Friday #56 #42 This Land Is Our Land: A History of American Immigration

The Friday #56 is a weekly meme hosted by Freda's Voice. Join in every Friday and share an excerpt from a book you've been reading. Here are the rules:

• Grab a book 
• Turn to page 56 or 56% in your e-reader
• Find any sentence (or a few, don't spoil it) 

**Be sure to post the links to your Friday #56 below!

Happy Reading!!

American attitudes toward immigrants are paradoxical. On the one hand, we see our country as a haven for the poor and oppressed; anyone, no matter his or her background, can find freedom here and achieve the “American Dream.” On the other hand, depending on prevailing economic conditions, fluctuating feelings about race and ethnicity, and fear of foreign political and labor agitation, we set boundaries and restrictions on who may come to this country and whether they may stay as citizens. This book explores the way government policy and popular responses to immigrant groups evolved throughout U.S. history, particularly between 1800 and 1965. The book concludes with a summary of events up to contemporary times, as immigration again becomes a hot-button issue. Includes an author’s note, bibliography, and index.

So this week I'm reading another book for my young adult materials class. It's been interesting so far, but not anything that I'm necessarily reading to brag about. It does tackle some difficult issues and I truly believe that it relates to everything that is going on in the country right now; however, the writing is getting to me a little bit. Hopefully I'll get used to it by the time I finish the book. If you've read it before please let me know what you think in the comment box below. 

"Refugees from ethnic genocide--the killing of an entire group of people by another--fled Rwanda, often spending years in camps in other parts of Africa. Some Rwandan refugees were eventually accepted by the United States. Others were not."