Course Description:
This course examines the history of American immigration from the colonial period to the present. It begins with the settlement of the English colonies, comparing the models of immigration experienced in the southern, New England and Middle colonies. It then examines the role of immigration in the formation of the new republic. The mass European migration during the mid and late 19th / early 20th centuries is discussed, as well as the experience of Chinese and Mexican immigrants. The course then examines the impact of the national origins restrictions on immigration imposed in the 1920s, particularly on admission of refugees before and during World War II. Attention next turns to the Bracero program to admit Mexican guest workers to fill labor demands, particularly in agriculture. The course then examines the end of national origins quotas and the growing migration from Latin America and Asia, focusing particularly on the lessons learned from four landmark pieces of legislation—the Immigration Amendments of 1965, the Refugee Act of 1980, the Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986 and the Immigration Act of 1990. It concludes with an examination of the growth in undocumented migration and the security implications of such events as September 11 on the evolution of U.S. immigration policies.