Reflection
I thought I knew enough about immigration going into this project, but I was mistaken. There is so much that I have learned about immigration through this research. I had the opportunity to listen to two firsthand accounts and really get an understanding for the personal journey those former immigrants had experienced. I learned that these two former immigrants had different stories about arriving to America, but shared some of the same hardships and experiences; doubt, fear, willingness to be accepted. This insight gave me an appreciation for my adoptive mother who journeyed by way of boat to Ellis Island from Santo Domingo many years ago.
I know presently, immigration is a big topic that many speak about; mostly in a negative way. Those people want better boarder controls and don’t believe that illegal immigrants have rights. What I found interesting about this statement, especially after doing this research, is America is where it is today because of immigration. Many consider immigrants today as being Mexican people. Immigrants are all people who leave their country of origin and move to another country with intent on living there. Immigrants in this country are those whose ancestry has no connection with a Native American lineage. That being said, I believe it is wrong to have such a negative viewpoint without knowing all the facts. Many think immigrants come here to steal jobs away from the American people. Immigrants don’t steal jobs. In order for this statement to be accurate, one would insinuate that job positions and titles belonging to someone are taken; when in fact immigrants coming into this country, for the most part, have difficulties finding jobs because of the language barrier. Some early immigrants only came to America to earn enough money to start their own businesses back in their country of origin. To say that all immigrants come to America to steal jobs is ridiculous.
I never took much notice to the fact that numerous immigrants do own their own businesses. Growing up in New York City it is easy to see this. There are many bodegas in the city ran by Hispanics, lots of jewelry stores held in possession by Middle Eastern people, and nail salons owned by Orientals. Immigrant entrepreneurship allowed the American economy to grow. If anything, the immigrants promote jobs and competition which makes a thriving economy.
This research gave me the opportunity to see immigration from both points of view. The first viewpoint sees immigration into America, as having a positive impact on the American culture and economy. The second viewpoint sees immigration as having negative effects in America economically. I have learned much and would still like to continue learning more about this topic of immigration seeing as it is still relevant today. I also hope that the reader who reads the information in this digital exhibit will find the information interesting enough to go out and do their own research to build up their point of view.
I thought I knew enough about immigration going into this project, but I was mistaken. There is so much that I have learned about immigration through this research. I had the opportunity to listen to two firsthand accounts and really get an understanding for the personal journey those former immigrants had experienced. I learned that these two former immigrants had different stories about arriving to America, but shared some of the same hardships and experiences; doubt, fear, willingness to be accepted. This insight gave me an appreciation for my adoptive mother who journeyed by way of boat to Ellis Island from Santo Domingo many years ago.
I know presently, immigration is a big topic that many speak about; mostly in a negative way. Those people want better boarder controls and don’t believe that illegal immigrants have rights. What I found interesting about this statement, especially after doing this research, is America is where it is today because of immigration. Many consider immigrants today as being Mexican people. Immigrants are all people who leave their country of origin and move to another country with intent on living there. Immigrants in this country are those whose ancestry has no connection with a Native American lineage. That being said, I believe it is wrong to have such a negative viewpoint without knowing all the facts. Many think immigrants come here to steal jobs away from the American people. Immigrants don’t steal jobs. In order for this statement to be accurate, one would insinuate that job positions and titles belonging to someone are taken; when in fact immigrants coming into this country, for the most part, have difficulties finding jobs because of the language barrier. Some early immigrants only came to America to earn enough money to start their own businesses back in their country of origin. To say that all immigrants come to America to steal jobs is ridiculous.
I never took much notice to the fact that numerous immigrants do own their own businesses. Growing up in New York City it is easy to see this. There are many bodegas in the city ran by Hispanics, lots of jewelry stores held in possession by Middle Eastern people, and nail salons owned by Orientals. Immigrant entrepreneurship allowed the American economy to grow. If anything, the immigrants promote jobs and competition which makes a thriving economy.
This research gave me the opportunity to see immigration from both points of view. The first viewpoint sees immigration into America, as having a positive impact on the American culture and economy. The second viewpoint sees immigration as having negative effects in America economically. I have learned much and would still like to continue learning more about this topic of immigration seeing as it is still relevant today. I also hope that the reader who reads the information in this digital exhibit will find the information interesting enough to go out and do their own research to build up their point of view.