Immigration Made This Nation

The land of opportunities... it’s a motto I’ve become aware countless people of immigrant status live their lives by here in the United States. This really hits home for the reason that my parents are immigrants themselves. So when I was researching and I came across the Birth Right Citizenship Act of 2011 and found out how much this bill could concern not only tens of thousands of immigrants, but also many people I am acquainted with and have been part of my life.

The act states if born in the United States one of your parents must be a citizen, permanent resident or be serving in the armed forces if not you would not be considered a citizen of the United States. This got me thinking about something John F. Kennedy said in his Inaugural Address when he took office in 1961. “For man holds in his mortal hands the power to abolish all forms of human poverty and all forms of human life” (Kennedy, 197). What he says is spot on people have so much power in their hands and what they choose to do with it can have an effect on so many factors in life and people. Even though this never got approved I still think the people who had the power to craft this act chose to use their influence and power in a way that they wouldn’t know how much it damage it could lead to. This is something so un-American for the reason that under the Constitution, Amendment 14 it states if you’re born in the United States you are therefore a Citizen of the United States so to me even considering taking away the right of being a citizen, taking away benefits of medical care, education and a better hope for future generations is something I doubt the forefathers of this nation would have wanted to happen when they were fighting for the freedoms we have at this instant.

            The New York Times states in an article, “From the time of the nation’s founding, immigration has been crucial to the growth of the United States and a periodic source of conflict.” Immigration is what the nation is made of and I think people will always be divided with what they’re opinion is of it. Even if you don’t agree with it I don’t think it should lead to violence against a certain group of immigrants for what help would that be it would just cause a great abyss between different races, cultures, and nationalities and that is not have a nation as a whole.

 “The far and the near, the home counties and the back, the rich and the poor, will suffer or rejoice alike” (Paine). Thomas Paine reveals these words in his speech, The Crisis, when the nation struggled for their own independence and right to a fresh start in the colonies, away from Britain during the late 18^th century. For more than 230 years we have been a nation made up of people from all corners of the world; looking for the liberty and right to obtain the luxuries this country offers. So denying those rights to someone whose parents weren’t born in the United States of America is un-American and is not what this nation’s foundation was built of.

Immigration made this nation; since the commence of this nation it’s been people rummaging for

better and in America they found refugee from persecution and a new start. Nothing has changed

since those times of the birth of this country and I hope immigrants receive fair treatment in this

“land of opportunity” where they vision for success and push for better.

Work Cited

"Immigration." Immigration. The New York Times, 12 Sept. 2012. Web. 15 Nov. 2012. <http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/subjects/i/immigration-and-emigration/index.html>.

“H.R. 140--112th Congress: Birthright Citizenship Act of 2011.” GovTrack.us (database of federal legislation). 2011. November 15, 2012 <http://www.govtrack.us/congress/bills/112/hr140

 

Paine, Thomas. "The Crisis." December 23, 1776. Independence Hall Association, 4 July 1995. Web. 16 Nov. 2012. <http://www.ushistory.org/paine/crisis/c-01.htm>.

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