4 ms·

It's a country founded by immigrants and for much of its history it welcomed them (with some significant caveats). The assertion that America is only for people

It's a country founded by immigrants and for much of its history it welcomed them (with some significant caveats). The assertion that America is only for people who are already here is both radical and relatively recent. That's what's crazy.

drb91 8y ago
> The assertion that America is only for people who are already here is both radical and relatively recent. That's what's crazy. Well, to be fair, most immigration policy can be traced to blatantly racist policies, for instance against people of chinese descent.
- deleted 8y ago
  [deleted]
hnaccy 8y ago
>The assertion that America is only for people who are already here is both radical and relatively recent. That's what's crazy. Benjamin Franklin directly puts forth and supports the notion of America as a place for white people(British/saxon) in the 1750s.
hn_throwaway_99 8y ago
> The assertion that America is only for people who are already here is both radical and relatively recent. That's not a very accurate reading of American history. There have been many instances in America's past of anti-immigrant sentiment, and even violence. Here's a particularly good article about anti-immigrant cartoons from the early 1900s: https://www.theatlantic.com/national/archive/2011/11/racist-anti-immigrant-cartoons-from-the-turn-of-the-20th-century/383248/ https://www.theatlantic.com/national/archive/2011/11/racist-...
- staticautomatic 8y ago
  You and others who replied to my comment have rightfully pointed out that America's anti-immigration policies have primarily been rooted in racism. Granted. That said, I think you've responded to a point that is related to but different from mine. My observation is that the rhetoric around immigration has noticeably evolved from "Those people aren't allowed in" to also include "The only people who can rightfully be here are already here." The difference is subtle but real, and it has been accompanied by a lot of historical revisionism around the idea that America isn't a country of or for immigrants at all and never really was. That's simply not true, regardless of the racism issues, and I think it's a somewhat radical perspective.
  - drb91 8y ago
    (I was another person who replied) I wholeheartedly agree with this sentiment, and it is incredibly frustrating and heartbreaking to watch what is happening around the country for literally my entire life (I was born in '91) but especially today with what is essentially concentration camps for people who want to be part of our country.
refurb 8y ago
It’s not the 1800’s. Having the same immigration policy as back then makes no sense.
- ionised 8y ago
  Why? Would you say the same for other laws and rights, like gun ownership?

drb91 8y ago

> The assertion that America is only for people who are already here is both radical and relatively recent. That's what's crazy. Well, to be fair, most immigration policy can be traced to blatantly racist policies, for instance against people of chinese descent.

deleted 8y ago
[deleted]

hnaccy 8y ago

>The assertion that America is only for people who are already here is both radical and relatively recent. That's what's crazy. Benjamin Franklin directly puts forth and supports the notion of America as a place for white people(British/saxon) in the 1750s.

hn_throwaway_99 8y ago

> The assertion that America is only for people who are already here is both radical and relatively recent. That's not a very accurate reading of American history. There have been many instances in America's past of anti-immigrant sentiment, and even violence. Here's a particularly good article about anti-immigrant cartoons from the early 1900s: https://www.theatlantic.com/national/archive/2011/11/racist-anti-immigrant-cartoons-from-the-turn-of-the-20th-century/383248/ https://www.theatlantic.com/national/archive/2011/11/racist-...

staticautomatic 8y ago
You and others who replied to my comment have rightfully pointed out that America's anti-immigration policies have primarily been rooted in racism. Granted. That said, I think you've responded to a point that is related to but different from mine. My observation is that the rhetoric around immigration has noticeably evolved from "Those people aren't allowed in" to also include "The only people who can rightfully be here are already here." The difference is subtle but real, and it has been accompanied by a lot of historical revisionism around the idea that America isn't a country of or for immigrants at all and never really was. That's simply not true, regardless of the racism issues, and I think it's a somewhat radical perspective.
- drb91 8y ago
  (I was another person who replied) I wholeheartedly agree with this sentiment, and it is incredibly frustrating and heartbreaking to watch what is happening around the country for literally my entire life (I was born in '91) but especially today with what is essentially concentration camps for people who want to be part of our country.

refurb 8y ago

It’s not the 1800’s. Having the same immigration policy as back then makes no sense.

ionised 8y ago
Why? Would you say the same for other laws and rights, like gun ownership?