Kyndal Howie

April 18, 2017

Major Assignment 4

Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965

During my UWRT class, I have spent a great amount of time

trying to define what American identity is. However, as I sit here and

look at all the different racial, cultural, religious, and ethnic heritages

around me I realize all of those things define American identity.

Throughout these past few months I have come to learn that American

identity is comprised of diversity. Meaning that, American identity is

the understanding that each individual is unique and has individual

differences. A policy that is to acclaim for that is the Immigration and

Nationality Act of 1965. The act altered American identity by bringing

in countless amounts of immigrants to the United States, which

changed the demographic makeup of the American population, the

overall economy, and family unification.

The Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965, also known as the

Hart-Celler Act, was a major change in U.S. quota policy that greatly

altered the ethnic makeup of immigrants entering the United States

and triggered a colossal increase in total immigration. The policy

terminated an earlier quota system based on national origin and

established a new immigration policy in hopes to reunite immigrant

families and attract skilled labor to the United States. By the 1960s,

many nationalities were complaining that immigration quotas

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April 18, 2017
Major Assignment 4
discriminated against them in favor of Western Europeans. The policy

gave an equal shot to newcomers from every corner of the world,

changing the U.S. immigration policy toward non-Europeans.

"This bill that we will sign today is not a revolutionary bill. It does

not affect the lives of millions," (Ludden) President Lyndon Johnson

remarked at the signing ceremony of the Immigration and Nationality

Act of 1965. "It will not reshape the structure of our daily lives or add

importantly to either our wealth or our power, (Ludden) Johnson said

at the foot of the symbolically powerful Statue of Liberty, yet trying to

downplay the law's significance. As I sit in this class, I realized that

President Johnson could not have been more wrong. It is remarkably

breathtaking how mistaken these assurances were. The image below

shows President Lyndon B. Johnson (center) as he signs the

immigration bill of 1965 into law at a ceremony on Liberty Island. This

photo is very significant due to the fact that at the time they had no

idea how much of an impact this policy would have. This exact moment

changed the lives of millions for the better.

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April 18, 2017
Major Assignment 4
The Immigration and Nationality Act had a significant impact on

American identity in many ways, one of the biggest being the

economy. Since before the act was put into place, many immigrants

came to American on their own volition, to seek a better life. However,

as of today, Americas success would not be possible without

immigrants. They have helped build our economy for many reasons.

For example, immigrants start businesses. In compliance with the

Small Business Administration, immigrants are 30 percent more likely

to start a business than non-immigrants. In addition, 18 percent of all

small business owners in the United States are immigrants. Also,

according to the Fiscal Policy Institute, these businesses employed

around 4.7 million people in 2007. (Furman, Gray)

Despite the many significant contributions to the overall

economy by immigrants, many individuals still hold economic fears.

For example, many people believe that immigrants take jobs from

American citizens. However, evidence proves this wrong, as many do

not realize that they are taking the jobs many Americans do not want.

Although immigrants do increase the supply of labor, they also spend

their salary on goods and services that expand domestic economic

demand. This increase in demand, in turn, generates more jobs in

order to provide those goods and services. In addition, the goods

produced through immigrant workers are sold at a lower price.

Research at the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco concluded that

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Major Assignment 4
Immigrants expand the economys productive capacity by stimulating

investment and promoting specialization, which produces efficiency

gains and boosts income per worker (Goldin). Although there are

concerns in many Americans today, the positives of immigrants

outweigh the negatives by far.

Not only did the Immigration and Nationality Act affect the

economy, but also family unification. The 1965 act took the existing

nationality quotas and applied them to all countries, and also added an

unlimited family reunification category for spouses, parents, siblings,

and children. Meaning if the presence of one or more family members

is in America, it enables the rest of the family to immigrate here as

well. With quotas now being opened to all countries, more immigrants

were now coming from Asian and Latin American nations. And as a

result of these settlers having big families back home, immigration

rates rapidly enlarged. This new emphasis on family connections led to

a mass immigration in the United States.

Family plays a huge part in American identity. Many immigrants

who come to America feel as if they identify as an American, yet their

roots are elsewhere. However, having family members immigrate

alongside you helps to keep a connection to your culture. Being with

others who identify with you, you are more likely to still incorporate

your culture in your everyday life, and not forget where you came

from. The family reunification category affected American identity

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April 18, 2017
Major Assignment 4
because it allowed different cultures to spread all over America.

Cultural diversity helps the idea that every individual can make a

unique contribution to society because of his or her differences.

The greatest way the Immigration and Nationality Act changed

American identity is how it changed the demographic makeup of the

American population. As I mentioned before, the Immigration and

Nationality Act replaced the earlier quota system based on national

origin that favored Northern Europe, with a new immigration policy

distributing more visas to people from other countries around the

world. Immigrants entering the United States under the new legislation

came increasingly from countries in Africa, Asia, and Latin America, as

opposed to solely Europe. The pattern of U.S. immigration has changed

dramatically as seven out of every eight immigrants in 1960 were

from Europe; by 2010, nine out of ten were coming from other parts of

the world (Gjelten). Today, people born in Asia and Latin America

dominate immigration in the United States. The image below shows

how before the act was put into place most immigrants came from

Europe. However, after 1965 Latin American and Asian immigrants

make up most of the immigration. Overall proving that the act

changed the demographic makeup of the American population.

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Major Assignment 4

As a result, this policy has increased diversity in America.

Diversity provides a great tool for Americans because it gives people

the chance to experience different things. Due to the large immigration

population, there are many different ethnic groups in the United States.

From African American to Asian, each of these groups contributes to

American identity. Being around so many different ethnic groups allows

us to come in contact with a different culture. As a result, it is

significant because we are surrounded by cultural diversity in our

country, workplace, and schools. For example, in my UWRT class I am

able to learn more by interacting with people outside of my own

culture. In addition, diversity helps us respect ways of being that are

not what we are used to. This helps me to learn from others rather

than make a negative stereotype of different groups. Communicating

in a place where diversity is respected makes our country more

exciting in ways such as more ethnic restaurants, easier access to

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Major Assignment 4
products available in other countries, and the roles of languages other

than English in public.

Despite the fact that the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965

changed American identity, many argue that it didnt. For example,

many individuals think those even years later there was still major

issues concerning immigration in America. Although the act may not

have had a large affect right away, it still sparked a dramatic change

that affects us still to this day. The acts main supporter, Senator

Edward Kennedy famously promised in his opening remarks during the

introduction of the bill, Our cities will not be flooded with a million

immigrants annually and that the Ethnic mix of this country will not

be upset (Smith). He also firmly stated that the bill would not change

the ethnic, political, or economic makeup of the country. However,

Kennedy could not have been more wrong. Asians quickly overtook

Hispanics as Americas fastest-growing immigrant group, and since the

act was implemented our immigration authorities have let 59 million

people into the country (Smith). While this did not happen overnight or

even a few years after the act was implemented, it still plays a huge

part in our lives today.

Throughout the semester I have struggled with finding an answer

to What is American identity? However, as I look at all the different

faces surrounding me in this classroom, I know that American identity

is comprised of diversity. Because of the cultural diversity neighboring

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April 18, 2017
Major Assignment 4
me, I now have new ways of thinking, and new knowledge of American

identity. I am given this privilege from the Immigration and Nationality

Act of 1965. The act has forever altered American identity by bringing

in countless amounts of immigrants to the United States, which

changed the demographic makeup of the American population, the

overall economy, and family unification. Americans must always

remember the anniversary of the Immigration and Nationality Act of

1965, and how it changed the face of America, and contributed to the

developing identity of the American nation.

 Kyndal Howie
April 18, 2017
Major Assignment 4

Works Cited:

(Not including sources used in annotated bibliography)

Ludden, Jennifer. "1965 Immigration Law Changed Face of

America." NPR. NPR, 09 May 2006. Web. 24 Apr. 2017.

Smith, Ian. "Half a Century of Barely Controlled Immigration."

National Review. N.p., 09 Oct. 2015. Web. 24 Apr. 2017.

Boundless. "The Immigration Act of 1965 - Boundless Open

Textbook." Boundless. Boundless, 25 Jan. 2017. Web. 24 Apr. 2017.

"The Effects of Immigration on the United States' Economy."

Penn Wharton Budget Model. N.p., n.d. Web. 24 Apr. 2017.

"Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965." Immigration to the

United States. N.p., n.d. Web. 24 Apr. 2017.

"Chapter 1: The Nations Immigration Laws, 1920 to Today." Pew

Research Center's Hispanic Trends Project. N.p., 27 Sept. 2015. Web.

24 Apr. 2017.