What is America

V. Content by Student Request:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wFK0WhQUpIQ The summer after my freshman year, I worked on the congressional campaign of Dr. Anil Kumar for the 11th district in Michigan and this link is him explaining why he chose to run for Congress. He is an example of one of the educated South Asian immigrants that came to Michigan, where he established himself as an award winning Urologist before deciding to enter the political sphere.

IV. Immigration Through the Lens of Love Stories:  https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2017/11/20/along-the-u-s-border-with-mexico-a-gate-briefly-opened-and-a-couple-wed/?utm_term=.f7860b42fc37 A couple got married during an annual opening on the Door of Hope, which allows a select few families to be reunited with one another. This couple proves that love crosses any boundary, especially one that is only physical and largely unaccepted by both the populations it segregates.

III. Refugees:  https://www.freep.com/story/news/local/michigan/2017/01/26/michigan-refugees-syria-elsewhere/97079664/ My home-state of Michigan has accepted the second highest number of Syrian refugees in the U.S. and is already seeing the cultural and economic benefits of allowing these refugees to become resettled. As I stated before, both immigrants and refugees have a lot of knowledge to spread across the U.S. and they help create a more accepting society where everyone is valued.

II. Immigrants and Art: http://www.cnn.com/2017/02/16/us/museum-removes-art-from-immigrants-trnd/index.html An art museum at Wellesley College removed all the art that was created or donated by immigrants to highlight the significance of immigrants within artistic fields. By doing this, it showcases the importance of diversity within America and how without immigrants, there is something lacking-- you’re only getting ¼ of the whole experience.

I. History of US Immigration:  http://www.pbs.org/destinationamerica/usim_wn.html This article shows more about the different waves of European immigration, what time period these waves happened in, and how there were racist policies in place for the different sections of Europe. This website shares personal immigration stories from European immigrants while Ellis Island was open and how many Europeans struggled to enter this country to escape the horrors that would await them at home.

America is described as a melting pot because of various immigration policies during the different time periods that this country has seen. America is more than a collection of immigration policies; it is the story behind the policies. It's the shared struggle that each immigrant faced to get here and the understanding that life will be better. Americans can be defined by many things, but every person in this country has their own immigration story whether it’s their own or their family’s. Immigrants have been coming to this country since the 1500s, when the first pilgrims arrived in the Plymouth Harbor to the mass immigration through Ellis Island to the Asian immigration of the 80’s. America is defined by its immigrants and what they have accomplished within these borders. From the European immigrants fleeing the Potato Famine to the Syrian refugees fleeing chemical warfare, they each have a shared goal to come to this country in search of something better. Sharing one's sto...