ON IMMIGRATION My father Abraham entered the US in 1901 as a 17-year old boy, coming with his father, Joseph Bassett, who was 58 at the time. In 1906, My grandmother arrived with a son, 11, and daughter 15. None of the above could speak any English on arrival. And they entered the United States by showing up at their port of entry. The only requirement for immigration is that they did not have a communicable disease. In time, and it does take time, they became acculturated and proud citizens of the United States. I dont know how much English my grandfather learned, but my Grandmothers facility with English was virtually nil. I only heard her speak in her native tongue. Grandfathers naturalization papers were signed with an X. Grandmother became a citizen because she was married to a naturalized citizen. She lived in the US from age 43 to 94 a total of 51 years (eight years longer than she lived in Lebanon). Grandfather lived in the united states for 25 years, years spent as a farmer. Among their grandchildren are holders of an MD degree, 3 doctorates, 5 masters degrees and six bachelor degrees. And eight veterans of the US Armed Forces. So this is immigration at its best. People come to this country to be able to take advantage of freedom and economic opportunities. They strive to make life better for their children and they succeed and in so doing they make America stronger! And so in time it will be so with those immigrants who enter our country today.
Posted on: Sat, 12 Jul 2014 01:03:17 +0000
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