The Declaration of Independence and Immigration in the United States of America

The United States has always been a nation of immigrants, and immigration policy has always been controversial. The history of immigration in the United States is contrasted in this article with a normative standard of naturalization (immigration policy) based on the Declaration of Independence. The...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Kenneth Michael White
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México 2011-12-01
Series:Norteamérica
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.revistanorteamerica.unam.mx/index.php/nam/article/view/151
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Summary:The United States has always been a nation of immigrants, and immigration policy has always been controversial. The history of immigration in the United States is contrasted in this article with a normative standard of naturalization (immigration policy) based on the Declaration of Independence. The current immigration debate fits within a historical pattern that pits an unrestricted right of immigration (the left) against exclusive, provincial politics (the right). Both sides are simultaneously correct and incorrect. A moderate policy on immigration is possible if the debate in the United States gets an infusion of what Thomas Paine called "common sense".
ISSN:1870-3550
2448-7228