Speech #1140082462

Texas. The essay topic is: Select an important event that has occurred in the past year and explain how that event has changed/shaped our country. Throughout history. the United States has been a beacon of hope for immigrants around the world. Beginning in the early 1700s. when the first of the ScotsIrish immigrants came to America. we have generally been extremely welcoming to foreigners. even if we did not necessarily want them. The ScotsIrish. more specifically the Paxton Boys. caused many problems for Americans and Native Americans. yet. despite the danger they presented to society. the ScotsIrish were still allowed to enter the United States. Then. in the mid1800s. there was a wave of Irish immigrants because of the famine and there was a wave of Chinese immigrants into America. Although Chinese immigration was later on restricted. people were still allowed to enter this country. There are many other groups of people who have been able to seek refuge in the United States as well. and the latest asylum seekers are the Syrians who have been displaced by the poverty and violence that resulted from a civil war. However. instead of opening our arms and providing assistance to those in need as we have done in the past. many people want to close off the United States. The number of Syrian refugees has increased severely over the past year. creating a large burden on European and Middle Eastern nations such as Greece. Germany. and Turkey. Many of these countries are calling upon the United States to take action since they are the current hegemonic power. However. a majority of American politicians believe that we should ignore that call. This humanitarian crisis has turned into an ethical dilemma: Should the United States accept the Syrian refugees who are trying to escape poverty and violence despite the potential dangers. or should we close our doors in order to protect national security? This event has really sent the traditional belief that the United States is safe haven for anyone trying to escape persecution. violence. and poverty into a tailspin. For the first time. the U.S. is considering turning its back on those in need. a direct contrast to past events where America was a willing safehaven for those seeking asylum.