Of course the statue contains a myth on the tablet. At the time Chinese could not enter the US nor could Japanese. Also if the customs examiner thought the person would become a public charge they could be sent back. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ellis_Island Note the reference in the Wikipedia article on becoming a public charge as a ground of inadmissibility (admittedly a subjective judgement) Also some diseases were grounds for being sent back. Apparently the article says immigrants were supposed to have $20 with them.
It is not clear when these restrictions were first enforced but likley not before the 19th century. Plus of course for a long time if you were Canadian or Mexican you could just ride your horse across the border. I suspect fences were an early 20th century thing..
So there is the national myth and the true historical reality, as with many things. Let alone the issue of melting pot which did not really happen with rural areas until WWI and WWII.
Having lived in France for 4 years, I am not thinking that the French are very upset about others forming judgments related to the qualities of foreign countries. Except for the rather abundant supply of cheap nannies for the 16th, 17th and 18th, they did not seem favorably impressed by their former African colonies. They often used very Trumpian language to describe these places.
Or maybe Haiti, since they are still forcing the descendants of their slaves on that island to pay them reparations for killing their French slavemasters?
If you are speaking of Spencer, I would reconsider your comment. I have read Spencer for a long time and have found his knowledge to be superior on economic issues. I like this remark as it basically confirms what the world already knows, America has forsaken its destiny for a bigot and a racist.
Lyle:
Who built the transcontinental railroad in the 19 century? Just like who picks our veggies and fruit, it certainly was not a majority of white Americans doing it. Maybe the Chinese? “The history of Chinese Americans or the history of ethnic Chinese in the United States relates to the three major waves of Chinese immigration to the United States with the first beginning in the 19th century. Chinese immigrants in the 19th century worked as laborers, particularly on the transcontinental railroad, such as the Central Pacific Railroad. They also worked as laborers in the mining industry, and suffered racial discrimination at every level of society. While industrial employers were eager to get this new and cheap labor, the ordinary white public was stirred to anger by the presence of this “yellow peril”. Despite the provisions for equal treatment of Chinese immigrants in the 1868 Burlingame Treaty, political and labor organizations rallied against the immigration of what they regarded as a degraded race and “cheap Chinese labor”. Newspapers condemned the policies of employers, and even church leaders denounced the entrance of these aliens into what was regarded as a land for whites only.”
The exclusion did not happen till 1882 and again in 1892.
which goes to show that “racism” is endemic to the human condition.
but it’s one thing to work against racism, and it’s another to work yourself up into a holier than thou image of yourself as opposed to all those racists out there.
consider Emma Lazarus’poem not as a description of what we are, but as what we stive to be. Just like Jefferson’s “all men are created equal.”
He may or may not have quite realized that what he was saying did not describe his own beliefs about blacks… but there is other evidence that he knew slavery was wrong… and as in many things… had to leave it up to other generations to perfect our understanding.
“For the first time, federal law [Chinese Exclusion Act, 1872] proscribed entry of an ethnic working group on the premise that it endangered the good order of certain localities. (The earlier Page Act of 1875 had prohibited immigration of Asian forced laborers and sex workers, and the Naturalization Act of 1790 prohibited naturalization of non-white subjects.) The Act excluded Chinese laborers, meaning “skilled and unskilled laborers and Chinese employed in mining,” from entering the country for ten years under penalty of imprisonment and deportation.”
And this was augmented Jim by Crow laws in the South, which took root after SCOTUS ruled on segregated facilities. Later it was the Irish, and white racism against the Eastern and Southern European immigrants (desperately needed for labor in the growing U.S).
And it continues throughout our history to the present day. All that changes is the shade of the non-lily white skin, or language, or non-christian religion. This is tribalism… racism is just one subset of it..
Tribalism is a means of protectionism from competing tribes who probably have different cultural attributes than the dominant tribe… and heaven forbid the dominant tribe’s culture ever change because the dominant tribe’s culture can only be deemed the “best” and thus any other must be inferior. Recall that the Irish, Eastern & Southern Europeans were Catholics… so even lily whites, speaking English but with a minority religion (in the US) were an inferior tribe.
If they don’t look like us, act like us, worship the same religious sects, speak like us, eat our kind of food, then they’re no welcome among us. That’s tribalism.
I must say that “inherent in the human condition” is the rationalization used by racists and those who believe there are differences among humans based on their “race”…. such that some are better than others.
Racism is taught by parents, both subtly and directly from a very early age, and then reinforced by relatives and friends of the racist tribe. If you want to “belong” you stay with the tribe’s system of beliefs and behaviors.
“Immigration was part of the nation’s identity not because Americans loved living next to foreigners—few human beings do—or because immigration is a foundational principle of the nation, but because the rapidly growing American economy had a need for unskilled workers, and offered them an opportunity for advancement.
And there’s the rub. Postindustrial economies create a far more challenging path to upward mobility than the manufacturing economy. Unlike during the later industrial era, when even high school dropouts could get decent employment, education is now the most likely route to middle-class comfort and relative stability.” https://www.city-journal.org/html/truth-behind-trump-storm-15676.html
Of course the statue contains a myth on the tablet. At the time Chinese could not enter the US nor could Japanese. Also if the customs examiner thought the person would become a public charge they could be sent back. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ellis_Island Note the reference in the Wikipedia article on becoming a public charge as a ground of inadmissibility (admittedly a subjective judgement) Also some diseases were grounds for being sent back. Apparently the article says immigrants were supposed to have $20 with them.
It is not clear when these restrictions were first enforced but likley not before the 19th century. Plus of course for a long time if you were Canadian or Mexican you could just ride your horse across the border. I suspect fences were an early 20th century thing..
So there is the national myth and the true historical reality, as with many things. Let alone the issue of melting pot which did not really happen with rural areas until WWI and WWII.
Cute.
Having lived in France for 4 years, I am not thinking that the French are very upset about others forming judgments related to the qualities of foreign countries. Except for the rather abundant supply of cheap nannies for the 16th, 17th and 18th, they did not seem favorably impressed by their former African colonies. They often used very Trumpian language to describe these places.
They going to send it to Libya since they and Obama created the conditions that have brought back slavery there?
Or maybe Haiti, since they are still forcing the descendants of their slaves on that island to pay them reparations for killing their French slavemasters?
Or maybe to Vietnam as reparations for the first Vietnam war for independence?
And are you as ignorant of history as that remark makes you seem?
Karl:
If you are speaking of Spencer, I would reconsider your comment. I have read Spencer for a long time and have found his knowledge to be superior on economic issues. I like this remark as it basically confirms what the world already knows, America has forsaken its destiny for a bigot and a racist.
Lyle:
Who built the transcontinental railroad in the 19 century? Just like who picks our veggies and fruit, it certainly was not a majority of white Americans doing it. Maybe the Chinese? “The history of Chinese Americans or the history of ethnic Chinese in the United States relates to the three major waves of Chinese immigration to the United States with the first beginning in the 19th century. Chinese immigrants in the 19th century worked as laborers, particularly on the transcontinental railroad, such as the Central Pacific Railroad. They also worked as laborers in the mining industry, and suffered racial discrimination at every level of society. While industrial employers were eager to get this new and cheap labor, the ordinary white public was stirred to anger by the presence of this “yellow peril”. Despite the provisions for equal treatment of Chinese immigrants in the 1868 Burlingame Treaty, political and labor organizations rallied against the immigration of what they regarded as a degraded race and “cheap Chinese labor”. Newspapers condemned the policies of employers, and even church leaders denounced the entrance of these aliens into what was regarded as a land for whites only.”
The exclusion did not happen till 1882 and again in 1892.
Yes it was a grass roots movement that lead to Chinese exclusion which only was repealed in 1942 due to WWII.
Not-so-funny how that works . . .
Only to be replaced by the Japanese internment orders.
which goes to show that “racism” is endemic to the human condition.
but it’s one thing to work against racism, and it’s another to work yourself up into a holier than thou image of yourself as opposed to all those racists out there.
consider Emma Lazarus’poem not as a description of what we are, but as what we stive to be. Just like Jefferson’s “all men are created equal.”
He may or may not have quite realized that what he was saying did not describe his own beliefs about blacks… but there is other evidence that he knew slavery was wrong… and as in many things… had to leave it up to other generations to perfect our understanding.
a work in progress.
When was the U.S. ever not a racist nation?
“For the first time, federal law [Chinese Exclusion Act, 1872] proscribed entry of an ethnic working group on the premise that it endangered the good order of certain localities. (The earlier Page Act of 1875 had prohibited immigration of Asian forced laborers and sex workers, and the Naturalization Act of 1790 prohibited naturalization of non-white subjects.) The Act excluded Chinese laborers, meaning “skilled and unskilled laborers and Chinese employed in mining,” from entering the country for ten years under penalty of imprisonment and deportation.”
And this was augmented Jim by Crow laws in the South, which took root after SCOTUS ruled on segregated facilities. Later it was the Irish, and white racism against the Eastern and Southern European immigrants (desperately needed for labor in the growing U.S).
And it continues throughout our history to the present day. All that changes is the shade of the non-lily white skin, or language, or non-christian religion. This is tribalism… racism is just one subset of it..
Tribalism is a means of protectionism from competing tribes who probably have different cultural attributes than the dominant tribe… and heaven forbid the dominant tribe’s culture ever change because the dominant tribe’s culture can only be deemed the “best” and thus any other must be inferior. Recall that the Irish, Eastern & Southern Europeans were Catholics… so even lily whites, speaking English but with a minority religion (in the US) were an inferior tribe.
If they don’t look like us, act like us, worship the same religious sects, speak like us, eat our kind of food, then they’re no welcome among us. That’s tribalism.
I think the old derogatory “joke”:
“How many Poles does it take to change a light bulb?” is still prevalent.
Coberly,
You stated
“which goes to show that “racism” is endemic to the human condition.”
Speak for yourself..
Coberly,
I must say that “inherent in the human condition” is the rationalization used by racists and those who believe there are differences among humans based on their “race”…. such that some are better than others.
Racism is taught by parents, both subtly and directly from a very early age, and then reinforced by relatives and friends of the racist tribe. If you want to “belong” you stay with the tribe’s system of beliefs and behaviors.
It is not “inherent”.
“Immigration was part of the nation’s identity not because Americans loved living next to foreigners—few human beings do—or because immigration is a foundational principle of the nation, but because the rapidly growing American economy had a need for unskilled workers, and offered them an opportunity for advancement.
And there’s the rub. Postindustrial economies create a far more challenging path to upward mobility than the manufacturing economy. Unlike during the later industrial era, when even high school dropouts could get decent employment, education is now the most likely route to middle-class comfort and relative stability.”
https://www.city-journal.org/html/truth-behind-trump-storm-15676.html
Longtooth
okay: “racism” is inherent to the biological condition. i suppose you will say
this is the rationalization that dogs give for chasing cats. or cats give for hating dogs.
keep up the good work.