"Our beautiful America was built by a nation of strangers. From a hundred different places or more they have poured forth into an empty land, joining and blending in one mighty and irresistible tide. The land flourished because it was fed from so many sources--because it was nourished by so many cultures and traditions and peoples."
- Lyndon B. Johnson
Thesis
There are few nations that accept immigrants on the scale of the United States. 'We the people' are immigrants drawn to freedom and opportunity. However, our immigration policy has never been the shining beacon of freedom promised by the Statue of Liberty. In our past, we have turned away immigrants from the golden door of liberty to preserve the ethnic makeup of our first European immigrants. Imbued by the civil rights era of equality, the Immigration Act of 1965 was a key turning point in the making of contemporary America. By abolishing discriminatory quotas based on one's national origin, it bridged the gap between our Founding Fathers' vision and our nation of immigrants today. It forever changed the country's racial and ethnic demographics. Furthermore, it spurred globalization bringing in low and high skilled workers. It revolutionized immigration and what it means to be an American.