However, as their own businesses and the economy began to flourish, their presence soon
became unwelcome competition. In response, this very society they had helped to thrive
rejected them. It would take another 60 years until immigration restrictions targeting the
Chinese were lifted. Leaving behind one community to advance another can accomplish
nothing but erosion of our country’s fundamental values. Japanese Americans who
fought for America in World War II took on a hyper-patriotic standard to defend their
place as Americans. And yet the notion of having originated from the enemy side was all
that was needed at the time to defend condemnation. In these cases, they did not make
these efforts as outsiders. They made them as Americans, whose love sprung and
flourished like a “red, red rose”. If actions speak louder than words, then the endeavors of
these communities sung an undeniable love for this country, awaiting its harmonious
voice to complement their melody.
Furthermore, our nation has over 60 million Latinos who have roots in American society
and carry many facets of the economy. Latino startups and businesses have been in
constant growth, and their expanding role as consumers cannot be ignored. They also
constitute 18% of the armed forces and serve proudly in a variety of positions. Their
demographic leverage has the potential to change the political landscape- according to
the Center for American Progress, 40 million Latinos are expected to be able to vote by
2030. Additionally, when the relationships between Mexico and the United States are
weighed in, Latinos have the strength to alter the perspectives of both for the better. Our
country embodies the parcels we have been gifted from this community: culture,
language, economy and much more. So why is society’s response still mixed? These
cultural endowments proved Latinos’ loyalty to the United States they helped to shape
with this impact.
Immigrants flock to America because it is much more than a border. It is an open door
for opportunity to build a better life as a part of this society, not a separate entity. The
wish of immigrants is to take this country by the hand and walk alongside it on an
unfamiliar yet spectacular path towards the future. The Chinese Exclusion act, the
Anti-Immigration Act and restrictions towards Italians and the Irish may be long gone
like ink lettering faded into worn paper. But centuries after the first immigrants set foot
in this country, they still must have evidence of their roles in history as if a very presence
were not proof enough.