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Kevin Tyler Allred

Jessy Feveryear
History 1700
29, April 2015
History Repeats Itself
The idea of the United States as a refuge for those seeking economic
opportunity or as an escape from oppression has always coexisted with suspicion of
and hostility to foreign newcomers. as written in Give Me Liberty!: An American
History by Eric Foner. Foner is of course referring to the settlers and their progeny
and not the Native Americans. The United States as referred to by Foner was
developed by immigrants who took the country from the Native Americans. Now
many Native Americans were skeptical of these new immigrants and did not know
how to respond to this new situation. Others were more welcoming and invited the
settlers into their lands. Eventually though the new immigrants took over the land
through arguably criminal behavior. If the Native Americans had treated the first
immigrants with the same disdain as the new Americans did then perhaps such
atrocities would not have followed. Regardless, somehow it eventually became
engrained into the new society that immigration was bad. That immigrants
themselves were criminals, who brought problems, stole jobs, and should be feared.
Now time has proven otherwise, with the Irish, the Chinese, and the Japanese
immigrants. Yet, this idea of immigration being so negative has repeated itself even
to this very day.
Not to be confused with the first immigrants to be discriminated against but
the Irish coming to America experienced a huge pushback from the nation. Foner

says, The Irish influx of the 1840s and 1850s thoroughly alarmed many native-born
Americans and led to violent anti-immigrant riots. Foner goes on to say, They
blamed immigrants for urban crime, political corruption, and a fondness for
intoxicating liquor, and they accused them of undercutting native-born skilled
laborers by working for starvation wages. These negative assertions were initially
directed towards the Blacks in America but these accusations continue to flourish
for all newcomers.
Next, the Chinese were targeted as laws were even passed to legally
discriminate against them. Chinese immigrants and business were met by mobs and
assault throughout the nation. The Chinese were not allowed to become citizens
and were eventually banned from immigrating all together. Those already in the
United States were segregated and persecuted. This trend repeats itself for the
Japanese as well and many other groups brining us up to the present day. The list of
politicians and the hate speech they have spewed out towards Mexican immigrants
falls right into line with history. Politicans and Reporters alike can be quoted as
saying things such as, they are criminals, they are lazy, they are ruining our
economy, they dont belong here referring to Mexican and Latino Immigrants.
Sarah Palin who was once a Vice Presidential candidate is on record saying, The
long voyage back across the Mexican Ocean should give them plenty of time to
think about how they shouldnt be coming here to America and jeopardizing our
freedom and prosperity by breaking our laws.. Not to mention her geographical
fallacies, but she reiterates the idea of them being a national threat. She evokes the
fear of lost freedom and lost financial prosperity and places the blame directly on
the immigrants. I could go on to provide more vulgar hate speech but it is obvious
that history is being repeated here. Though, there has not been a national uprising

of mobs and riots but Mexicans have experienced their historical share of violent
attacks and discrimination. In 2010 there was a several month long series of attacks
targeting Mexicans in Staten Island. As well as White Supremacist groups who
operate in California targeting any and all Mexicans whether they are immigrants or
not. Now, do Americans target the Irish, or the Chinese anymore? Were their initial
fears realized? Was any of this hate or violence ever necessary? I say no, and as this
negative part of history repeats itself, I hope that the eventual acceptance and
realization of the errors behind this thinking becomes the only part of history that
prevails.
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Works Cited
Foner, Eric. Give Me Liberty!: An American History. Fourth Edition ed. New York: W.W.
Norton, 2014. E-Book.
"Sarah Palin: Send Immigrants Back Across Ocean to Mexico." The Daily Currant.
Web. 29 Apr. 2015.
Semple, Kirk. "Attacks on Mexicans Leave Neighborhood in Turmoil." The New York
Times. The New York Times, 30 July 2010. Web. 29 Apr. 2015.