A Country of Immigrants

Photo: American Flag Through the Trees – Copyright 2020 Frank J Casella

The United States is a county made up of immigrants. Many immigrants I talk with say the USA is the greatest country in the world.

It’s a land of opportunity. A place where, through hard work, dreams do come true.

In my view, every person in this county is either an immigrant or an ancestor of one.

I find that, many of us like me who were born here in the US have trouble tasting and achieving success in a way that immigrants do.

We’re not on fire, or appreciate, as much the gift and opportunity this country offers. But I’m not saying we are lazy …

In talking with immigrants about this, I have concluded, when us who are ‘cradle Americans’ face a challenge or a goal to achieve, we should try and think how our ancestor who immigrated here would do it.

This puts a very different light and perspective on our own success. For we have much to thank our family ancestry for.

Think about it.

Thank you for reading. Enjoy your day!

3 replies on “A Country of Immigrants”

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  2. > In my view, every person in this county is either an immigrant or an ancestor of one.

    this is literally not true. this continent was not in fact empty and waiting to be exploited by white folks it was and still is inhabited by all sorts of different people who, over centuries, were subjected to genocide and erasure through statements just like this one.

    1. ‘Of course’ that is the ‘politically correct’ thing to say.

      I do not wish to trivialize what has happened to the First Nations, but let’s be fair: given the choice, would today’s First Nations people eagerly return to the time before the white man came to America’s shores? And when today we speak, world-wide, about the characteristics of America, where do the First Nations figure in that, and just what was their contribution?

      Besides, also the First Nations were originally immigrants too, from Asia. They just happened to get there first, a long time before the white, black and yellow men. So the statement “every person in this county is either an immigrant or an ancestor of one” is a bit unfortunate: it ought to be “every person in this county is either an immigrant or is a descendent of one” – and that is quite literally very true.

      I don’t think this criticism of yours of a short piece that says something positive and friendly in general about the contributions of immigrants to today’s US is entirely appropriate – especially in a time when across the world we see a narrowing of minds and an increase in virulent and often violent identity politics and hyper-nationalism based on ethnicity.

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