In: Economics
Why is the study of American Immigrant History an important and integral part of understanding the American experience?
The United States is a country that has been populated, constructed, and transformed from almost every part of the world by successive waves of migration. This reality is widely recognized in the familiar image of the United States as a "nation of immigrants" and by the vast majority of Americans who lovingly trace their family history to Asia, Africa, or Europe, or a mixture of origins that often includes an ancestry of one or more of the Americas' many indigenous peoples.
Successful integration of immigrants and their children leads to the economic growth of the country and its lively, continually evolving society. The United States has given immigrants and their children opportunities to develop themselves and become fully integrated into this society; in return, "immigrants" have become "Americans" adopting an American heritage and citizenship, defending the United States through military service, constructing its cities, harvesting its crops and enriching everything from nation cuisine
Immigrants change the fabric of culture in a society. We do technically. Yet the passing of time , modern technologies, social media, an indigenous community, and much more. In fact, by bringing new ideas, skills, traditions, cuisines and art, immigrants are transforming culture for the better. Far from erasing current society, they are widening it. Nowhere is this clearer than in the United States where, under the umbrella of the American flag creating a common identity, hundreds of various ethnic groups live in harmony.
Immigrants boost America's economic growth and increase American workers' overall productivity through the provision of much-needed skills. Immigrant workers allow significant economic sectors to expand, attract investment and create job opportunities for native-born Americans. Immigrants come to the U.S. for the equality and prosperity it provides. They come to work for themselves and their families and create a better life. Immigrants fill niches on the labor market, typically at the top and bottom ends of the skill spectrum, where the supply of native-born workers tends to fall short of US employers' demands. Our economy would be less competitive without immigrants