Category: Immigrants

Today I arrived at Ellis Island, a journey’s end! The main port for the United States was Ellis Island so we arrived there. But Ellis Island was still unfinished. Eventually, we went upstairs where there was an interpreter. We all stand in one single line waiting to be examined by the doctors. What’s shocking is that the doctors in Ellis Island examined more than five thousand immigrants per day. All checking for abnormalities and diseases. Even poor eyesight, mental problems, disability, and deformation led to immediate deportation. But later in the year, doctors spent less time on patients, I’m guessing the medical restriction aren’t that strict anymore. If no problem arose during the review of the manifest information, they were let go free to join their relatives. But in 1917, the President of the United States ordered that immigration officials have to check closer on each immigrant. Third-class passengers have to come to Ellis Island. My first impression of Ellis Island is that it’s something that I’ll never forget as all the different nationalities. My first meal in beautiful America was fish and milk. I mean it wasn’t that bad. I drank a lot of milk because it was pretty rare, I guess we don’t have many, in my home country. I saw wired fences around Ellis Island. It was a detention area where people were rejected from entering the United States of America. All the people crying and laughing. It was the Island of Hope, the Island of Tears.

In Ellis Island, if you knew the language, they couldn’t take advantage of you. But if you don’t know the language, they can do whatever they want. This is what European immigrants faced. While on Ellis island, I met a lot of people from different countries. I met boys and girls from the same country as mine. I did not expect to find them here in the United States. I brought my most prized item to America. I saw this one woman carrying a bundle of thousands of feather beds brought over from European. The $25 rule came from the agents working for the city and countryside. America is the land of the Free, home for the homeless, but only if you can show $25 a head at Ellis Island. It used to be $10 for the lower class but now everyone, no matter what class, has to pay twenty-five dollars. At Ellis Island, it was mostly tears of joy. Because family member can see their kids, husbands, and wives.

Ellis Island was no place for women to travel alone. I saw a woman get discriminated against. This was all before the Women’s Rights. Many young women who came to America to get married were thought to be imported for prostitution. Women not married in the US were sent back to Europe. Men would come to Ellis Island all prepared to marry before admissions. But soon World War 1 came along. Ellis Island shut down. As time goes on, the number of arrests of aliens increased. The arrested people were sent to Ellis Island to be deported but it was impossible to deport them back to Europe because of the war going on. Ellis Island suffered massive damage.

When I arrived I exchanged all my Euros for United States currency. I bought a ticket to Buffalo. The immigration officer helped me get there. The trip to Chicago was hard. You’ll never see your brother no more. When I came to Chicago, a black man approached me and showed me which train to board. Arriving in the United States felt sadness. In New York, there were lots of communities from different parts of the world. The Chinese, the Germans, the Hungarians, the Poles, and more. With the Land of the Free, all the Jews can practice their own religion. If they did that in their home countries, it would cause problems. It’s not just New York and Chicago with the diversity. It’s also Wisconsin and Iowa. Even staying in America, I had trouble learning English. That’s me at twenty-eight years old. If I have known the language, I would’ve made everything easier. I started working at a railroad. It ran through factories and farms. I also built dams, and bridges laid down roads and expanded the city. Even with the wage so low, I worked in a very dangerous job.

When I came to America, I left behind families, the friends of childhood, first love, homes, sounds, smells, and tastes. My grandma said that if she hadn’t met her husband, grandpa, the Kansas State Fair wouldn’t exist. I am pretty lucky. Most of my family members went to America, but some of my family members stayed in Poland and Russia. Vera Guaditsa’s mother came to America to be with her daughters. In America, she taught them Greek and went to Greek School a few times a week. Ida came to the United States to be a teacher. My first thought in America is that I don’t need to be scared of being attacked but in Europe, I always have to be cautious of people. I am very glad that I came to the United States to have a taste of Freedom and plenty of opportunity. I heard when poverty level people from Europe, and then came to the United States, they were no longer poor and had a better life.

Introduction

“America and I” is a poignant and introspective autobiographical essay by Anzia Yezierska, a Jewish immigrant writer who reflects on her journey to America and her struggles to find her place in the land of opportunity. Yezierska’s essay captures the complexities of the immigrant experience, exploring themes of identity, assimilation, and the pursuit of the American Dream. This literary criticism essay will delve into the significance of Yezierska’s work, analyzing her writing style, thematic exploration, and the impact of her personal narrative.

The Power of Personal Narrative

Yezierska’s writing style is characterized by its raw emotion and personal voice. In “America and I,” she shares her own experiences as an immigrant, providing a glimpse into the challenges faced by those seeking a better life in America. Her vivid descriptions and heartfelt anecdotes create a powerful connection with readers, allowing them to empathize with her struggles and triumphs. Yezierska’s use of first-person narrative adds authenticity and immediacy to her story, inviting readers to share in her journey.

Identity and Assimilation

A central theme in “America and I” is the exploration of identity and the pressure to assimilate. Yezierska grapples with the conflicting desire to hold onto her cultural heritage while also yearning for acceptance and success in her new country. She eloquently portrays the internal struggle faced by many immigrants, torn between preserving their roots and embracing the opportunities available in America. Yezierska’s personal experiences highlight the sacrifices and compromises made in the pursuit of the American Dream, shedding light on the challenges faced by individuals seeking to establish their identity in a foreign land.

The American Dream

Yezierska’s essay also delves into the concept of the American Dream and its impact on immigrant communities. Through her narrative, she exposes the harsh realities of the American Dream, challenging the notion that success and happiness are easily attainable for all. Yezierska reveals the disparities and inequalities that exist in America, particularly for marginalized communities. Her portrayal of the immigrant experience serves as a critique of the idealized version of the American Dream, exposing the complexities and limitations faced by those on the fringes of society.

Gender and Social Constructs

Yezierska’s essay also addresses gender roles and societal expectations, particularly within immigrant communities. She confronts the traditional roles assigned to women and the challenges they face in pursuing their own aspirations. Yezierska’s depiction of her own struggles to break free from societal constraints serves as a powerful commentary on the limitations imposed on women and the resilience required to challenge these norms. Her narrative highlights the intersectionality of gender and immigrant experiences, offering a nuanced perspective on the complexities faced by women in their pursuit of independence and self-fulfillment.

Conclusion

“America and I” by Anzia Yezierska is a remarkable piece of autobiographical writing that explores the immigrant experience and the pursuit of the American Dream. Through her personal narrative, Yezierska sheds light on the challenges, triumphs, and sacrifices faced by immigrants in their quest for a better life. Her raw and heartfelt storytelling, combined with her exploration of themes such as identity, assimilation, and gender roles, provides readers with a profound understanding of the immigrant experience. Yezierska’s essay serves as a powerful critique of the American Dream, challenging conventional narratives and offering a nuanced perspective on the complexities of cultural assimilation. “America and I” stands as a testament to the resilience and determination of immigrants, and Yezierska’s voice continues to resonate, inspiring generations of readers to reflect on their own place in the ever-evolving tapestry of American society.

Outline:

1. Introduction of current statutes of the immigration issue in Europe
2. Different perspectives of justice on the immigration problem
3. Conclusion with personal review and opinion on the immigration issue

The immigration issue is a recent issue that brings complicated situations to European countries. Although the EU and European countries are committed to improving European the immigration issue, the future situation is still not clear and guided. With both economic immigration and the arriving asylum immigrants, different European countries face their various problems and are seeking for their solutions. For example, since the Italian new government took office in June of 2018, it has continued to tighten the refugee policy, ordering major ports to refuse to dock refugees, and the attitude toward refugees has become increasingly tough. In the meanwhile, German Chancellor Merkel, who used to advocate open the immigration policy, recently has proposed to set up “reception centers” instead of accepting large quantities of refugees to Germany. The rest of European countries The solution to the problem of European immigration is urgently needed by countries to strengthen cooperation in political, economic, diplomatic, and security aspects, and to provide various types of assistance to countries of origin. On the immigration issue, different justice theories hold different arguments, which will help us better understand practice this issue from various angles.

As for utilitarianism, a normative ethical theory that places the correct and wrong trajectory on the outcome of selecting an action or policy rather than other choices. On the issue of immigration, utilitarian commitment on maximizing the benefits of the whole society. For instance, if immigration will make more competitive for the local labor market, which threatens local citizens’ opportunities for work. In the meanwhile, if the immigration can bring cheaper force and efficient profits for the companies, it is economically convenient for both immigrants and the local company that hired the foreign force. From the utilitarian angle, we should also take into consideration of the benefits of immigrants and the impact on the country’s people, it is necessary to chase for maximization of the whole economy benefits in all sectors, which in utilitarian’s point of view, might be the best policy. Although the ultimate answer to utilitarian’s restrictions or non-the immigration is a restrictionpractical question, we should consider also that millions of poor people can earn huge incomes to immigrate to rich countries, it’s difficult to believe that utilitarians take into consideration of the benefits of immigrants would make limits on immigrants justified.

In addition, from the perspective of libertarianism and cosmopolitanism, they both advocate opening the borders for immigration but holding different arguments. A libertarian might say: “it’s our country and we can admit or exclude whomever we want,” The government should not interfere if an immigrant seeks to engage in peaceful, voluntary transactions that do not threaten the freedom or security of the native-born. A good representative of libertarianism is Nozick. According to Nozick: the state has no right to do anything other than enforce the rights which individuals already enjoy in the state of nature. In meanwhile cosmopolitans by emphasizing transnational bonds, they affirm the equality of human beings and the universality of human dignity. Like Peter Singer, he argues the “global village”. A cosmopolitan might allow that the immigration restriction remains a practical necessity for now, but he thinks our long-term aim should be to eliminate borders and allow for the free migration of all people. For the cosmopolitan, they regard the human community as a whole, with which they hold their moral standing. In a word, both cosmopolitanism and libertarianism are in favor of opening the border for the immigrants, but from different standpoints.

Nevertheless, the communitarian sees nation and states as crucial, as for them the solitary for the state is important. The communitarian identifies an obligation to guarantee our own societies as stable and well-governed. That means political communities must regulate their borders. Michael Walzer in his book Sphere of Justice, chapter Membership, demonstrated his theory of justice: “States are simply free to take a stranger in (or not)”. For Michael Walzer, exclusion is justified by the right of communities of self-determination. However, he is contradictory when he says constrained by the principle of justice, as in his opinion citizenship should be given to those aliens and should guarantee them the rights and benefits as local citizen. For communitarianism, solidarity is paramount. Immigrants will always have different economic impacts on citizens of a country. People who own factories often benefit from immigration because it increases labor supply and lowers wages. However, this is not conducive to those who cannot find a job because of immigration. In the eyes of communitarianism, this will affect the solidarity and stability of society. To draw a conclusion, the communitarian would imitates on their borders for foreigners, as in their point of view, the solidarity of community is crucial.

From the author’s point of view, there are two aspects that we have to consider for the immigration issue. Firstly, like the economist, Paul Collier said, “moderate the immigration is liable to confer overall social benefits, whereas sustained rapid the immigration would risk substantial costs.” As recent years, numerous refugees arrived on the Europe land, especially for Italy, as the first landing countries for most refugees, receive the liability from the refugees. In the megacities like Rome, Milan, refugee camps are settled. With no job and losing families, refugees are weak group, along with several criminal commitments, there’s the possibility to threaten safety. This can be regard of the social costs. In the meanwhile, immigrants work in European countries make local labor market more competitive, which will make local citizens hard for finding a job opportunities. Hence, the immigration speed should be controlled, in order to give more react time for the host countries, which can guarantee a stable social environment for their foreign guest workers, as well for the local people, who are supposed to realize the tendency of globalization is not evitable and take their own reactions to this challenge and improve their professional skills. Secondly, Specific analysis of specific issues, the immigration issues are not just a challenge for European countries. It is an inevitable international wave throughout Europe and the entire international community. For example, this requires each country to tailor its immigration policies to suit their own political and social conditions. For example, countries with stable social-economic stability can accept more immigrants with open policy, to face the globalization challenges flexibly. While countries with high economic and social pressures should start from booming their own economies and expand more employment opportunities for local citizens, some migrants only leave their mother country only because of economic reason. From the perspective of immigrants themselves, this is their own freedom to choose their own future path, but also based on rational choices, which needs to consider the social and political situation of the country to be immigrated to. Immigration is the inevitable tendency, hence it needs all levels of cooperation and participation, not only the countries and global society but also for the individuals themselves.

It has been three years since the humanitarian crisis in Europe, and the tide of immigrant refugees has always touched the nerves of the world. When the problems come one after another, the concepts and principles of freedom and equality are doubtful. This challenge to the social order, everyone is groping for progress, requires sufficient political wisdom to resolve, or cannot really solve. The people, and even many believers, were panicked and even rejected outsiders, but others showed love and tolerance. Helping immigrant refugees is a universal value that transcends race, religious disputes and political differences. The kindness and “tolerance” based on human nature is the first step in listening to the suffering of others and reaching out to help.

Reference:

1. Mark R. Amtsutz (2015, December). Two Theories of The immigration, First Things https://www.firstthings.com/article/2015/12/two-theories-of-the immigration
2. Tim L. (2018, July). Europe’s Migration Policies Are Not So Different From Trump’s, CNN https://edition.cnn.com/2018/07/07/europe/europe-migration-policy-trump-comparison-lister-intl/index.html
3. Michael Walzer, (1983) Spheres of Justice

Saigon was in ruins. My mother, father, and brother had gathered what little we had managed to salvage of our belongings in some old felt bags and pillowcases. My parents had managed to sell some of my grandmother’s jewelry in exchange for funding our journey. First to Thailand, then a boat to Australia.

The journey officially began with the first step of leaving my once beloved home. As we run, my head turns from side to side, glimpsing my surroundings. I have never seen so much damage to my hometown. Mountains of ruined motorcycles clutter the destroyed street. Buildings lean and have fallen onto one another. In what was once a popular shop, ghostlike mannequins remained. What were once vibrant traditional silk dresses, are now hung, torn, and stained off their wraithlike forms. I realized that I was not going to miss this place. All that I remember, all that made it home was now gone – buried in rubble and ash. With my head held high, my short legs caught up to the pace of my family. I didn’t turn back.

We finally reach the outskirts of what looks like another town, its entry point is guarded by a pair of rough-looking men in identical olive uniforms and indifferent expressions. They were also clearly openly armed. I gripped the back of my mother’s worn shirt tightly as my heart sped and my steps slowed. But our parents continued to approach the gate, and my brother and I had no choice but to follow. My feet, dusty and red, trod across the border of Vietnam and Thailand, following in the footsteps of my parents.

A few months pass and living in solidarity becomes the norm. The unsanitary and claustrophobic conditions of the refugee camp seem to feel the safest. A combination of petrol fumes and wet porridge with the additional human excrement had made the stench unbearable that a breath of fresh air was a lottery ticket. The beige canvas tents held up with ropes and sticks felt like more of a home than Saigon ever did. However, ultimate reality struck and the final step had begun. We were about to leave for Australia.

Walking past faulty tents and the so-called cafeteria where the Vietnamese would mourn the horrible conditions over flavorless porridge in the scorching sun had taken my mind off the memorable journey I was about to endure. But the time had finally arrived. We would finally set off for Australia in the early hours of the morning.

Slowly swaying side to side, the boat began to rock more violently as more of us raced onto the deck. I slowly walked onto the wood-planked jetty to where the blue fishing boat was anchored. Heart racing, mind filled with anxious thoughts, unaware of the events to come.

About four days out, the most violent storm had hit. High insurmountable walls of water rose obscuring the misty clouds dimming the moonlight as the combined force of the wind and the waves crashed into the fishing boat and tossed it around as though it were nothing like I’d seen before. It had pitched and tossed like a frantic child thrashing about, in the numbing waters of the unpredictable and treacherous sea. Waves continued to crash relentlessly into the boat, torrents of water flooding over us and across the deck. People scrambled, slipping and sliding to reach and cling to any solid surface. Cold malevolent wind blew past my small, shivering body and it howled as it began raining freezing bullets. Another flood swept over the boat, sweeping people off and tossing them into the bottomless sea.

Desperately in search of their mother, who was forced away during the last surge. It became too difficult to see her. Everything was dark, cold, and chaotic. I frantically fling myself toward the railing and look over the side. She’s in the water. She’s drowning.

For a moment, my heart stops, I can’t move, can’t breathe. She’s gasping for breath and struggling to get closer to the side of the boat. My father appears beside me, he’s trying to tell me something however his voice is snatched by the wind and drowned by the waves. With all my might, I scream “BA! BA!” and try and turn him towards the side of the boat. Mum however is still struggling, still gasping and gasping for something to hold. Father dives into the water and helps her cling to him, finally helping her get a hold of the net on the side of the boat. With much more hope, she keeps a hold as she struggles back aboard.

She doesn’t pause to collapse onto the deck. She immediately turns around, expecting Father to be right behind her, to help him back aboard. He’s not there.

I was alive. My brother is alive. My mother is alive. But my father is gone. I stood at the far end of the deck, alone. In that moment of loss, the world I had only known had collapsed – where light dimmed to shadows. The weather was beginning to clear, the sun was beginning to emerge, and the sea was calm again. People were emerging from below, trying to salvage whatever they could. I continued to watch, unmoving.

The expansion of deep blue water stretched towards the horizon where the sun began to slowly climb up. The dark, shadowy outline of land was visible in the distance. The land became clearer and clearer as the unsteady fishing boat began to move closer. A glimmer of hope had struck Mother and it became evident that

When it comes down to national security for the United States of America, I will argue that sometimes it is morally permissible for nation-states to restrict immigration to protect its own citizens. I also understand that many American people are objecting to the Trump administration’s immigration policies, but just like any other government power, limits on migration may be misused or abused. Now everybody has a legitimate right to protect “their stuff” just like the states has their legitimate reasons to protect “our stuff” and “our spaces” from outsiders, and I’m also not saying that the limits set by federal or state government are justified, because state and federal power again may also be misused or abused. In this paper, I want to explore briefly on some reasons, that it is sometimes morally permissible for nation-states to restrict immigration to protect its own citizens. I will explain some key arguments about having restricted immigration, as well examine why it may not morally permissible to have restricted immigration, because they both have strengths and weaknesses, and both have very solid cases.

Like it or not, but much of United States land, water, and hell even air is owned, but just imagine if all those common resources that I just mention started to deplete, I probably would not be arguing about if it is morally permissible for nation-states to restrict immigration. God forbid if this was to happen then everybody would want strict immigration laws to be put in place, therefore the state and federal government are not trying to be this “jerk” that everybody hates, but sometimes it needs to be that “jerk” in order to protect valuable resources that most Americans take for granted every day and do not even consider it when it comes to enforcing immigration laws, but instead they think enforcement of the immigration law has been intrusive, arbitrary, and even callous lately. Culture can also be the main concern for nation-states, if America decided to open its border to every single outsider than we can have a culture shock, losing the American culture can put this nation at stake and everything America has fought and stood for can go out the window. Recently I read an article from Stanford and it did mention how opening borders can impact the culture, it stated ‘the public culture of their country is something that people have an interest in controlling: they want to be able to shape the way that their nation develops, including the values that are contained in the public culture. They may not, of course, succeed: valued cultural features can be eroded by economic and other forces that evade political control. But they may certainly have good reason to try, and in particular to try to maintain cultural continuity over time, so that they can see themselves as the bearers of an identifiable cultural tradition that stretches backward historically.’ (Wellman) However this may not show real evidence if opening borders can impact the culture, as other factors can play a role as well, but this is something to really think about because personally, it does not sound like crazy talk. Many immigrants fail to learn English, do we really want America to become a different country by losing our culture? I believe the response would be no, and therefore immigration restrictions seem like a common sense answer. Finally, this does not justify excluding every single outsider, but it can explain why countries can be entitled to slow down the limit of immigrants that have a distinct culture, but a country would not seem to justify excluding all immigrants.Economy is the other factor I was talking about before, open borders can hurt and will hurt the economy, because depending on the economy it can only support a certain number of blue and white collar workers, and those people who are suffering in finding a job due to their “less skilled abilities” now have to compete with immigrants who may also shoot down a good wage for the economy as immigrants are cheap labor workers. This is currently happening in today’s world, that immigration is taking over American jobs, and this can also tie into State benefits as well. Taking care of “our own” should be top priority, for example Canada and Sweden must have a limitation on the number of people they allow inside the country, so state benefits can be strong and stable to sustain itself, otherwise poor people from other countries could very well come and take advantage of such benefits, a country can not have open borders and welfare states, it will just simply fail, even if a wealthy state such as California open its borders and knowing that the state can probably still support itself, it is still not a reasonable argument, as other states economy could fail and that would be bad news. Thus, do not forget about 9/11 this terror act shows that evil exists and it is out there, and it does not care about your feelings or your loved ones, therefore it is morally permissible for nation-states to restrict immigration to protect its own citizens by establishing security, because no one will argue the moral importance of protecting innocent lives from terror act such as 9/11, and it is hard for a country to have a stable balance of national security, because a country cannot exclude everybody that seems to a threat without restricting visitors such as tourists, guest workers, visiting students, and business trips from other countries, plus restricting immigration may not stop terrorist from attacking, as terrorists will do anything to seek out their mission and does not care about immigration laws, but not having some limits of restricting immigration can put our guard down and potentially have more terrorists attack than we do today. Protecting American Liberty is a must, and the majority of immigrants come from countries that do not have the stance of freedom, they never had a god given rights, most of them probably came from a country that had dictators, so some immigrants would not have the same outlook on American policy and culture. This doesn’t mean that the government has a right to just kick out everybody, but any particular person that poses a national security, law and order, or a public health threat, than the government should have every right to close the border to that particular person to keep the states safe and its own citizens

Being open-minded is a good thing, just don’t be too open-minded, thus I also understand the other side of the argument of it not being morally permissible for nation states to have restricted immigration, they are some arguments about this, and I do agree on some points of not having restricted immigration laws, such as a quote I read from an article, that really made me think more about this. Before I said how immigrants can affect the economy and how immigrants were taking American jobs, well this quote states “Suppose a farmer from the United States wanted to hire workers from Mexico. The government would have no right to prohibit him from doing this. To prevent the Mexicans from coming would violate the rights of both the American farmer and the Mexican workers to engage in voluntary transactions.” (Caplan) this made me think that immigrants may be taking American jobs, but if an American were to hire an immigrant worker for cheap labor, that should be the right of that American, to hire whoever he/she wants to hire because the United States also has a short supply of skilled workers. As an article I read that stated “Arguably, it is not the total number of health care professionals that exist in the world today that is a problem, but rather their distribution.” (Wellman) This is a legitimate argument, that sometimes a country will lack in certain areas due to the lack of available people that is capable of performing the job and excelling in the sector, therefore an owner of a company should be able to reach out and start recruiting immigrants, if there is a lack of available workers, and immigration laws can disrespect individual rights sometimes, in which this case the state is no longer legitimate. The character of this national community has a fair argument.

In summary it is morally permissible for nation-states to restrict immigration to protect its own citizens. Its necessary to run and achieve a steady state system, and it remains difficult for me to really choose sides here, because it is hard to decide what kind of restrictive laws are appropriate and morally legitimate, thus the laws we have in place for restrictions on immigration needs to be worked to have a reassuring enforcement system, that is the starting point.

Works Cited

1. Caplan, Bryan. “Carens on Nozick on Immigration.” Econlib, 19 Sept. 2018, www.econlib.org/carens-on-nozick-on-immigration/.
2. Wellman, Christopher Heath. “Immigration.” Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, Stanford University, 23 Mar. 2015, plato.stanford.edu/entries/immigration/.

lThe immigration is an essential part of the life of the modern society. In the modern world, immigration keeps progressing at the unparalleled scale. As a rule, developed countries, such as the UK and the US become the target countries for millions of immigrants who are willing to abandon their native countries, stuck in poverty. In fact, it is possible to trace an obvious trend to the movement of the population from developing countries to developed ones. In this respect, it is important to underline that socioeconomic factors are traditionally determinant factors that make people abandon their motherland and move to a new, more economically developed, and, therefore, prospective country, such as the USA, for instance. At the same, the effect of immigration on the national economy and socioeconomic stability has always been under question. In this respect, it is possible to single out two controversial views on immigration. On the one hand, immigration produces a positive impact on economy of developed countries because it provides them with the stable supply of new labor force, while developed countries suffer from aging of their population. On the other hand, immigration is viewed as a threat to the local labor force and, therefore, have a negative impact on the position of the local population.

Traditionally, immigration played a very important role in the socioeconomic and cultural life of the USA. Historically, the USA was the country of immigrants because since the epoch of the foundation of the country till the present moment the flow of immigrants to the USA is unstoppable. As a rule, people moved in the USA under a pressure of socioeconomic and political factors which forced them to abandon their motherland and move to the USA, where they hoped to start a new, better life. In fact, the USA has become a kind of Promised Land for millions of people arriving from different parts of the world, because today the USA is the leading economy in the world and one of the most democratic countries in the world where human rights and liberties are protected and people can feel secure in this country, compared to countries suffering from poverty, military conflicts and political repressions.

In fact, the immigration is the process of the movement of the population from one country to another for the purpose of settling in a new country. In other words, the immigration is arrival of people to a new country, where they want to stay for a considerable period of time and which citizenship they want to obtain. In such a way, the immigration is closely intertwined with the change of the location where people live and the change of their citizenship to the citizenship of the country they migrate to.

However, the immigration provokes heat discussions in the USA, as well as other well-developed countries. On the one hand, opponents of immigration argue that immigration undermines the socioeconomic stability in the country. The reasons are obvious – the growth of population living in poverty increases pressure on American tax payers who should support funding of education and health care services of immigrants who cannot afford paying for their education and health insurance (Smith and Edmonston, 148). On the other hand, supporters of the immigration argue that benefits from the flow of cheap labor force outweigh state expenditures on social programs for immigrants. Moreover, immigration became the main source of population growth in the USA allowing the national economy to develop steadily, while the lack of immigrants would result in the domination of the retired population and the slowdown of economic development (Smith and Edmonston, 154).

In such a context, it should be said that the negative effect of the immigration is main problem provoked by immigration is mainly related to the position of low-qualified employees. Specialists (Cooper, 211) argue that immigrants increase the competition in the low-qualified segment of the labor force market. In such a context, they deprive the poorest layers of the local population of the possibility to earn for living since the growth of the competition on the labor market inevitably leads to the unemployment, since national economy cannot always provide sufficient number of jobs to meet the existing demand. At the same time, the growing unemployment in the poverty stricken neighborhoods naturally leads to the growing social tension and increasing crime rates that undermines social stability in the country accepting a large number of immigrants.

However, proponents of immigration (Smith and Edmonston, 198) argue that immigration has rather positive than negative effects. At any rate, the positive effects of immigration outweigh the possible negative effects provoked by immigration. To put it more precisely, the population of such countries as the US or the UK is aging. This means that the number of retired people consistently outpaces the number of economically active, i.e. working, people. In such a situation, the restriction of immigration can have disastrous effects on the national economy, while the support and regulation of immigration can produce a positive impact on the development of the national economy. In fact, immigrants close the gap which emerges because of the lack of economically active population of developed countries. In addition, the cost of the immigrant labor force is lower compared to the native-born labor force. Furthermore, immigrants often create competitions in the segments where native-born employees are unwilling to get employed, since they seek for better jobs opportunities and count for higher level of income compared to immigrants.

Thus, taking into account all above mentioned, it is possible to conclude that immigration, being quite a controversial phenomenon still has rather positive than negative effects on the economy of developed countries. The fears of opponents of immigration concerning the growth of crime and unemployment rates are not really justified, while the positive effects of immigration outweigh possible risks. In fact, today, immigration is the major source of the improvement of demographical situation and prevention of the aging of the population at the national scale in practically all developed countries. In other words, developed countries do not have alternatives to immigration to prevent aging of the population and, therefore, a profound economic crisis.

Works Cited:

1. Cooper, M.A. Moving to the United States of America and Immigration. New York: New Publishers, 2008.
2. Smith, J. P, and B. Edmonston, eds. The Immigration Debate: Studies on the Economic, Demographic, and Fiscal Effects of Immigration. New York: Random House, 1998.

Introduction

Paying attention to the postpartum period is important for women to fully recover after childbirth. Women who do not receive proper postpartum care have a high risk of developing postpartum depression (PPD). As well as having negative effects for the mother, untreated PPD can contribute to delays in the development of newborn infants. The effects of PPD are not merely physical. Social positions and experience of culture also have an effect on the way PPD is experienced. O’Mahony, Donnelly, Bouchal and Este (2013) have identified that new immigrant and refugee mothers are at an increased risk of PPD due to several factors. First, there may be a lack of knowledge about the condition. Many immigrant and refugee women are not aware of postpartum depression as a specific health issue, and often describe it as a harmless feeling of sadness and as a natural consequence of childbirth. As a result, they are unlikely to seek the support of healthcare services (O’Mahony et al., 2013). Second, the mental health of immigrant and refugee mothers may be negatively affected by life experiences related to migration; they may have encountered stressful events prior to immigrating, or they may be experiencing cultural and language barriers, marginalization, lower socioeconomic statuses, and poor social supports (O’Mahony et al., 2013). Social exclusion and income level have been identified as social determinants of health according to the Toronto Charter for a Healthy Canada (2002). The purpose of this term paper is to determine how the broad social, cultural, and economic factors that affect immigrant and refugee women shape their risk for PPD. In so doing, a more holistic approach to better the health trajectories for both patients suffering from PPD and their children can be approached.

Postpartum Depression

Schiller, Meltzer-Brody, and Rubinow (2015) stated that Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) sets the definition of PPD include major depressive with a perinatal onset as those beginning in either pregnancy or within the first 4 weeks postpartum (p. 49). The symptoms of PPD include lability, irritability, tearfulness, low self-esteem, generalized anxiety, insomnia and appetite changes (Registered Nurses’ Association of Ontario, 2005; Schiller et al., 2015). The pathophysiology of postpartum depression may be related to the body’s inability to properly regulate reproductive hormones such as estrogen, and progesterone, and a failure to properly facilitate an alteration in thyroid function (Schiller et al., 2015; Tobin, Napoli & Beck, 2018). In addition to hormonal changes, there is evidence that PPD can be triggered by stress and sleep deprivation, after the birth of a child, and related to other mental illnesses, such as obsessive-compulsive disorder, posttraumatic stress disorder, or generalized anxiety disorder (Schiller et al., 2015).

Addressing Risk Factors

As PPD relates to social risks, a patient’s income, housing, and education are factors that can exacerbate suffering (O’Mahony et al., 2013). A factor that applies more specifically to immigrant and refugee patients is cultural; cultural upbringing influences both the perceptions of PPD and health-seeking behaviour. As stated previously, the awareness of PPD as a specific problem may differ from culture to culture. As well, cultural beliefs about mental health and stigma may affect willingness to label PPD and seek treatment and support for the condition (O’Mahony et al., 2013).

There are several proposed methods to provide care for refugee and immigrant women suffering from PPD. It is recommended that nurses provide culturally appropriate health care services, which take into consideration the differences in beliefs about PPD as a condition and as a possibly stigmatized condition, so as to consider the wishes of PPD patients. Knowledge about beliefs concerning PPD can make it easier to provide proper mental health treatment, addressing issues such as education on the condition and providing tools of self-assessment and encouraging patients to seek referrals for treatment of PPD (Tobin, Napoli & Beck, 2018) Comment by freakydeath33: how to provide culturally appropriate care? Comment by Hanbin Choi: Please change this if you need to. As “freakydeath33” states, you have to define what culturally appropriate care is.

Tobin, Napoli and Beck (2018) reported that limited English language skills made it difficult for sufferers to seek social support and health care as they are less able to express their experiences with their health. As well, negative feelings associated with perceived lack of ability to communicate made it so that many were hesitant to even seek help. Thus, the use of interpreters, multilingual health care providers, or interpreter services are essential to communicate with migrant patients (O’Mahony et al., 2013; Osarogiagbon & Aquino, 2017; RANO, 2005; Tobin, Napoli &Beck, 2018). In addition, the sense of shame that may come from some marginalized people who do not have access to stable jobs and full social inclusion that comes from lack of ability to communicate in the dominant language should also be addressed. Being able to take advantage of available community-based services, patients can build the personal skills, increase self-esteem, confidence, and sense of control over their circumstances that could encourage patients to seek help and be assured that they will be understood (O’Mahony et al., 2013).

The cultural knowledge and beliefs of immigrant and refugee women also play a huge role in PPD recognition, acceptance, and help-seeking behavior (O’Mahony et al., 2013; Tobin, Napoli & Beck, 2018). There may be cultural factors influencing childrearing expectations that affect women’s willingness to access support systems and make them more vulnerable to PPD. Even listening to their experience of motherhood may allow health care providers to better understand how PPD affects these women. Tobin, Napoli and Beck (2018) stated that health care providers may lack this kind of cultural knowledge, so it is crucial for health care providers to be educated on such cultural differences. This can allow immigrants and refugees experiencing PPD feel more understood, rather than dismissed for their experiences of fear and stigma associated with PPD. Cultural education for health care providers in general is a positive strategy that can increase patients’ confidence in their treatment (Tobin, Napoli & Beck, 2018). Other helpful social strategies for coping with PPD are meetings, such as on the telephone, to keep in touch with family and friends back home for emotional support and communication about their situations that health care providers may not be able to give (Dennis, Hodnett, Reisman, Kenton, Weston, Zupancic, & Stewart, 2009; RANO, 2005). Community centers can also be sources of social support, where patients can meet others in group settings. In such cases, the provision of peer support from other postpartum mothers may alleviate symptoms associated with social exclusion or loneliness (Dennis et al., 2009; RANO, 2005).

Another coping strategy for immigrant and refugee women with PPD may come from spiritual beliefs and religious practices. O’Mahony et al. (2013) show that religion can be a way to promote a patient’s sense of identity and provide narratives to engage in their sense of strength, empowerment, and meaning when coping with their circumstances. Spiritual practices such as meditation, breathing exercises, praying, and attending religious meetings were shown to promote PPD sufferers’ resilience towards their condition and enhance their ability to care for their infants (O’Mahony et al., 2013).

Current Practice

Immigration has been increasing with globalization; people are migrating in search of a better life, better work and education opportunities, or to escape violence within their own countries. According to a report by Canadian Immigration (2019), the federal government of Canada announced that this country will increase its immigration intake, accepting up to 350,000 individuals in a year by 2021. As the government accepts more immigrants and refugees, it may become increasingly difficult for Canadian residents to access health care services due to lack of socioeconomic status or cultural support.

According to Citizenship and Immigration Canada (2018), there is a program called The Resettlement Assistance Program (RAP) that seeks to provide refugees with basic needs such as housing, access to education and health care, and a personal finance budget monthly income support payment. By taking advantage of this government program, migrants should be able to better access their local community clinics and check up regularly for a variety of health concerns, including postpartum care.

According to the Registered Nurses Association of Ontario (RNAO, 2005), there are several recommendations for the prevention and early detection of PPD and other depressive symptoms. The Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) is a tool that can help confirm depressive symptoms in postpartum women. EPDS is one of the most widely used tools to identify women with PPD as it is easy to access and discrete as one can be screened in privacy as it utilizes self-reported data. Nurses could also aid immigrant and refugee women using the EDPS who do not speak English fluently and have limited understanding of PPD by referring them to an interpreter service to translate the EPDS. However, interpreting the scores from non-fluent English speakers and those from different cultures, who may interpret the meanings of certain words differently, may be difficult and may result in false positives or negatives. Therefore, according to RANO (2005), the best practices combine using the EPDS with clinical observation and judgement, and updated results from a follow-up physician for an assessment of PPD.

Another possible intervention for PPD is for health care providers to interact with other mothers weekly and visit their homes individually, engaging in interpersonal psychotherapy, cognitive behavior therapy, or non-directive counselling (RNAO, 2005). In particular, non-directive counselling can be helpful as nurses can be present and provide non-judgemental environments, listening to their patients to promote treatment of PPD. One of the trial non-directive counselling methods involves weekly two-hour sessions. In these sessions, participants can support by watching videos and engaging in role play to treat PPD. The study revealed that women in the non-directive counselling group had fully recovered after 13 weeks (RANO, 2005).

Other Considerations

Postpartum depression affects the entire family, so it is important for all family members to be involved in the detection and treatment of PPD. Cultural stigma has a negative effect on PPD patients’ willingness to seek help, so it is important that family members are a source of support (O’Mahony et al., 2013; RANO, 2005). Family members can also play an important role in the detection of PPD, since they are often in a position to recognize early symptoms. A study showed that partners being involved in PPD treatment had a positive effect on recovery (O’Mahony et al., 2013; RANO, 2005). It is imperative to encourage close loved ones to support PPD patients when they express feeling of anxiety, loneliness and distress. Partners who were more supportive and understanding of postpartum depression had a positive effect on their partners with PPD (RANO, 2005). Comment by Hanbin Choi: it might be wise, when you see “positive effect” to write what the positive effect was. Uplifted mood? Faster recovery? Reports of less symptoms? Etc etc.

Another nursing intervention to consider is promoting self-care for all women during the postpartum period. This includes exercise, adequate sleep, well-balanced nutrition, and engaging in supportive group interaction. Fatigue is a common issue that significantly affects the development of PPD in the early postpartum period. When fatigued, women tend to feel an overwhelming need to rest and sleep. In order to reduce fatigue, nurses can assist the new mother in planning for her daily activities. During support group sessions, it may also be useful to provide time and space for the PPD sufferer to rest or sleep if she feels it necessary, and to offer help care for the baby care while she rests (Higginbottom, Morgan, Alexandre, Chiu, Forgeron, Kocay, & Barolia, 2015; RANO, 2005). By taking care of themselves, PPD sufferers may be better able to find ways to promote positive emotional well-being.

Discussion

Tobin, Napoli and Beck (2018) described that participants in their study among immigrant and refugee women experience of different and individual of childbearing due to different culture background. In western cultures, postpartum women are seen more independent, autonomous, they are more focused on treating with medication than other natural remedies. Many immigrant women do not choose as their first choice to take any antidepressant medication to treat it. There is still research limitation that treating with antidepressant medication and taking antidepressant is safe while breastfeeding and no harm to their infants (RNAO, 2005). In other word, lack of knowledge about and limited understanding of postpartum depression, fear of stigma, limited social support, limited English language skills can contribute to disclose their symptoms and not reaching out for help (Tobin, Napoli & Beck, 2018). By contrast, they prefer and get more beneficial for treatment getting counselling, more community social support, group therapy more culturally appropriate mental health care services instead of taking medication for immigrant and refugee women living in Canada (Tobin, Napoli & Beck, 2018).

Conclusion

Canada is a multicultural country consisting of people from various cultural backgrounds and the high number for immigrations and refugees in living Canada. Despite the increase of population from other counties, the immigrants and refugees’ women who are suffer from postpartum depression are limited to access health care services due to lack of community support, language barriers, unstable socioeconomic status, lack of knowledge, and different cultural background and perspective. In order to prevent postpartum depression among immigrant and refugee women, healthcare providers should advocate and provide care more culturally competence appropriate way for treatment strategies for this population to meet their goal of mental health improve (prognosis) by awareness their culture, educated in the recognition and care PPD with family member, emotional support, and referrals to help women promote the postpartum experience and improve maternal and infant positive outcomes.

References

1. Dennis, C. L., Hodnett, E., Reisman, H. M., Kenton, L., Weston, J., Zupancic, J., Stewart, D. E.,& Kiss, A. (2009). Effect of peer support on prevention of postnatal depression among high risk women: multisite randomised controlled trial. BMJ Online First, 1-9. doi:10.1136/bmj.a3064
2. Government of Canada, Citizenship Canada. (2019, January 02). Resettlement assistance program (RAP). Retrieved from https://www.canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/corporate/publications-manuals/operational-bulletins-manuals/service-delivery/resettlement-assistance-program.html
3. Government of Canada Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada. (2019, February 26). 2018 Annual Report to Parliament on Immigration. Retrieved from https://www.canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/corporate/publications-manuals/annual-report-parliament-immigration-2018/report.html
4. Higginbottom, G. M., Morgan, M., Alexandre, M., Chiu, Y., Forgeron, J., Kocay, D., & Barolia, R. (2015). Immigrant women’s experiences of maternity-care services in Canada: A systematic review using a narrative synthesis. Systematic Reviews, 4(1). doi:10.1186/2046-4053-4-13
5. O’Mahony, J. M., Donnelly, T. T., Bouchal, S. R., & Este, D. (2013). Cultural Background and socioeconomic influence of immigrant and refugee women coping with postpartum depression. Journal of Immigrant and Minority Health, 15(2), 300-314. doi:10.1007/s10903-012-9663-x
6. O’Mahony, J. M., & Donnelly, T. T. (2010). Immigrant and refugee women’s post-partum depression help-seeking experiences and access to care: a review and analysis of the literature. Journal of Psychiatric and Mental Health Nursing, 17, 917–928. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2850.2010.01625.x
7. Osarogiagbon, L., & Aquino, A. (2017). Communication challenges of pregnant immigrant women during perinatal period- A literature review [PDF]. CINAHL and Medline databases. 1-23. Retrieved from https://www.theseus.fi/bitstream/handle/10024/133857/Osarogiagiabon_Louis%20Aquino_Aljohn.pdf?sequence=1 [Accessed 3 Mar. 2019].
8. Registered Nurses’ Association of Ontario. (2005). Interventions for postpartum depression: Nursing best practice guideline. Toronto, ON: Registered Nurses’ Association of Ontario. Retrieved from https://rnao.ca/sites/rnao-ca/files/Interventions_for_Postpartum_Depression.pdf
9. Schiller, C. E., Meltzer-Brody, S., & Rubinow, D. R. (2015). The role of reproductive hormones in postpartum depression. CNS Spectrums, 20(01), 48-59. doi:10.1017/S1092852914000480
10. The Toronto Charter for a Healthy Canada. (2012). Strengthening the social determinants of health. Retrieved from https://www.toronto.ca/legdocs/2003/agendas/committees/hl/hl030303/it006.pdf
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12. Tobin, C. L, Napoli, P. Di., & Beck, C. T. (2017). Refugee and immigrant women’s experience of postpartum depression: A meta-synthesis. Journal of Transcultural Nursing, 29(1), 84-100. doi: 10.1177/1043659616686167

I. Puritans History and Immigration to The New World:

Puritanism was a religious reform movement; it had a fundamentalist protestant belief. Puritans believed that it was necessary to be in a covenant relationship with God in order to be redeemed from one’s sinful condition. According to puritans, preaching and the holy spirit were the instruments of salvation, they emphasized preaching on images extracted from scripture and everyday experiences. The puritan’s teachings were influenced by Calvinist typology and policy.

The combination of the religious earnestness of puritanism with the doctrine of predestination inherited from Calvinism produced a” covenant theology “, which is a belief or a sense of superiority, considering themselves as the elected people chosen by God to live a Godly life as individuals and community. They called themselves using many terms as Godly, saints, professors, and God’s children, but not puritans since this last had been given by their enemies.

The beliefs and the characteristics of puritanism led them to the rejection of the Anglican Church which they considered as corrupted and viewed as popish idolatry because they rejected the pope’s authority and the episcopacy system in the church.

Puritans were divided to two major groups. The first group called the Separatists, or Independents were radical Puritans who, in the late sixteenth century, advocated reform within the Church of England.

Dissatisfied with the slow pace of official reform they founded churches outside the established order. Robert Browne gathered the primary Separatist church at Norfolk, England, in 1581; later Separatists were dubbed ‘Brownest,’ but the group did not constitute an organized movement. Within the main Separatists proposed a congregational or independent form of church polity, where in each church was to be autonomous, founded upon a formal covenant, electing its own officers, and restricting the membership to ‘visible saints.’ They wanted worship freedom independently from the English authority. In England during the 1640s, the minority wing of the Puritan party maintained congregationalism against the majority in the Westminster Assembly and the Parliament and were known as Independents, but the multitude of sects that arose out of the disorders of the time also took unto themselves the title of Independents, so that the term came to be a vague designation for opponents of Presbyterianism. The separatists were the first to immigrate to the New World.

The second group were the nonseparatist puritans who sought to reform the Anglican Church from within and preferred to remain inside the church.

1) The Birth and Evolution of Puritanism:

Puritanism movement aroused in 1534. When King Henry VIII separated the Church of England from the Roman Catholic Church. The reform of king henry was for personal purposes. The puritans were not satisfied since instead of the pope as the head of the church, it would be the king. For this reason, they considered the Church of England corrupted and they aimed to purify it.

The Protestantism movement advanced rapidly during the reign of kind Edward VI in between 1547 to 1553. During the reign of Queen Mary (1553 to 1558), England became ones more catholic after the restoration of the Roman Catholic Church, Queen Mary was not tolerant, and she was known for her persecution of Protestants including puritans who refused conversion to the Catholic Church.

Under the reign of Elizabeth, I, the Church of England was widely considered as reformed. Being protestant, she realized that religion had caused a lot of problems in England so she tried to find a middle way that both Catholics and Protestants could accept.

Some of the reforms she made to satisfy them were:

• The use of the term supreme Governor instead of head of the church
• Church services and the bible were in English
• Many elements of the Catholic Church were allowed like bishops, church decoration,
• The English prayer book was brought back, and a Latin version as printed too
• The new prayer book said that Christ was present in the bread and the wine in the communion service, this was halfway between Catholics’ and protestants’ beliefs.

Although the reforms under Queen Elizabeth I, puritans were still unsatisfied and represented a threat to Elizabeth even that they were not a great one, but she did not accept the puritan challenge to her authority. Elizabeth resisted the puritan attempts to change the religious settlement.

By 1590, most people accepted the church of England as national one. The movement started to lose its importance after the death of its leaders one by one.

After the death of Elizabeth, I, Puritan movement hope raised again when King James I took the throne in 1603. He was king James VI of Scotland, he received Presbyterian and Calvinist education. Puritans thought that he would reform the Church of England as it is supposed to be reformed.

A list of requests signed by 1000 puritan ministers was presented to the king in 1603, expressing their desire to reform the Church of England and its state. The main demands of the document called” The Millinery Petition “.

They demanded the rejection of many ceremonies like:

• The signing of the cross during baptism.
• Confirmation,
• The administration of baptism by lay people (It was common in some areas that mid-wives would baptize children.)
• Use of the ring in marriage.
• Bowing at the name of Jesus.
• The requirement of the surplice and cap.
• The practice of giving men multiple ecclesiastical positions, receiving pay for each.

Also, they demanded a stricter observance of the Sabbath which they considered as holy. They requested some changes to ecclesiastical discipline which is the study of the Christian church, its origins, the relationship to Jesus and its role in salvation, its polity, its discipline, its destiny, and its leadership.

The Millinery petition caused King James I to organize “The Hampton Court Conference “in 1604. He called representatives of the Anglican Church including English puritans to discuss the puritan requests. King James rejected most of the Puritan’s demands and particularly the rejection of any change in the episcopal form of church government. When he announced what he said that he had learned in Scotland “No bishop, no king “, which he meant that the enforcement of the bishop’s authority in religion was essential to the maintenance of royal power in other words the divine right of kings. In the other hand, he accepted some of their requests as the one for a new translation of the Bible.

This was a great disappointment for puritans, in addition, the king said that he would” harry them out of the land “if they refuse to conform.

According to William Bradford, future governor of the Plymouth colony in his book Of Plymouth Plantation, himself and his separatist followers were haunted, and persecuted on every side and some were taken to prison.

This was the main reason for their immigration first to Holland than to the new world,

Hampton Court Conference, 1604.

2) Immigration to Holland Than To the New World :

By 1607, life became so uncertain for the separated congregation, they began to think of living in England to escape from the persecution of the king. Hearing from other separatists who immigrated and found their religious freedom there. They decided to do the same and take the adventure which was almost desperate, intolerable, and a misery worst than death without an official permission for leaving England. They were forced to seek extralegal means to cross the northern sea to reach Holland.

Holland was known for its religious freedom; it was proudly protestant and tolerant place. Holland was one of the seven provinces that united to form the Dutch republic after declaring independence from Catholic Spain.

Despite the religious freedom, life was not easy in Holland. The separatists stayed briefly in Amsterdam before moving to Leiden. Amsterdam was home for diverse growing population and religious refugees which caused housing and working problems.

Leiden was the second largest city in Holland. They remained there for eleven or twelve years. Most found work in the cloth trade, others were carpenters, tailors, and printers. Due to the hard life, even children were obliged to work. This child left their parents to become soldiers and sailors in the Dutch army. Children becoming more Dutch, their parents feared that they would lose their identity as English people. In other words, the English puritan society began to be influenced by the Dutch. Moreover, the separatists worried that another war might break out between the Dutch and the Spanish.

So, they decided to move again.

After great meditation, pilgrims decided to leave Holland to establish a farming village in the northern part of the Virginia colony. They planned to live under the English government, but they would worship in their own manner, with a separate church. Because of their difficult financial situation, their money was not enough to achieve their dream village. In search of a solution, they made a deal with a company of investors in London called “Virginia Company “. The company would provide passage for the colonists and supply them with all the necessary tools (clothing, food. etc.), but in turn, they would work for the company for seven years for free. To attain their goal, they accepted the conditions of Virginia Company.

On September 6TH, 1620, a ship called mayflower departed from Plymouth and headed to America. The ship carried 102 passengers among them, women and children. The passengers were split to two groups; the separatists who were only 41, they called themselves “Saints” and the others called “strangers” who were adventures, tradesmen, craftsmen, laborers, Indentured servants, and several young orphans.

After 66 days voyage, the passengers arrived at the New World on November 11, 1620. Due to the bad stormy weather of the Atlantic Ocean, they did not arrive to the Intended place as they planned to. Instead of landing in a place near the mouth of the Hudson River, they landed in another called Cape Cod. Pilgrims choose to remain there and establish their colony but they needed to get formal permission from King James and the council of New England, this permission called “patent “.

3) The Arrival to The New World and The Signature of the mayflower Compact:

After great meditation, pilgrims decided to leave Holland to establish a farming village in the northern part of the Virginia colony. They planned to live under the English government, but they would worship in their own manner, with a separate church. Because of their difficult financial situation, their money was not enough to achieve their dream village. In search of a solution, they made a deal with a company of investors in London called “Virginia Company “. The company would provide passage for the colonists and supply them with all the necessary tools (clothing, food…), but in turn, they would work for the company for seven years for free. To attain their goal, they accepted the conditions of Virginia Company.

On September 6TH, 1620, a ship called mayflower departed from Plymouth and headed to America. The ship carried 102 passengers among them, women and children. The passengers were split to two groups; the separatists who were only 41, they called themselves “Saints” and the others called “strangers” who were adventures, tradesmen, craftsmen, laborers Indentured servants, and several young orphans.

After 66 days voyage, the passengers arrived at the New World on November 11, 1620. Due to the bad stormy weather of the Atlantic Ocean, they did not arrive to the Intended place as they planned to. Instead of landing in a place near the mouth of the Hudson River, they landed in another called Cape Cod. Pilgrims choose to remain there and establish their colony but they needed to get formal permission from King James and the council of New England, this permission was called “patent “.

According to William Bradford, several men on the board especially strangers began to make discounted and mutinous speeches, they considered themselves as servants because they promised the London Virginia Company to work for free to pay for their passage for the New World. They thought that none had the power to command them since they landed in Cape Cod not in the territory of Virginia so the contract with Virginia Company is not valid anymore. Passengers promised to take their freedom as soon as they get on land.

‘Occasioned partly by the discontented and mutinous speeches that some of the strangers amongst them had let fall from them in the ship, that when they came ashore, they would use their owne libertie, for none had the power to command them, the patente they had being for Virginia, and not for New England, which belonged to another Government with which the Virginia company had nothing to do’

To maintain organization while waiting for the new permission of the king and improve their survival chances in the new world since pilgrims knew that they would need all the help they could get to survive especially the first winter.

To solve the problem, pilgrims wrote an agreement or a covenant which was drafted and signed by forty-one men including the mutineers abroad the Mayflower and two servants indentured servants, women were not allowed to vote and participate in the governing process. The signer’s purpose was to live in peace by creating their own rules and choosing their leaders.

Immigration has been deemed to be a very controversial topic of the past; however, its political debate is one that still divides the nation today. Therefore, this research project will evaluate such opinions observing immigration’s detrimental impact on the economy. The benefits and drawbacks of immigration will be evaluated, as well as its subsequent impact on different aspects of the economy being assessed. Research has shown such aspects may include the labor force, wages, real GDP and aggregate demand, Fiscal impacts, and the Dependency Ratio. However, it must be acknowledged that the impact, whether negative or positive is one of debate amongst many individuals, therefore, both arguments will be considered, accounting for both the short-term and long-term impacts.

Immigration can be defined as the ‘international movement of people to a destination country of which they are not natives’ (Wikipedia, 2022). The key difference between migration and immigration is that immigrants go through a formal process to be lawfully accepted into the country. Over the past two decades, has experienced an increased level of net migration, with figures rising rapidly to a high of 248,000 in 2016, with a slight decrease being experienced from the period until 2020, as displayed in the diagram below. The reasons for such heightened levels of immigration are varied and may include, personal, social, economic, and familial reasons such as better employment, enhanced climate, better services etc, which are defined as ‘pull factors’. However, migration to escape the persecution of religion, gender, race, etc is termed ‘asylum’ and we discard this as a separate argument associated with immigration. Although, asylums entering are still included in migration figures.

Does immigration cause unemployment? The impact of immigration on the labor force is broadly dependent upon the skills and expertise of immigrants as compared to those of residents. Immigration can be successful in creating a more flexible labor market in times when there are job vacancies and skill shortages. For instance, the economy has benefited massively from immigration during the COVID-19 pandemic when skilled nurses and doctors migrated to help meet the demand within the healthcare industry in treating sick patients. Therefore, immigration helps to fulfill unemployment in the economy, providing great economic benefits for all citizens and increasing the output capacity of the economy. It can be understood that unemployment is a short-term phenomenon when immigrants first arrive if they are unskilled. Studies show that unskilled jobs are filled by 24% of native citizens, 27% of foreign workers, and 44% of migrants, therefore, it would be expected that due to this surge in unskilled migrant workers, the wage of unskilled workers would be more in jeopardy than that of skilled workers within. (The Core Team, 2014) It is often falsely perceived that immigrants are guilty of ‘stealing’ citizens’ jobs when in reality immigrant workers are likely to settle for any job in order to make a life for themselves in their new environment. For instance, some immigrants may settle for a lower wage (under the equilibrium) as an immediate form of employment, such as working in the black market. However, native citizens, their jobs, and wages will not be affected by this impact. Although, the issue may arise if the skill composition of immigrants exceeds that of natives. Native citizens will fear losing their job as skill competition increases, in turn increasing their cost of job loss. Therefore, existing workers will be worse off. However, firms will reap the benefits. Firms will now place downward pressure on wages and will be more profitable as a result and therefore, will expand production and invest in new machinery, taking advantage of extra profits from this cheap workforce. The diagram below illustrates this concept, whereby we see the labor force expand from 7.5 million to 8 million after immigrants enter and the wage-setting curve shifts downwards. This means that employers can now extract effort from workers at a lower wage, therefore, wages fall from A to B, £20 to £15, and employment remains at 6 million.

Although, in the long run, the increase in profits encourages firms to expand employment and hire more workers, thereby causing the real wage to restore to the equilibrium wage at C, £20 where employment is now 7 million. Provided immigration levels do not dramatically rise again, both native citizens and immigrants will be better off. Unemployment levels, in the long run, will decrease from U’ to U”, hence this suggests that immigration may only be considered detrimental to the labor force in the short run, given in the long term the economy has time to adjust to the expansion in the labor force. It must also be noted that the fall in wages may not be felt by all citizens. For instance, some immigrants may be vulnerable and will settle for a lower wage (under the equilibrium) as an immediate form of employment, such as working in the black market. However, native citizens will not be affected by this impact.

Additionally, the falling value of the pound has made it much less attractive to come and work. For instance, say inflation levels were on the rise, making exports less competitive, leading to a devaluation of the pound, illustrated by a shift in the demand curve from D1 to D2, 1.70 to 1.50 in the diagram below. Workers are more incentivized to leave and therefore, the rising unemployment rate is reduced.

Arguably, this will have negative effects on real GDP levels and aggregate demand within the economy. Despite this, net migration will also have a positive effect on aggregate demand, as consumption spending will increase as immigrants invest their wages into the economy, creating more demand for goods and services. On top of this, as well as increasing the supply of labor within the economy, the demand for labor will be complementarily increased. By looking at both of these components together, as opposed to only supply increases on their own, it can be observed that employment and wages remain at a steady equilibrium. The diagram below illustrates this as labor increases alone cause the real wage to fall from W1 to W2, however, with the joint increase in demand the wage remains at the equilibrium rate, outlining how immigration’s effect on wages isn’t always negative.

Moreover, the fiscal impact of immigration is one of debate. It has been observed that immigrants contribute more to public finances than the local population, whereby the Immigration Minister declared, ‘Our country and exchequer is better off with immigration than without it’. The fiscal impact felt by the economy from immigration is calculated by looking at the difference in the tax migrants pay and the cost of public services they consume. However, the validity of this impact is constrained by several factors, such as immigrants’ earnings, age, eligibility for public benefits, etc. Moreover, it has been acknowledged that increased immigration creating increased demand has been putting pressure on public services like healthcare, congestion on roads, education, etc as claimed by 60% of the population in a study carried out by Migration Watch (2022). For example, hundreds of schools are already oversubscribed, with a forecast of 370,000 spaces being needed by 2024. Increasing immigration makes this dilemma practically impossible, especially from the increased pressures on pupils whose first language is not English. On the contrary, immigration positively impacts the supply side of public services. This is because immigrant workers make the delivery of public services less costly, and this would not be possible with no or low immigration. However, determining whether immigrants make a positive or negative fiscal contribution is primarily dependent on what costs and benefits are included in the calculations.

Furthermore, the positive implications of immigration can be felt in the dependency ratio. The dependency ratio measures the percentage of dependent people (children and pensioners) against the number of economically active individuals. The is forecasted to see an increase in the dependency ratio, which is damaging to the government’s fiscal budget, although, with increasing levels of immigration the dependency ratio is likely to fall. This is because most immigrants are of working age, reducing the ratio to dependants and such immigrants will contribute to the workforce, and therefore, will pay more income tax, corporation tax, and VAT taxes, thereby claiming fewer benefits and helping with ‘s budget deficit. The figure below illustrates that has the lowest dependency ratio across the whole period, suggesting that the effects of immigration are very significant.

To conclude, it can be argued that the contributions of immigration to the economy can be observed as not ‘detrimental’ but widely positive. As we have acknowledged that immigration can cause short-term unemployment for unskilled workers, skilled immigrant workers contribute significantly to the real GDP and aggregate demand of the economy, enhancing economic capacity. Also, immigration is successful in reducing the cost of public services for the economy as immigrants settle for a lower wage than native citizens, making all individuals better off in the long run. The positive effect is further felt on the dependency ratio as it is decreased by more individuals of working age coming to enhance the labor force and helping with ‘s budget deficit as working individuals contribute income tax, corporation tax, etc. The government could encourage more immigrants of working age (20-30) to come to further decrease the dependency ratio, for example, through relaxation of some immigration laws. This would be very beneficial for the economy given the projected rise in the dependency ratio over the coming years.

Bibliography

1. Sanders, H., 2020, Understanding Immigration’s Economic Impact, Available from https:www.ein.org.ukblogunderstanding-immigrations-economic-impact, Accessed on 200322.
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3. Migration Watch, 2022, Economic impacts of immigration to Available from https:www.migrationwatchuk.orgpdfsEconomics-MW235.pdf, Accessed on 200322.
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Emile Durkheim said that everything is society is functional where even immigrants bring in new skills to our society be it with their building skills or food where their culture can be shown and create an opening to our country contributing to social cohesion. Functionalists say that every job needs to be filled and sometimes labour power means that immigrants can be seen to be scapegoats and blame is placed on them for taking our jobs and houses. To avoid anomie immigrants, need to socialise with the host society and adapt to the ways and cultures of their chosen society. Certain behaviours need to be adapted to fit in and to be accepted. They should abandon their own culture along with assimilation where they fully understand information and ideas of the host country. Overall functionalist says that there is nothing wrong with immigration and that it is needed within society to make it grow. (Stephen Castles, 2005)

Marxist describes socialization and how this is done through ideology through people’s social class when a person’s education is sought. Social stratification is a product of people’s relationships with the means of production. People are categorized then ranked into order from the lowest to the highest. Social action theorists say that people’s behaviour along with life chances are not deemed by their social background, its more to do with how people interact and shape their identity (Ashley Crossman, 2018) The labelling theory states that people who have power and the ability to enforce classifications than those who hold less power. Immigrants are seen as scapegoats and that they cause the problems of capitalism and it’s known that all ethnic minorities are part of the working class. Mead and Blumer connect socialisation with the relationship we have with others. (Lewis and smith 1980, Pg. 72)

Neo – Marxism agrees with Marxism that the state creates and maintains racist ideology. This continues to exploit migrants and cause a further divide within the working class and causes class consciousness. Immigrants are targeted and seen to be different which then creates a discrimination ideology separating them from the working class. (Therese J.F.A Gerold – Scheepers & Wim M.J. Van Binsbergen, Pg. 21)

Mead was the key person who created symbolic interaction,(Mind, self and society, 1934) he stated that we create our own identities, babies are not born with a personality, but they gain their personality in the way they are raised and this can change through interaction and communication while growing up. Symbolic interaction is a micro theory where it focuses on relationships among individuals within a society where communication is sought through symbols and language. Immigrants are a free flow of labour where employers benefit from cheap labour and gain more profit. Immigrants get a lot of stick for this and are accused of taking our jobs along with our homes, but they did not create this stigma our societies did along with the government and mass media. It is known by Oxford economies that immigrants put more into the economy than the average UK adult, they put at least £2,300 back into the public purse (Oxford economics 2016/17)

Symbolic interaction is a micro-level theory and describes socialization where individuals along with society develop through peoples interactions through symbols where individuals develop a sense of themselves as they learn to use the symbols, they learn to see themselves the way they believe others to see them (H. Mead,1934) Symbolic interaction shows how racism comes due to stigma. If we look at the wind rush generation in 1948 where the west Indians searched for better life opportunities for themselves and children, a local add was advertised by our government seeking more bodies after the end of WW2 as a lot of people were killed. Many took up this opportunity, half a million to be precise between 1948 and 1971 (Freedom from torture, 2020) Some only stayed a while saving money to return home while others decided this was their new home forever, the influx ended in 1971 which gave the commonwealth citizens UK citizenship and were allowed to remain in the UK or so they thought. In 2012 the hostile environment policy came into action resulting in making it exceedingly difficult for immigrants living in the UK. Some now faced being treated like illegal immigrants losing jobs and welfare and even faced immigration detention or deportation (BBC news,2018) This was all down to our Government where Teressa May enforced these changes all because the home office did not keep a record of everyone of migrated to the UK, this just shows how shocking our political system is. We act towards people and things based on the meaning we interpret from them. Those meanings are the product of social interaction between people which is known as the interpretive process where our initially meaning may remain the same, change slightly or radically.