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Very Short Introductions #274
American Immigration: A Very Short Introduction
Americans have come from every corner of the globe, and they have been brought together by a variety of historical processes--conquest, colonialism, the slave trade, territorial acquisition, and voluntary immigration. A thoughtful look at immigration, anti-immigration sentiments, and the
motivations and experiences of the migrants themselves, this book offers a compact but wide-ranging look at one of America's persistent hot-button issues.
Historian David Gerber begins by examining the many legal efforts to curb immigration and to define who is and is not an American, ranging from the Naturalization Law of 1795 (which applied only to "free-born white persons") to the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882, the Emergency Quota Act of 1921,
and the reform-minded Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965, which opened the door to millions of newcomers, the vast majority from Asia and Latin America. The book also looks at immigration from the perspective of the migrant--farmers and industrial workers, mechanics and domestics, highly
trained professionals and small-business owners--who willingly pulled up stakes for the promise of a better life. Throughout, the book sheds light on the relationships between race and ethnicity in the life of these groups and in the formation of American society, and it stresses the marked
continuities across waves of immigration and across different racial and ethnic groups.
A fascinating and even-handed historical account, this book puts into perspective the longer history of calls for stronger immigration laws and the on-going debates over the place of immigrants in American society.
About the Combining authority with wit, accessibility, and style, Very Short Introductions offer an introduction to some of life's most interesting topics. Written by experts for the newcomer, they demonstrate the finest contemporary thinking about the central problems and issues in hundreds
of key topics, from philosophy to Freud, quantum theory to Islam.
motivations and experiences of the migrants themselves, this book offers a compact but wide-ranging look at one of America's persistent hot-button issues.
Historian David Gerber begins by examining the many legal efforts to curb immigration and to define who is and is not an American, ranging from the Naturalization Law of 1795 (which applied only to "free-born white persons") to the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882, the Emergency Quota Act of 1921,
and the reform-minded Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965, which opened the door to millions of newcomers, the vast majority from Asia and Latin America. The book also looks at immigration from the perspective of the migrant--farmers and industrial workers, mechanics and domestics, highly
trained professionals and small-business owners--who willingly pulled up stakes for the promise of a better life. Throughout, the book sheds light on the relationships between race and ethnicity in the life of these groups and in the formation of American society, and it stresses the marked
continuities across waves of immigration and across different racial and ethnic groups.
A fascinating and even-handed historical account, this book puts into perspective the longer history of calls for stronger immigration laws and the on-going debates over the place of immigrants in American society.
About the Combining authority with wit, accessibility, and style, Very Short Introductions offer an introduction to some of life's most interesting topics. Written by experts for the newcomer, they demonstrate the finest contemporary thinking about the central problems and issues in hundreds
of key topics, from philosophy to Freud, quantum theory to Islam.
146 pages, Paperback
First published April 28, 2011
130 people are currently reading
511 people want to read
About the author
David A. Gerber
14 books10 followersDavid Gerber is Distinguished Professor Emeritus of History at the University of Buffalo, New York.
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Displaying 1 - 29 of 29 reviews
October 4, 2017
May it burn in hell.
July 25, 2018
Ahhh. The title really says it all. I don’t know whether I can really be mad at it given the sheer volume of information it glances over- this book DOES certainly leave you feeling like you need more context for the information and events it references. My main problem is however, that the writer proves a bit preachy at times despite obvious efforts to remain objective (I relate though), which is validating at the moment being read because the author and I seem to get upset at the same things (so sorta high five?) but I really wanted to get perspectives and opinions that were different than mine presented, even if the author gets angry about them too because I want to know if I am truly being objective when I present my perspectives on immigration. I don’t think validation is what I need to truly understand a topic I care deeply about. All this considered, I appreciated the structure of the novel, it really illustrated the evolution of immigration laws and the popular opinions and circumstances surrounding them during specific points in history, which I found very necessary to understanding how some laws worked. I also appreciated the fact that the book delves into how specific groups of immigrants are impacted by immigration differently to prove his points. Overall, I’d say this is a good read if you’d like to gain an understanding of the evolution of immigration laws and the perspectives that decorate them.
January 30, 2024
Had to read for my Poli-Sci class about immigration and citizenship. For an assigned reading it was not too bad compared to other school texts I've had to suffer through. This read relatively easy and was not full of stuffy or overly intellectual language that might be harder to get through.
January 19, 2021
obviously does not cover everything (i would have liked more of the era between the johnson reed act and the hart cellars act), but it does a good job organizing big ideas and historical trends across wide timescales and geographies into a short and accessible book
February 4, 2025
Good introduction to the topic!
January 21, 2023
A very good short introduction to American immigration. I learned some new information and think it would be very good for anyone to pick up to see where we come from. 3/5 stars.
April 10, 2022
He described immigrants as “…the most ignorant stupid sort of their nation”. Readers might guess this to be a conservative agitator or even a spawn of the nativist movement seen throughout America today. Both answers would be wrong. The speaker in question is Benjamin Franklin, a founding father of the United States, opining about an influx of German immigrants into his state of Pennsylvania. The greatest contradiction in the grand experiment of democracy that America has participated in for the last 244 years is its utter lack of responsibility to its ideals. David Gerber’s succinctly written book American Immigration: A Very Short Introduction spells out a nation’s long and arduous relationship with the very characteristic that gave birth to it: immigration. Though the book lacks a central argument – that is no fault of Mr. Gerber, as the book is a summary – it makes up in clear and concise delivery of information to the reader.
The book is divided into three parts which intertwine to create a clear picture of American immigration. By the end of the book, readers will have a foundational understanding of American immigration but enough to approach more specialized topics on the subject. The first part of the book is titled “The law of immigration and the legal construction of citizenship”. Owning up to its name, it primarily talks about the challenges that America has faced in incorporating immigrants and defending itself from nativist tendencies. Gerber’s writing seamlessly integrates historical examples instead of being a bland summary of what happened. For instance, his example about “The American Party” is a brilliant way to represent a contentious issue in the minds of Americans: assimilation. Gerber remarks that the members of the American National Party had no interest in stopping immigration, but rather worried about the level of integration of immigrants into American society. The party leaders of The American Party wanted to “…reform the immigrants themselves” to make them more America. Instead of waiting four years to become a citizen, immigrants could be expected to wait 21 years. This would make it so they were almost “born again”, this time as an American. Gerber also limits his focus to certain states critical to understanding the history of immigration in America. The state of California appears regularly throughout the book. Instead of having to register multiple policies from different states, readers could be limited to just a few to take away more after reading the book. Of course, the fault of this is that there are too few examples but that is of no hindrance to the reader, as this is only a small introduction after all.
The last two parts of the book are where Gerber shines the most. The second part is dedicated to the internal perspectives of migrants and what motivated them to immigrate in the first place. The third and final part is about the challenges of assimilation and how immigrants have been responding to it. Labor and the economy play a large role in motivating people to immigrate. Gerber puts it as a strategy to avoid “proletarianization”. Less emphasis is placed on more humanitarian needs for immigration. This part could have used more narratives told by immigrants themselves instead of Gerber’s banal description of their experiences which, at times, take the humanity out of them. Again, this is no fault of Gerber. The book never intended to be the length necessary to allow this to happen, but even a few stories or anecdotes could have given this work more character. The final chapter of the second part starts in 1965, following the Immigration and Naturalization Act. His organizational skills are proven time and time again, as this is an excellent date to start a chapter from. This act revolutionized immigration in America and allowed for immigrants to come to the United States. Specifically, the act removed the national quota system from each nation and thus allowed more freedom in immigration. Interestingly, Gerber blames America for deepening a “…brain drain for the developing world”. Gerber doesn’t elaborate on this and perhaps that is one of the greatest flaws of the book. Gerber leaves little room for his arguments but the times that he does, it stimulates the mind of the reader. Much to the dismay of readers, however, there is little follow-up. The third part is about the assimilation of immigrants. This part suffers from the same as the second: little-to-no accounts of assimilatory. Despite this, Gerber’s knowledge of historiography shines here. He cites Samuel P. Huntington, an eminent scholar of political science, and argues against Huntington’s book Who Are We: The Challenges to American’s National Identity (2004). Gerber accuses Huntington of perpetuating “polemics written in the mid-nineteenth century”. Though he does appreciate the fact that Huntington doesn’t resort to gross and extreme dialogue seen during that era. His deconstruction of Huntington’s argument shows the command that Gerber has over this topic. He points out that arguments such as Huntington’s use the ethnicity of the immigrant as a characteristic of otherness. Furthermore, Gerber accuses Huntington of holding on to a static form of American identity that is “…colonial British stock”. Unfortunately, there isn’t any room to delve deeper into this topic, and Huntington is only mentioned in passing.
Mr. Gerber has shown extraordinary knowledge and a tremendous job at succinctly summarizing centuries of American immigration in less than 200 pages. One important issue with this book is a lack of a bibliography or notes page. The edition that this book review used was the 2011 Kindle one, perhaps that is a reason why. Another glaring problem with the book is how little thought is given to each fact. At times, the book can seem as if one is reading an overly detailed slideshow that a 101 professor has prepared for the hundreds of faces in her room, but the moments when intimacy to such a fragile topic is established is where Gerber shines. His arguments against Huntington felt as if Gerber was trying to outline his thesis; that American immigration is linked to an evolving American identity. For most of the book, Gerber presents a banal recount of American immigration, though with great efficacy. This is a great introductory book, it accomplishes what it set out to do, but do not expect anything more
.
The book is divided into three parts which intertwine to create a clear picture of American immigration. By the end of the book, readers will have a foundational understanding of American immigration but enough to approach more specialized topics on the subject. The first part of the book is titled “The law of immigration and the legal construction of citizenship”. Owning up to its name, it primarily talks about the challenges that America has faced in incorporating immigrants and defending itself from nativist tendencies. Gerber’s writing seamlessly integrates historical examples instead of being a bland summary of what happened. For instance, his example about “The American Party” is a brilliant way to represent a contentious issue in the minds of Americans: assimilation. Gerber remarks that the members of the American National Party had no interest in stopping immigration, but rather worried about the level of integration of immigrants into American society. The party leaders of The American Party wanted to “…reform the immigrants themselves” to make them more America. Instead of waiting four years to become a citizen, immigrants could be expected to wait 21 years. This would make it so they were almost “born again”, this time as an American. Gerber also limits his focus to certain states critical to understanding the history of immigration in America. The state of California appears regularly throughout the book. Instead of having to register multiple policies from different states, readers could be limited to just a few to take away more after reading the book. Of course, the fault of this is that there are too few examples but that is of no hindrance to the reader, as this is only a small introduction after all.
The last two parts of the book are where Gerber shines the most. The second part is dedicated to the internal perspectives of migrants and what motivated them to immigrate in the first place. The third and final part is about the challenges of assimilation and how immigrants have been responding to it. Labor and the economy play a large role in motivating people to immigrate. Gerber puts it as a strategy to avoid “proletarianization”. Less emphasis is placed on more humanitarian needs for immigration. This part could have used more narratives told by immigrants themselves instead of Gerber’s banal description of their experiences which, at times, take the humanity out of them. Again, this is no fault of Gerber. The book never intended to be the length necessary to allow this to happen, but even a few stories or anecdotes could have given this work more character. The final chapter of the second part starts in 1965, following the Immigration and Naturalization Act. His organizational skills are proven time and time again, as this is an excellent date to start a chapter from. This act revolutionized immigration in America and allowed for immigrants to come to the United States. Specifically, the act removed the national quota system from each nation and thus allowed more freedom in immigration. Interestingly, Gerber blames America for deepening a “…brain drain for the developing world”. Gerber doesn’t elaborate on this and perhaps that is one of the greatest flaws of the book. Gerber leaves little room for his arguments but the times that he does, it stimulates the mind of the reader. Much to the dismay of readers, however, there is little follow-up. The third part is about the assimilation of immigrants. This part suffers from the same as the second: little-to-no accounts of assimilatory. Despite this, Gerber’s knowledge of historiography shines here. He cites Samuel P. Huntington, an eminent scholar of political science, and argues against Huntington’s book Who Are We: The Challenges to American’s National Identity (2004). Gerber accuses Huntington of perpetuating “polemics written in the mid-nineteenth century”. Though he does appreciate the fact that Huntington doesn’t resort to gross and extreme dialogue seen during that era. His deconstruction of Huntington’s argument shows the command that Gerber has over this topic. He points out that arguments such as Huntington’s use the ethnicity of the immigrant as a characteristic of otherness. Furthermore, Gerber accuses Huntington of holding on to a static form of American identity that is “…colonial British stock”. Unfortunately, there isn’t any room to delve deeper into this topic, and Huntington is only mentioned in passing.
Mr. Gerber has shown extraordinary knowledge and a tremendous job at succinctly summarizing centuries of American immigration in less than 200 pages. One important issue with this book is a lack of a bibliography or notes page. The edition that this book review used was the 2011 Kindle one, perhaps that is a reason why. Another glaring problem with the book is how little thought is given to each fact. At times, the book can seem as if one is reading an overly detailed slideshow that a 101 professor has prepared for the hundreds of faces in her room, but the moments when intimacy to such a fragile topic is established is where Gerber shines. His arguments against Huntington felt as if Gerber was trying to outline his thesis; that American immigration is linked to an evolving American identity. For most of the book, Gerber presents a banal recount of American immigration, though with great efficacy. This is a great introductory book, it accomplishes what it set out to do, but do not expect anything more
.
February 14, 2019
Thank you for keeping it short and informative, and worthwhile.
He describes “3 massive waves of voluntary international migration that reconfigured the population: (1) in the 1840s and 1850s, (2) from the late 1890s to World War I, and (3) in recent decades, dating from changes in American immigration law in 1965.”
I mostly read about the 3rd wave, and its particular focuses on Mexico and Central America. Unfortunately the book ignores drug smuggling, admittedly a different issue, but drugs and US cold war policies helped destroy Honduras Nicaragua Guatemala and El Salvador. Can anyone name a book covering that subject?
Causes: He calls the US “deeply divided on whether mass immigration is a benign development, or a necessary one, or an evil to be eradicated.” Congress is too afraid to pull apart the multiple issues and vote on the pieces: starting with a right to family reunification for non-citizens.
He suggests the source of disagreement is mainly race and class: “While a society profoundly embedded with racial privileges and disabilities, America was also from the start a class society.” Bud Powell and Josephine Baker enjoyed ex-patriate freedoms better appreciated in France. US Immigration laws did change often, with quotas exempted selectively for Mexican farm workers, or Caribbeans.
In 1965 the US Congress legislated a rare law towards equal immigration, following its failure in WWII to absorb victims of Nazi genocide. The US does a poor job internationally, also failing to stop drug cartels and narco-govts from taking hold. It treated its American neighbors like cold-war chess pieces, not partners.
Statistics: “In the 1990s it was estimated that between 500,000 and 1 million Mexicans were illegally crossing the border annually in search of work.” These numbers have come down, In a 400M USA, represents 0.1% and there is 2-way traffic, so these numbers do not make a crisis. The crisis is that some are fleeing murderous narco-governments and that some die while attempting to cross summer deserts. True the numbers exceed the 1965 limit of 120k which was too little, and ignored the wave of globalization.
He describes “3 massive waves of voluntary international migration that reconfigured the population: (1) in the 1840s and 1850s, (2) from the late 1890s to World War I, and (3) in recent decades, dating from changes in American immigration law in 1965.”
I mostly read about the 3rd wave, and its particular focuses on Mexico and Central America. Unfortunately the book ignores drug smuggling, admittedly a different issue, but drugs and US cold war policies helped destroy Honduras Nicaragua Guatemala and El Salvador. Can anyone name a book covering that subject?
Causes: He calls the US “deeply divided on whether mass immigration is a benign development, or a necessary one, or an evil to be eradicated.” Congress is too afraid to pull apart the multiple issues and vote on the pieces: starting with a right to family reunification for non-citizens.
He suggests the source of disagreement is mainly race and class: “While a society profoundly embedded with racial privileges and disabilities, America was also from the start a class society.” Bud Powell and Josephine Baker enjoyed ex-patriate freedoms better appreciated in France. US Immigration laws did change often, with quotas exempted selectively for Mexican farm workers, or Caribbeans.
In 1965 the US Congress legislated a rare law towards equal immigration, following its failure in WWII to absorb victims of Nazi genocide. The US does a poor job internationally, also failing to stop drug cartels and narco-govts from taking hold. It treated its American neighbors like cold-war chess pieces, not partners.
Statistics: “In the 1990s it was estimated that between 500,000 and 1 million Mexicans were illegally crossing the border annually in search of work.” These numbers have come down, In a 400M USA, represents 0.1% and there is 2-way traffic, so these numbers do not make a crisis. The crisis is that some are fleeing murderous narco-governments and that some die while attempting to cross summer deserts. True the numbers exceed the 1965 limit of 120k which was too little, and ignored the wave of globalization.
April 23, 2024
I started reading this book because I was primarily interested in migration to the USA in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries (up until the 1920s). This book covers a lot more than that: from early migration up until the present day. It is a measured and sensible book which supports any arguments with sound evidence. The author clearly states that it is perfectly legitimate to discuss levels of immigration, but rightly argues that debate should not be centred on ethnicity or race, or notions of maintaining some notion of cultural 'purity'. Overall I found the book very interesting and informative and took away some very helpful points, most of which could be applied to migration to the UK also. Amongst others: there are differences between various immigant groups, so it is unwise to make generalisations about 'immigrants'; immigrants aren't always poor and unskilled; several immigrant groups have invested in gaining an education to advance themselves; immigrant groups themselves change over time in all kinds of ways; migrants add a great deal to a society, enriching it culturally, socially and economically; many work hard to improve their situation and generally try to assimilate to their 'new' society while still wishing to retain something of their own cultural 'roots'. It is clear that, based on the evidence, on balance migrants have made a significant and positive contribution to an increasingly diverse American society, and that "the evidence may yet sustain a judgment that the achievementof the United States in creating a global society is its greatest claim to emulation and respect." I'd like to think something similar about the UK.
November 22, 2024
The Historian David A Gerber wrote American Immigration: A Very Short Introduction. I read the edition of the book, which was published in 2019. The book provides a well-done introduction to the history and sociology of American Immigration. The book has illustrations. The book has a section entitled “further reading” (Gerber 137-140). The book has an index. Gerber wrote, “Since the United States was founded in 1789, the nation has experienced almost constant immigration. Especially noteworthy have been three massive waves of voluntary international migration that reconfigured the population: (1) in the 1840s and the 1850s; (2) from the late 1890s to World War I; and (3) in recent decades, after changes in immigrant law in 1965” (Gerber 2). The book has three sections. The first section is on those three immigration movements from the perspective of the United States. The second section is about “emigration and immigration” from a global perspective and the “international migrants' perspectives” (Gerber 69). The third section is “the dialogue of ethnicity and assimilation” within the context of the United States. Gerber’s book was a well-done introduction to American immigration. The book explains the immigrant situation in the late 2010s by providing the phenomenon's historical and sociological context. The book is thoughtful as well.
November 23, 2017
A basic and useful introduction to the issues involved in American immigration. The author begins with an often forgotten insight into the founding of our nation: America was not founded on a common genealogy, but on a common allegiance to a constitution, and American love of country is inspired by Jefferson’s words about ‘life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.’ Immigrants come here often seeking those same ideals that hold Americans together. There have been three waves of mass immigration: (1) in the 1840s and 1850s; (2) 1890s to World War I; (3) 1965 to present. American response to immigrants has varied widely, depending on American labor needs, attitudes toward race, and security concerns. The author concludes on an optimistic note that, messy as it is, America has constructed a society that is global in origin.
April 15, 2018
This book is a good overview on the subject of American Immigration over the years. It attempts to be neutral in tone but the biases of the author do seep through at times. Nevertheless, it provides a pretty balanced view on the difficulties and positive aspects surrounding both legal and illegal immigration in the United States. It does fail to point out that immigration in America has turned out better for us than most other places in the world. Although I should point out that the author seems to see virtually all change as "evolving progress", which can be debatable - especially in other societies where such sharp change has led to war. I'd still give this book a recommendation for anyone wanting a quick scholarly overview of the subject.
July 30, 2023
The book's ~140 pages cover American immigration from colonial times to the present. It tells the history of laws and of attitudes towards immigrants, and it gives the story as well from the immigrants' perspective, including motives and obstacles and facilitators of migration. The last section deals pretty thoroughly with issues surrounding assimilation. The entire presentation comes across as balanced and objective, making a point to address common claims, worries, and misconceptions but not claiming answers where there are none known. For anyone wanting to understand immigration issues better, this book would be an excellent place to start.
August 26, 2017
Exactly as advertised: a very brief but useful introduction that gives some much needed historical context to our current political conflicts over immigration. Hint: these conflicts are nothing new. The questions regarding who'll be let in, who counts as an American, and how many different immigrant cultures can be absorbed by our national fabric, have been with us since the founding of the nation.
November 29, 2018
This was enlightening in how our country has dealt with immigration from the very beginning. It also shows that we seem to have not learned anything in how to work with new people. Acceptance seems to be missing part of our lives.
June 19, 2025
This had its ups and downs but finished on a strong note.
Regardless, I despise the sentence composition in this book. Just coma after coma of what feels like run on sentences. This made an already robust topic a bit more difficult to consume.
Regardless, I despise the sentence composition in this book. Just coma after coma of what feels like run on sentences. This made an already robust topic a bit more difficult to consume.
February 20, 2019
Short book packed with information about the history of immigration in the U.S. Fact based rather than opinion driven. Good primer.
September 8, 2019
It is staunchly pro-immigration writer pushing his views on you under the guise of a textbook.
July 18, 2021
Just good to get a little background on a debate that still goes on today.
March 2, 2024
A thorough introduction to American immigration and it's causes, history, and politics.
July 2, 2025
Quite academic style and tone to this book. Didn’t find it particularly clearly written
December 3, 2025
The amount of times I have fallen asleep reading this is crazy.
February 8, 2016
I felt the need for a good review of the history of immigration to America was in order, since it's been such a political issue lately and likely will be in the upcoming election. This book is an excellent introduction (as it claims in the title) to this topic. It covers immigration policy and our nation's attitudes from colonial times to present day, and reviews legislative, economic and social topics. It discusses the three massive waves of immigration - the 1840's and 1850's, from the late 1890's to WW1, and since the change in American immigration law in 1965. Also reviewed is the birthright citizenship that was given as a result of the 14th Ammendment and the issues surrounding that in our history. It succeeds in a balanced approach to the history and facts.
Similarly, it discusses attempts to limit immigration, such as the 1882 Chinese Exclusion Act, which was in effect until 1943 in various forms and barred immigration of all Chinese laborers. In 1891, the Immigration Act unambiguously put the federal government in charge of assessment of immigrants for entrance into the U.S, and set up the transition to a carefully constructed system to control and prioritize entrance "based largely on racialized concepts of acceptability." It also fairly points out that many other countries including Canada and Australia were developing similar systems.
The passage of the 1965 Immigration and Nationality Act redefined the process again, led by its principal spokesman Senator Edward Kennedy from Massachusetts, and abolished national origin quotas, removed race as a selection principle and made family reunification easier. It goes on to discuss some of this law's unplanned consequences as well, such as a doubling of immigration from 1965 to 1970, until by the 1990's when "60% of American population growth was accounted for by immigration."
The book finishes by discussing assimilation of immigrants and their attitudes toward assimilation, social and economic impacts of immigration, and illegal immigration. Overall this was an excellent and quick read to reveal our country's complex history on this topic.
Similarly, it discusses attempts to limit immigration, such as the 1882 Chinese Exclusion Act, which was in effect until 1943 in various forms and barred immigration of all Chinese laborers. In 1891, the Immigration Act unambiguously put the federal government in charge of assessment of immigrants for entrance into the U.S, and set up the transition to a carefully constructed system to control and prioritize entrance "based largely on racialized concepts of acceptability." It also fairly points out that many other countries including Canada and Australia were developing similar systems.
The passage of the 1965 Immigration and Nationality Act redefined the process again, led by its principal spokesman Senator Edward Kennedy from Massachusetts, and abolished national origin quotas, removed race as a selection principle and made family reunification easier. It goes on to discuss some of this law's unplanned consequences as well, such as a doubling of immigration from 1965 to 1970, until by the 1990's when "60% of American population growth was accounted for by immigration."
The book finishes by discussing assimilation of immigrants and their attitudes toward assimilation, social and economic impacts of immigration, and illegal immigration. Overall this was an excellent and quick read to reveal our country's complex history on this topic.
September 12, 2016
"The issue ultimately is, 'Who are we?' In a world in which nation-states have come to be imagined as communities providing definitions of identity for millions of unrelated, unaquainted individuals, for many that question ultimately presents the existential problem: 'Who am I?'" (5). While Gerber had some smart insights and indeed provides a concise introduction to hundreds of years of American immigration, this book is wanting of more information about American Indians/Native Americans and African Americans.
March 15, 2016
Introduction: mass immigration, past and present
Part I: The law of immigration and the legal construction of citizenship
Chapter 1: Unregulated immigration and its opponents from Colonial America to the mid-nineteenth century
Chapter 2: Regulation and exclusion
Chapter 3: Removing barriers and debating consequences in the mid-twentieth century
Part II: Emigration and immigration from international migrants' perspectives
Chapter 4: Mass population movements and and resettlement, 1820-1924
Chapter 5: Mass population movements and resettlement, 1965 to the present
Part III: The dialogue of ethnicity and assimilation
Chapter 6: The widening mainstream
Chapter 7: The future of assimilation
Conclusion
Part I: The law of immigration and the legal construction of citizenship
Chapter 1: Unregulated immigration and its opponents from Colonial America to the mid-nineteenth century
Chapter 2: Regulation and exclusion
Chapter 3: Removing barriers and debating consequences in the mid-twentieth century
Part II: Emigration and immigration from international migrants' perspectives
Chapter 4: Mass population movements and and resettlement, 1820-1924
Chapter 5: Mass population movements and resettlement, 1965 to the present
Part III: The dialogue of ethnicity and assimilation
Chapter 6: The widening mainstream
Chapter 7: The future of assimilation
Conclusion
May 22, 2014
Concise and to the point Gerber tries to give a balanced view regarding immigration and immigrants in USA. There is no attempt at analysis, but that can be hardly termed a flaw since the book describes itself as a very short introduction. Internal migration though has been completely overlooked as well as the beginnings of African-American community. These shortcomings apart, it is a good basic book on American immigration.
February 6, 2017
An enjoyable and readable presentation of the facts and trends of American immigration. Before you can understand if the facts of contemporary immigration, you have to understand the context. My sense is that my understanding of that history is much more fleshed out. There have been three broad periods of immigration, and while the forces facing today's immigrants are moderately different than those of the past, I feel confident in American society's ability to withstand the storm.
August 30, 2011
This book is a quick introduction to the topic of immigration. It covers history of American immigration law, trends in immigration, and implications of immigration. I read the book for my History of American Immigration as a primer on the subject. The book served it's purpose well.
June 10, 2016
A solid, well-rounded introduction.
Displaying 1 - 29 of 29 reviews