America has long been thought of as a
land of opportunity by both those who live here and those who may wish to come.
Most of us have a general perception of our country as welcoming others who
seek freedom and a better life. But since colonial times and continuing to the
present day, immigration has been a complex and ever-changing situation.
Drawing on numerous original sources – including policy documents, publications
of the times, personal stories, and archival photographs – author Linda Barrett
Osborne presents a comprehensive, nuanced, highly informative yet very
accessible history of immigration. She identifies sets of issues regarding our
nation’s policies, practices, and public sentiment over three centuries.
Indeed, at various points in the text, she poses explicit questions to readers
for sharing and serious discussion. “Why do we sometimes invite immigration and
sometimes fear it? How much does race play a part in whether we accept new
immigrants? Does the legacy of our country’s origin as a group of English
colonies still shape our attitudes?” We know that, except for native peoples
who lived here before our continent was “discovered,” all our ancestors were
immigrants. Immigrants sometimes came in waves activated by economic,
religious, or social strife, or, simply, the prospect of a better life –
Germans, Irish, English, Italians, Jews, Eastern Europeans, Asians, Latin
Americans and more. Why, then, do new immigrants and refugees, with the same
hopes and dreams as those coming before, often face discrimination or outright
exclusion? While the issues are complicated and our ability to be generous is
sometimes compromised, we cannot deny that immigrants have brought rich
diversity and growth to our country that could not have been obtained
otherwise. This Land Is Our Land: A History of American Immigration enables
us to learn about our history and examine our attitudes, serving us well as we
move forward. Ages 11 to adult.
