Immigration Debates in America

by William Katerberg

Overview

American immigration policies have changed significantly over the past 200 years, but debates over more restrictive versus more open policies have recurring themes. Should the U.S. restrict immigration to prevent its ethnic, racial, and religious character from changing? Should any immigrant who accepts American political values be welcome? Immigration Debates in America begins in the 1830s and 1840s, with campaigns against Irish-Catholic immigration. Then it turns to anti-Chinese legislation (1870s-1920s), immigration policies about Europeans (1880s-1920s), the rejection of Jewish refugees from Hitler's Germany (1930s), the Mexican American border region, and Muslim immigration today.

The history examined in this book is not just about conflict, but also adaptation. Native-born Americans and new groups of immigrants repeatedly have grown accustomed to each other. The vision of who can be American has widened and become more diverse over time. By putting debates about immigration in historical context, this book can help us understand the practical and ethical considerations that shape immigration policies today

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781937555481
Publisher:	Calvin College Press
Publication date:	08/21/2020
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	178
File size:	14 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.

About the Author

William Katerberg is a professor of history and director of the Mellema Program in Western American Studies at Calvin University. He earned his PhD from Queens University in Canada. He has published four books, edited Fides et Historia, the journal of the Conference on Faith and History, and co-edited a textbook series on the American West for Wiley. His research has included work on history of religion, religion and politics, the history of the American West, science fiction, and the relationship between religious beliefs and scholarship.

Professor Katerberg's interest in immigration and national identities is personal as well as scholarly. His parents emigrated with their families from the Netherlands to Canada after World War II. One of his grandfathers helped recruit and settle immigrants. He grew up hearing stories about the war, leaving home, and adapting to a new country. And he saw his community, over three generations, assimilate to Canadian life and culture.

Table of Contents

Series Editor’s Foreword.7

Additional Resources.9

Acknowledgments.11

1. Within These Gates.13

2. Opposition to Irish Catholics.23

3. Anti-Asian Legislation.37

4. Racial and Ethnic Quotas.51

5. Refugee and Immigration Policies.65

6. The Mexico-US Borderland.79

7. Anti-Muslim Campaigns.97

8. “Strangers in the Land”.111

Notes.123

Further Reading.137

Editorial Reviews

"Immigration in the United States is a sensitive subject that often lacks historical context, especially in classroom settings. William Katerberg's book, Immigration Debates in America, admirably corrects this deficiency, giving readers a fair and nuanced history ripe for discussion and contemporary connections. Katerberg's volume is eminently readable and, importantly for secondary school settings, is both admirably concise and remarkably comprehensive in its scope. Christian schools will also benefit from Katerberg’s inclusion of scripture and theology, which weave in additional opportunities for discussion and reflection." --Caleb Lagerway, Social Studies Teacher and Online Ed Coordinator, Holland Christian High School, MI

"In this concise book, Will Katerberg ably demonstrates that the history of immigration in America is riddled with conflict and complexity. Understanding the contours of this history is a critical first step for Christians struggling to discern what it might mean to extend hospitality to the stranger in our own time, and how we as citizens might love our neighbors as ourselves." --Kristin Du Mez, History Department, Calvin University, Grand Rapids, MI

From the Publisher