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Full-Text Articles in Migration Studies
Inventing America's First Immigration Crisis: Political Nativism In The Antebellum West, Luke Ritter
Inventing America's First Immigration Crisis: Political Nativism In The Antebellum West, Luke Ritter
History
Why have Americans expressed concern about immigration at some times but not at others? In pursuit of an answer, this book examines America’s first nativist movement, which responded to the rapid influx of 4.2 million immigrants between 1840 and 1860 and culminated in the dramatic rise of the National American Party. As previous studies have focused on the coasts, historians have not yet completely explained why westerners joined the ranks of the National American, or “Know Nothing,” Party or why the nation’s bloodiest anti-immigrant riots erupted in western cities—namely Chicago, Cincinnati, Louisville, and St. Louis. In focusing on the antebellum …
Naturalization Ceremonies And The Role Of Immigrants In The American Nation, Sofya Aptekar
Naturalization Ceremonies And The Role Of Immigrants In The American Nation, Sofya Aptekar
Publications and Research
Although immigration is an essential element in the American national story, it presents difficulties for constructing national membership and national identity in terms of shared intrinsic values. In this article, I analyze speeches made at naturalization ceremonies during two time periods (1950 – 1970 and 2003 – present) to examine the evolving roles of immigrants, as articulated to immigrants themselves. Naturalization ceremonies are a unique research site because the usually implied nationalist content is made explicit to brand new members of the nation. I find a shift in the framing from immigrants as potential liabilities and weak links in the …