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calarco 's review for:
A Nation of Immigrants
by John F. Kennedy
If you have an interest in American immigration history, JFK's personal impressions that later shaped much of the 1965 Immigration and Nationality Act (passed after his assassination), or just want to remember that American presidents once wrote with clear diction, then I recommend JFK's A Nation of Immigrants.
Originally written in 1958 (before he was elected president) for the Anti-Defamation League, JFK used this book to clearly express his thoughts on U.S. immigration policy. Specifically, he states that America's openness to accept refugees and immigrants are at the core of what makes America, America. He also writes about the importance of expanding immigration policy so that families can be reunited and have the opportunity of social mobility that he believed only America could provide (at that time).
"Immigration policy should be generous; it should be fair; it should be flexible. With such a policy we can turn to the world, and to our own past, with clean hands and a clear conscience. Such a policy should be but a reaffirmation of old principles. It would be an expression of our agreement with George Washington that 'The bosom of America is open to receive not only the opulent and respectable stranger, but the oppressed and persecuted of all nations and religions.'" (65)
In addition to demonstrating how immigrants are innately a part of America's history and identity as a nation, JFK also lambastes America's history of poor treatment of immigrants. His criticisms are aimed at hate groups built of nativism and xenophobia such as the KKK and the Know Nothing Party, as well as specific U.S. policy like the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882.
This is by no means a comprehensive overview of American immigration history and policy, but as JFK writes this in reverence of his own family's Irish immigrant heritage, the book is written with an emotional honesty that makes this a poignant introduction to these topics.
The edition I read was the 2018 re-release by the Anti Defamation League, with the Foreword written by national director Jonathan Greenblatt in which present-day context is provided. Appendixes are also added to in this edition to extend the timeline beyond 1963 (JFK's assassination). I would definitely recommend this one.
Originally written in 1958 (before he was elected president) for the Anti-Defamation League, JFK used this book to clearly express his thoughts on U.S. immigration policy. Specifically, he states that America's openness to accept refugees and immigrants are at the core of what makes America, America. He also writes about the importance of expanding immigration policy so that families can be reunited and have the opportunity of social mobility that he believed only America could provide (at that time).
"Immigration policy should be generous; it should be fair; it should be flexible. With such a policy we can turn to the world, and to our own past, with clean hands and a clear conscience. Such a policy should be but a reaffirmation of old principles. It would be an expression of our agreement with George Washington that 'The bosom of America is open to receive not only the opulent and respectable stranger, but the oppressed and persecuted of all nations and religions.'" (65)
In addition to demonstrating how immigrants are innately a part of America's history and identity as a nation, JFK also lambastes America's history of poor treatment of immigrants. His criticisms are aimed at hate groups built of nativism and xenophobia such as the KKK and the Know Nothing Party, as well as specific U.S. policy like the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882.
This is by no means a comprehensive overview of American immigration history and policy, but as JFK writes this in reverence of his own family's Irish immigrant heritage, the book is written with an emotional honesty that makes this a poignant introduction to these topics.
The edition I read was the 2018 re-release by the Anti Defamation League, with the Foreword written by national director Jonathan Greenblatt in which present-day context is provided. Appendixes are also added to in this edition to extend the timeline beyond 1963 (JFK's assassination). I would definitely recommend this one.