Title: Why have Americans historically hated immigrants? Why have Americans historically hated immigrants? Does the U.S. treat immigrants fairly today? - eNotes.com
Headings: Why have Americans historically hated immigrants? Why have Americans historically hated immigrants? Does the U.S. treat immigrants fairly today?
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Why have Americans historically hated immigrants? Why have Americans historically hated immigrants? Does the U.S. treat immigrants fairly today?
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Content: The main reason is cultural. That is, so called "natives" who were already living here for a generation or more, had their own culture based on Christianity (usually Protestants) and the English language. Large numbers of immigrants made them feel as though their culture and heritage were threatened. This was a myth as immigrants time and time again had assimilated by the second or third generations. Sometimes it has been for racial reasons, as immigrants from Asian countries especially were easy to discriminate against, while the Irish, for example, as Caucasians, blended into the population in both language and appearance in just one generation. Lastly, there is a myth that immigrants take jobs "Americans" would have otherwise. The truth is that they almost always work the more difficult, dangerous and low paying jobs other Americans are unwilling to do. Approved by eNotes Editorial Team
Isabell Schimmel
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The most usual reason for Americans to hate immigrants is because the immigrants are too different in some way that seems important to Americans at the time. This tends to happen more when there are more immigrants, and especially more from one region or country. For example, immigrants have been hated when they were too different in terms of religion (Catholics and Jews) or in terms of economic status (too many poor ones).