A Nation of Immigrants (book)
"A Nation of Immigrants" is a significant work by John F. Kennedy, originally written in 1958 at the request of the Anti-Defamation League to advocate for reform in U.S. immigration policy. This book reflects on the foundational role that immigrants have played in shaping American society and its democratic ideals. Kennedy argues against the concept of America as a "melting pot," instead promoting the idea of cultural pluralism, where diverse immigrant contributions enrich the nation’s fabric. He highlights the injustices faced by immigrants throughout American history, particularly in relation to nativist movements and exclusionary immigration policies. The text outlines key legislative milestones, from the Naturalization Act of 1790 to the Immigration Act of 1924, scrutinizing their impact on immigrant communities. Ultimately, Kennedy advocates for the removal of the restrictive immigration quota system, which was partially realized after his death with the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965. His work serves as a reflection on the ongoing dialogue regarding immigration and its essential role in fostering innovation and diversity within the United States.
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A Nation of Immigrants (book)
Identification: Posthumously published survey of U.S. immigration policy by John F. Kennedy
Date: First published in 1958; first expanded and revised edition published in 1964
Significance:A Nation of Immigrants, written while John F. Kennedy was still a senator, espouses reform of exclusionary immigration policies. After Kennedy was elected president of the United States in 1960, he called on Congress to reform immigration law.
In 1958, the Anti-Defamation League asked Senator John F. Kennedy, Pulitzer Prize winner for Profiles in Courage (1955), to write an essay advocating reform of U.S. immigration policy. Politically, Kennedy hoped to ensure support from Jewish and other immigrant communities for his 1960 bid for the presidency. He used the occasion to compose a meditation on the United States as “a nation of immigrants.”
For Kennedy, the leveling effects of Old World oppression shaped the egalitarian nature of American democracy, built upon successive waves of immigration. In the book, Kennedy skirts the economic issues associated with cheap immigrant labor, but he eloquently documents the abuses of nineteenth and twentieth century nativist movements. He summarizes exclusionary U.S. immigration policy from the Naturalization Act of 1790 to the Immigration Act of 1924. According to Kennedy, America is not a “melting pot” for immigrants. Rather, invoking the language of cultural pluralism, he promotes immigration as the engine of democracy that allows new ideas in the arts, politics, economics, and the sciences to challenge the status quo. The book calls for legislative action to remove the immigration quota system—which was achieved after his assassination in 1963 in the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965.
Bibliography
Giglio, James. The Presidency of John F. Kennedy. 2d ed. Lawrence: University Press of Kansas, 2006.
Kennedy, John F. A Nation of Immigrants. Expanded ed. Introduction by Edward Kennedy. Foreword by Abraham Foxman. New York: HarperPerennial, 2008.
Melhman, Ira. “John F. Kennedy and Immigration Reform.” The Social Contract 1, no. 4 (Summer, 1991): 201-206.