John F. Kennedy, in his essay The Immigrant Contribution, talks about the importance of immigration to American society and economy and how it has fostered the spirit of equality in America. Kennedy firmly believed that immigrants played a vital role in shaping America’s cultural, economic, and intellectual landscape. He often spoke about the importance of diversity and the value that immigrants bring to the nation. In his 1958 book A Nation of Immigrants, Kennedy emphasized the positive impact of immigrants on the country and argued for a more compassionate and fair immigration policy.
The Immigrant Contribution | Summary
Kennedy starts off by quoting Oscar Handlin, who said that one cannot write about the history of immigrants in America because the immigrants are the very history of America. All citizens of America are, in some way, immigrants, even the natives who migrated here. One can only talk about whose roots are older or newer, and all the waves have made significant contributions to America.
Kennedy then remarks that while all immigrants migrated to the US for different reasons, they all had similar hopes of “personal freedom” and “economic opportunity”. Fixty-six senators signed the Declaration of Independence, of whom eighteen were non-English speakers and eight were first-generation immigrants. Even ethnic minorities have contributed to America’s being a liberal nation. Kennedy also notes that the contribution of immigrants to the economy has been seminal, both industrially and scientifically. He goes on to mention the industrialists and scientists who have been meritorious in their fields.
He now talks about the “anonymous immigrant” who did the hard labor and used his technical and entrepreneurial skills from 1880–1920, when America became the industrial and agricultural giant of the world. Even greater was the immigrant’s role in the arts. Many great artists and writers have been immigrants or descendants of immigrants. In addition, immigration has been one of the biggest themes in American literature.
The lives and customs of the immigrants have become pervasive, yet another contribution of the immigrants that intimately affects the lives of all Americans. All the faiths of America have been borrowed from abroad; the country has a tradition of religious pluralism and the separation of Church and State. Even in the way Americans speak, immigration has made a contribution. The American language has diverged from the English of Britain. Even an American dinner comprises dishes borrowed from around the world, like caviar, Irish stew, goulash, etc.
Having said all of that, Kennedy notes that immigration “was not always a happy experience”; it was hard on the people moving to America, who were often poor and exploited by native racketeers and businessmen. Adjustment and assimilation have hindered the American idea—a challenge that has rendered American society with the finest qualities. The public school became an important tool for immigrants, and the melting pot of all ideas helped create a single American nationality. Kennedy notes, however, that this ‘melting pot’ has failed for the ‘Negro’. America today, however, is resolutely driven to abandon the concept of second-class citizenship altogether.
Kennedy further points out that America is characterized by the absence of a rigid “class structure”; people have been able to move up the economic scale. Immigration is a “gesture of faith in social mobility”. It has strengthened my belief in change and the future. Alexis de Tocqueville called this the spirit of equality. This equality means equality in opportunities for freedom in a democratic society. This philosophy has built the economy and shaped the government.
Immigration in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries has thus been central to America, which gave it a standard by which to judge how far the American has come and how far he will go. American society is not static, it is a process. The resources of the land provide great opportunities, but it is the people who make the opportunities a reality. Immigration has taken the country to “far horizons”, keeping the motto of the spirit of equality alive.
The Immigrant Contribution | Analysis
John F. Kennedy wrote the book A Nation of Immigrants when he was a US senator. ‘The Immigrant Contribution’ has been excerpted from the same. Being a firm supporter of immigrant rights, Kennedy sheds light on the importance of immigration and its contribution to American history.
Kennedy notes that many trailblazers in American history—from industrialists, scientists, and even artists—have been immigrants, and their contribution to society has been seminal in fostering the “spirit of equality in America”. Not only that, the anonymous immigrant, with his hard labor and entrepreneurial and technical skills, has also silently contributed to the economy. Immigration is thus not a part of American history; it is American history because all citizens of America have been immigrants, new or old.
Kennedy also notes that while most immigrants had different reasons to come to America, they all shared in common a great hope—the hope of economic opportunities. America has always been synonymous with the land of opportunity. These immigrants form almost the entire American population, rendering it a demographic anomaly. Together, they have secured for themselves a unique American identity, as America has been a “melting pot” of all their customs, values, and rituals. Immigration has intimately influenced every aspect of American life, from professions to food, to even language. It has been the theme of the greatest American literature. Kennedy’s essay thus, sheds ample light on the immigrant’s contribution to making America what it is today, much like Anna Quindlen’s A Quilt of a Country.
Kennedy’s essay is thus a powerful meditation on the contribution of immigrants in America; it emphasizes that American society is a constantly evolving, fluid process rather than a static conclusion. He talks about the immigrant’s contribution to all spheres of American life, fostering a unique identity for themselves in the country. Immigration has been the soul of the spirit of equality in America, the equality of opportunity.
About the Author
John F. Kennedy became the 35th American president in 1961 until his assassination in 1963. Under him, television became a powerful tool in the election process, and elaborate election campaigns became the norm. He prioritized style along with substance. In 1963, he proposed the Immigration and Nationality Act, which aimed to eliminate discriminatory quotas based on national origin and establish a more comprehensive and inclusive immigration system. He became the youngest man elected to office and was assassinated shortly after completing his first thousand days, making him the youngest president to die.
