# An immigration question **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [December 18, 1999, 2:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-immigration-question/5438 "1999-12-18T02:56:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Ringo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/779978/32.png) [@Ringo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ringo)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 1999, 2:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-immigration-question/5438/1 "1999-12-18T02:56:00Z")
I’m really having no luck on this subject with the search engines (and yeah, I could be doing it all wrong). Is there a reliable source of data as to what percentage of black Americans trace some or all of their ancestry to post Civil War immigration to the U. S.? I realize there is some ambiguity to the question, but that’s never stopped the social sciences from attempting a measurement. I would suspect the bulk of such immigration would have come in the last forty years or so. But, I can’t find the data. Help? ---
**Author:** ![tomndebb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b9e5f3/32.png) [@tomndebb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tomndebb)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 1999, 3:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-immigration-question/5438/2 "1999-12-18T03:37:00Z")
If you have Adobe Acrobat, try this site: [http://www.bls.census.gov/](http://www.bls.census.gov/) The Census Bureau may have this information. (They definitely track country of origin, so you could probably figure 99% of immigrants from Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, etc., +90% of immigrants from Trinidad & Tobago, Jamaica, Barbados, (100% from Haiti), and a large percentage–but I don’t know how large–from South Africa and Zimbabwe.) * * * Tom~ ---
**Author:** ![tomndebb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b9e5f3/32.png) [@tomndebb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tomndebb)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 1999, 3:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-immigration-question/5438/3 "1999-12-18T03:55:00Z")
Sorry, the Census Bureau home page is [http://www.census.gov/](http://www.census.gov/) (The “Subjects A to Z” button is their index) The section on Foreign Born is here [http://www.census.gov/population/www/socdemo/foreign.html](http://www.census.gov/population/www/socdemo/foreign.html) They mention taking their immigration figures from the INS, but I don’t remember the INS site having much helpful info. [http://www.ins.usdoj.gov/graphics/index.htm](http://www.ins.usdoj.gov/graphics/index.htm) * * * Tom~ ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 1999, 2:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-immigration-question/5438/4 "1999-12-19T14:36:00Z")
I’m just guessing here what beatle is searching for, but it appears he is looking for information on Americans who are of African descent but are not descended from former slaves. If so, then he may not want to count Caribbean immigrants to the United States as many of the blacks in these countries are the descendants of former British/European slave colonies. ---
**Author:** ![Ringo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/779978/32.png) [@Ringo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ringo)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 1999, 3:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-immigration-question/5438/5 "1999-12-19T15:20:00Z")
Good point to note. Thanks. ---
**Author:** ![dlv](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/5f9b8f/32.png) [@dlv](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dlv)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 1999, 4:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-immigration-question/5438/6 "1999-12-19T16:59:00Z")
It’s impossible to know if a given person’s ancestors were ever slaves. Is every Jew descended from the Jews who were slaves in Egypt? Two African-Americans in the news recently were immigrants: Amadu Diallo and Abner Louima. Louima came from Haiti and probably descended from the slaves of the French. Diallo came from some African country (it’s not clear which, since he lied to the INS 🙂 ) and there’s no feasible way to prove that none of his ancestors were ever slaves in Africa. Remember, not all the slaves were bought up and shipped to the Americas. ---
**Author:** ![Poto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/7ab992/32.png) [@Poto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Poto)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 1999, 5:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-immigration-question/5438/7 "1999-12-19T17:24:00Z")
My wife tried to track Danes (late 1800s)using immigration and shipping records. It was virtually impossible, even where there are records. You can certainly track some, but not all. You may be able to track the recent past better, but I’d say the task is equivalent to a master’s thesis. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 1999, 9:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-immigration-question/5438/8 "1999-12-20T21:29:00Z")
A good point DLV. Let’s say then that the search was for people whose ancestors did not “immigrate” as slaves.