American Immigration: Past, Present, and Future
Edward O’Donnell is a professor of history at College of the Holy Cross. He is the author of several books, including Henry George and the Crisis of Inequality: Progress and Poverty in the Gilded Age. He frequently contributes op-eds to publications like Newsweek and The Huffington Post, and has been featured on PBS, the History Channel, the Discovery Channel, and C-SPAN. O’Donnell also has curated several major museum exhibits on American history and appeared in several historical documentaries. He currently hosts a history podcast, “In the Past Lane.”
Overview
The History Of American Immigration Policy
The history of immigration to the United States stretches over 400 years, beginning with the first European settlements in the New World around 1600. Around this time, British and other Europeans settled primarily on the east coast, seeking freedoms previously unavailable in Europe. In 1619, the importation of African slaves began – which though technically immigration, certainly was not voluntary. Emigration from other countries (especially European states) of populations to the US has since come in successive waves, and attitudes towards these new immigrants have cycled between favorable and hostile. While strict numerical counting of immigrants ended in 1965, at various times, immigration rules have become more or less restrictive based upon the presidential administration. The current Administration’s attitude towards immigration has veered back to a “hard line” approach but it is hardly the first to take such a perspective. Professor Ed O’Donnell will discuss this and much more in this timely course.
Learn More About The History Of American Immigration Policy
Learn more about the history of American Immigration and other important topics by checking out additional great videos at OneDayU, including ‘The Role Of Light In Gothic Architecture’, ‘Books Written By Presidents’ & ‘Common Habits of Geniuses’ all on-demand now.