These are the peoples who made America what it was up to the year 1790. These peoples. the English. the Scotch. the German. the Dutch. the Irish. and French. all belonging to a singte ethnological stock from northwestern Europe. formulated the foundation for the liberties now enjoyed in out great country. We are now considering a subject which presents one of the great questions for solution by our Nationthe question of immigration. It has gown to be one of the problems about which there is universal concern. During a period of 100 yearsfrom 1820 to 1920more than 33.000.000 foreigners entered the United States. At the present time onethird of our population are foreign born or are the children of foreignborn parents. The number of foreigners who came to our shores increased from decade to decade until during the 10year period of 1901 to 1.910 we received 8.795.386 such people. For a number of years it has been apparent to the student of immigration that the United States must. if it is to preserve those ideals on which our Government was founded. enact legislation to control. select. and determine the number and kind of aliens who slall share the great privileges and benefits our country affords. It Is only within recent years that we have had general immigration laws of any kind. However. under the law of nations it has always been conceded that our country had a right to object to another country dumping its criminal. pauper. and undesirable classes on our shores. The concern of our Nation with the problem that immigration presents dates back to tile year 1798. In that year during the Irish rebellion many of its supporters had been cast into prison. It was believed that England intended sending these prisoners to America.
Identified stereotypes
These peoples made America what it was up to the year 1790.