The Nation of Immigrants (2052)

The Unites States has often been called "a nation of immigrants". Indeed, the country was settled, built and developed by generations of immigrants and their children. Even today America continues to take in more immigrants than any other country in the world.

By the time American independence was declared in 1776, 2/5 of all settlers were of non-English origin. The first U.S. census, taken in 1790, revealed a population of just fewer than four million people, with about 10,000 new settlers arriving each year.

Today the great majority of the inhabitants are of European origin. According to the U.S. census of 2000, the largest minority were Hispanics (Spanish-speaking people), who accounted more than 35 million people. This figure includes people of Mexican, Puerto Rican, Cuban, and many other origins. The African-American population numbered 34 million people. The Asian population totalled 10 million and consisted predominantly of people of Chinese, Filipino, Indian, Vietnamese, Korean, or Japanese origin. The Native American population of the United States, which included natives of Alaska such as Eskimos and Aleuts, was about 2.5 million people. A third of Native Americans lived on reservations, trust lands, territories, or other lands under Native American jurisdiction. Hawaiians and other Pacific Islanders numbered about 400,000 people.

In addition to the original group of British settlers in the colonies of the Atlantic coast, numerous other national groups were introduced by immigration. Large numbers of Africans were transported in chains under terrible conditions to work as slaves, chiefly on the plantations of the South. Immigrants from Europe – the Scotch-Irish group, German and Scandinavian nations moved into the land in the 19^th century. After the World War I, the immigrants came mainly from the nations of South and East Europe. The proportion of foreign-born people in the U.S. population reached 11 per cent in 2000 according to the U.S. census Bureau.

The heritage of immigrants and immigration has brought benefits to America. German intellectuals brought with them a liberal tradition that did much to change their newly adopted land. Jewish immigrants, seen by many as the "refuse" of the world, have added their brilliance to American culture, education and science. Many other ethnic groups have also added their contributions to the American Dream and kept that dream alive.

Check your comprehension.

1. Why was the USA often called "nation of immigrants"? 2. How many immigrants does the country take in today? 3. What part of the U.S. population do inhabitants of European origin compose? 4. What group of people represents the largest minority? 5. What people do Hispanics include? 6. How many African-Americans live in the USA? 7. Where have they come from? 8. What people represent the native population? 9. What is the proportion of foreign-born people in the USA today? 10. What contribution did immigrants make into the development of America?

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Population (3295)	\|	Native Americans (1916)

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