BECOMING US
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Long before newcomers began arriving at Ellis Island, Indigenous peoples had already lived on this land for thousands of years, but the first permanent Spanish colony in the mid-1500s set in motion what would become a winding road of immigration and relocation trends in the United States. Clear explanations and naturally embedded definitions make complex terms and policies easy to follow, while the text examines why people relocated, which eras brought different groups, and how laws shaped their experiences, from enslaved Africans brought by force through Mexican workers recruited through the Bracero programs to Jewish Germans fleeing the Holocaust during World War II. Contemporary issues, including President Trump’s efforts to end birthright citizenship, bring the history into the present. Throughout, Wegwerth emphasizes how immigration policies have disproportionately been created and enforced by white men while underscoring the fundamental truth that Indigenous people were here first and still are. Racism, nativism, and xenophobia receive nuanced attention. Though discussion questions vary in their potential for thoughtful engagement, they provide useful prompts for research and classroom conversation alongside captioned photos and illustrations. A myth-busting page in the backmatter adds some welcome appeal to an otherwise dry presentation.
from Kirkus Reviews https://ift.tt/cvQ2F8r
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