To Understand Immigration Today, Look At Your Own Family History

Posted by Dan Sigward on October 5, 2017

On October 3, 1965 President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the Immigration and Naturalization Act (INA). Previous immigration policies from the 1920s had set national-origin quotas, which discriminated against immigrants who were not from northern Europe. By abolishing these quotas, the INA contributed to a significant shift in demographics in the United States over the last 52 years. 

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Topics: Immigration, We and They

Journey to America: What's Your Story?

Posted by Dan Sigward on March 23, 2017

Every family in the United States originated from somewhere else. From Native Americans who migrated across a land bridge to North America to immigrants who sailed aboard a steamship to Ellis Island, many chose to come to America. Hundreds of thousands of others were brought here against their will aboard slave ships. 

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Topics: Immigration, Holocaust and Human Behavior, current events, We and They

Remembering Nanjing Reminds Us Why "Us" vs. "Them" is Dangerous

Posted by Jackson Tse on December 13, 2016

December 13, 1937 is a day etched in the collective Chinese consciousness. On that day, the Japanese imperial army marched into the city of Nanjing—then the capital of China—and unleashed a wave of violence for six long weeks. The soldiers attacked ordinary citizens and violated all acceptable international norms of war. This act of mass violence marked the beginning of World War II in Asia. It is difficult to mark the anniversary of this dark chapter today without reflecting on contemporary global events reminding us all of the fragility of peace and democracy.

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Topics: Memory, The Nanjing Atrocities, current events, We and They

Our Own Great Witnessing: An American Muslim's Reflection on 9/11

Posted by Taymullah Abdur-Rahman on September 11, 2016

 

Fifteen years after the attacks on September 11, Facing History's New England Program Associate, Taymullah Abdur-Rahman, reflects on how he came to terms with the attacks and their aftermath as an American Muslim. 

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Topics: September 11, Identity, Holocaust, global terrorism, We and They

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