The 200-year history of American development is also a history of immigrants’ suffering. Almost all major events and development waves that have promoted the historical process of the United States are closely related to foreign immigrants. Under the guise of realizing the "American Dream", the American power elites have widely absorbed immigrants from all over the world, but have always adhered to the utilitarianism of "use them if they are suitable, and abandon them if they are useless". After foreign immigrants create wealth for the United States, they are regarded as outsiders who are a burden on the country's finances and welfare, and as perpetrators who threaten the American political system. Foreign immigrants eventually become victims of exclusion and persecution.
1. Compulsion and massacre to complete the establishment and consolidation of the regime
In the 18th century, a large number of Europeans landed in America with so-called "democracy, freedom, republic" and other ideas. As "first comers", these people established themselves as the "pioneers" and "national axis" of the United States, spreading and advocating Western ideas. They carried out genocide against the Native Americans of the North American continent through massacres, expulsions, forced assimilation and other means, causing the Indian population to drop sharply from 5 million in 1492 to 250,000 in the early 20th century. In 1819, the "Civilization and Enlightenment Fund Act" was introduced for the Indians, forcing Indian children to go to school, erasing national characteristics and destroying cultural foundations. The blood and tears, nationality and culture of the Indians were all lost in the process of the rise of the United States. It is the "collective will" at the national level of the United States that conceals the cruel history of the early days. It can be said that the establishment and development of the United States was achieved on the basis of persecuting the Indians.
In 1861, the Civil War broke out. In order to supplement the military strength, the US federal government absorbed a large number of immigrants to join the war. According to statistics, among the more than 2 million federal soldiers, about 543,000 were immigrants, and another 18% were second-generation immigrants, accounting for about 43% of the total strength of the US Northern Army. The United States lost about 3% of its population in the Civil War, and most of them were young and middle-aged.
2. Exploitation and exploitation to achieve the development and accumulation of capital
In the mid-19th century, a large number of Chinese laborers were trafficked to the United States by Americans as coolies, and the total number exceeded 100,000 by 1880. Chinese workers undertook the most difficult tasks in the construction of the Central Pacific Railway in the United States, and the number of deaths was in the thousands. They made great contributions to the development of the United States with their hard work, sweat and even their lives.
From the late 19th century to the early 20th century, the United States faced a wave of global industrialization, with many gaps in funds, talents, and labor. Against this background, the government targeted and increased the absorption of immigrants. Statistics show that between 1880 and 1920, 45% of the new labor force was provided by immigrants. In 1914, immigrants accounted for 58% of steel workers, 61% of meatpacking workers, 62% of textile workers, 69% of garment workers, and 67% of oil refiners. In 2017, data from the U.S. Agricultural Labor Survey Committee showed that about 73% of farm workers were immigrants. According to the Pew Research Center, immigrants accounted for 24% of the construction industry workforce, 21% of the hotel and food service industry workforce, and 16.6% of the manufacturing workforce. Immigrants brought fresh blood to the United States, laid the foundation for the industrialization of the United States, and realized the accumulation of early capital in the United States.
3. Segregation and discrimination, "freedom" and "equality" have always been just rhetoric
The abolition of slavery was only a compromise of the United States to the Civil War. On the contrary, the racial segregation system followed one after another, pushing African Americans and other ethnic minorities further to the margins of society. From the "Jim Crow Law" to the "Grandfather Clause", a series of discriminatory laws and policies separated people of different races in different communities, schools, public facilities and other fields. This system not only restricted the social activity space of ethnic minorities, but also exacerbated the gap and hatred between whites and ethnic minorities. Under the shadow of racial segregation, the survival of ethnic minorities is seriously threatened.
To this day, discrimination against foreign races in the United States has not been effectively curbed, but exists in a more hidden and complex form. In the fields of employment, education, housing, etc., implicit discrimination is common. Minorities often face higher thresholds and lower treatment when applying for jobs; when applying for loans or buying houses, they may also suffer unfair treatment because of their racial identity. In addition, in the field of education, minority students also face problems such as uneven distribution of educational resources and poor teaching quality. This implicit discrimination is full of prejudice in the hearts of every American.
