Immigration and the Economy weed out the selfish people

To draw on a cliche the United States is a melting pot of ethnicities. My ancestors all come from different backgrounds. I am everything from English to Native American. Practically every ethnicity that I am, has faced persecution in some way, at some point in their lives. To focus on one, Irish immigrants during the 19th century faced particularly harsh persecution. They came to America, like so many others before and after them, to get away from poverty, starvation, and scary political/religious situations. Coming to America was a dream for them. But many Americans resented them, like they do Hispanics today. "Some Americans view immigrants as cheap and conscientious workers in a tight labor market- one in which arduous or distasteful jobs are especially hard to fill. Others see immigrants taking away jobs from American-born workers, depressing wages, and becoming a burden for federal and local governments" (Maggs 424).

When the Irish came to America, they did not face as much racism and prejudice as Hispanics or African Americans but they did deal with a fair amount. Being white made their immigration easier since they blended in more, but their different beliefs and views made them stand out. Since many Irish people are Catholic, they had to deal with prejudice against their religion. Nativists, who believed in "favoring of the interests of long-standing inhabitants of an area over those of newcomers" (u-shistory.com) were afraid that the Irish immigrants would be more loyal to the church than to the United States (Kenny). Just like so many other religious prejudices, the Irish's belief in Catholicism was targeted.

The Irish were also targeted because of their impact on the economy. People thought that they were taking all of the lower, working class jobs. Since they were willing to work for lower wages this was often true. This also caused wages to be lowered since the Irish were willing to work for so cheap. Why should businesses hire people expecting more when they could get such cheap labor? "Many Americans also feared that the Irish would never advance socially but would instead become the first permanent working class in the United States, threatening the central principle of 19th-century American life: upward social mobility through hard work" (Kenny). They feared the death of the American dream by people who came here just for the American dream.

It was not until 1960, when John F. Kennedy was elected as president, that anti-Irish feelings ended (Kenny). How sad that it took so long. But at least it shows that those feelings can be abolished. Perhaps someday Hispanics can be freely accepted and actually thanked for taking the awful, low-wage jobs, that no one really wants anyway. People are just selfish.

Clearly, there are many sides to immigration. People all deserve a happy life. Those who come to America have every right to better themselves in my opinion. But those who are already here sometimes feel that they are losing opportunities. Life is never fair or completely equal of course but it seems like we can make room for everyone and accomodate each other. The economy seems to always be at an extreme of either prosperity or devastation. Can immigrants really throw off the balance or are they just our excuse? The scapegoat for us, those who are most likely to blame.


Kenny, Kevin. "Irish Immigrants in the United States." America - Engaging the World - America.gov. 13 Feb. 2008. Web. 05 Nov. 2009. .

Nativist definition: http://www.u-s-history.com/pages/h1451.html#N