such a leader in the office of Presidency, we can't afford to alienate legal immigrants, who now constitute about 10% of our population. As Bobby Jindal declared in a recent speech "The real danger is that, ironically, Donald Trump could destroy America's chance to be great again" by doing just that. Trump is turning the Republican Party into the modern day "Know Nothing" party and it is time primary voters stop him from accomplishing that.
And they and other 3rd world types hate us, want to destroy us and create huge terror/crime problems.
Then how come your third party doesn’t even make it to Congress?
In the mid 1850’s they came LEGALLY you Townhall idiot.
Townhall needs to change its name.
To Clownhall.
Townhall owned by Salem Media which also owns Red State, Hot Air, and Twitchy. Additionally, Salem Radio broadcasts the Medved, Bennett, and Hewitt shows. It’s a 24/7 bash Trump network.
All funded by Cheap Labor Express.
There is a difference between immigration visas, h1b, Student or Tourist Visas. Immigration visas are are for permanent residents who receive a green card. The others are temporary and the holder has to return to his or her country.
Exactly
My native language is German and there are many Germans here in my town. Germans speak always English when Americans are around. They find it very rude not to.
“They find it very rude not to.”
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Yes it is rude and Hispanics do it all of the time.
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Trump is exposing the good old boy club it’s why he gets the heat from all sides they don’t want to be out of the pay off game the MSM is just as crooked as the hacks.
A second significant difference, of course, is that those German & Irish immigrants, referred to in her article, came from ethnic lines & cultural heritages, vastly closer to the Anglo/Celtic culture of the Founders, than most of those coming into America today. While they required some time for assimilation, it was nothing like the present--and, what is also very significant, many of them really wanted to assimilate; really chose to identify with the rooted population.
We have only so much space; only so many natural resources. Whereas our Blessings may have seemed inexhaustible in 1850, there is a point, where we will not see it that way.
The most apt point, of all, of course is that the duty of any American Government is to take care of the legitimate needs of Americans. Any "politically correct" notions that conflict with the recognition of that primary duty, must be rejected out of hand by all patriots--and all who understand the purpose, clearly set forth in the Constitution.
To make a long story short, by the time my husband was transferred back to the States in 1966 and we all came here I was able not just to speak English, but also to read and write English
Do you have anything against naturalized citizen owning businesses?
“In the mid 1850’s they came LEGALLY you Townhall idiot.”
Exactly - which is how we know this (from the article): “By the mid-1850s, the U.S. received a large influx of immigrants, including two million German immigrants and over one million Irish immigrants.”
You got that right.
Another aspect is those Irish immigrants melted down and became US citizens and "Americans" who were proud of this country.
They proved that during during WWII. -Tom
Did I write something about naturalized citizens?
How about not alienating Americans for once?
How am I alienating Americans? I would like to stop. Even quit FR if necessary. Serious question.
“To make a long story short, by the time my husband was transferred back to the States in 1966 and we all came here I was able not just to speak English, but also to read and write English “
Good for you—it must have been a lot of work.
If you still have relatives or friends there have you heard anything about the immigrant crisis?
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Actually Michelle Malkin owns Twitchy and she was the founder of Hot Air.com until she sold it to Ed Morrison
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