# Why do some people claim that the U.S. is a "nation of immigrants? **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [October 13, 2002, 7:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-some-people-claim-that-the-u-s-is-a-nation-of-immigrants/132121 "2002-10-13T19:18:27Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Kyle\_Gridley](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9de0a6/32.png) [@Kyle\_Gridley](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kyle_Gridley)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2002, 12:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-some-people-claim-that-the-u-s-is-a-nation-of-immigrants/132121/41 "2002-10-14T12:00:51Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Cat Patrol \* > \*\* So whats up with that phrase? Is it just something that ignorant people mouth? Is it just a phrase that certain groups use to justify this countries immigration policies? \*\* It’s a great catchphrase for all of the Lemmings to recite so they can promote Tolerance of everyone and everything, everywhere. Just one more nail in the “we’re all really the same” coffin. ---
**Author:** ![jacksen9](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ce73a5/32.png) [@jacksen9](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jacksen9)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2002, 12:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-some-people-claim-that-the-u-s-is-a-nation-of-immigrants/132121/42 "2002-10-14T12:07:00Z")
**Why do some people claim that the U.S. is a "nation of immigrants?** [Cite](http://www.americanparknetwork.com/parkinfo/sl/history/nation.html) > [@](#): > > During the first decade after the Revolution, only about 5,000 immigrants arrived each year. But with the dawn of the 1800s, the number of immigrants to America increased rapidly: 150,000 during the 1820s, 1.7 million in the 1840s, and a staggering 2.5 million in the 1850s. [cite](http://www.usembassy.de/usa/society.htm) > [@](#): > > The United States accepts more immigrants than any other country; in 1998, its population included 25.2 million foreign-born persons (that is 9.3 % of the total population.) [MOST INTERESTING CITE](http://www.projectusa.org/Arguments/argument3.html) “I am an American. I am not an immigrant. Therefore this country is not a country of immigrants” The last cite outlines this debate. The U.S. fits the characterization “a nation of immigrants”, more than any other nation. I was surprised to learn that in 1998 almost 10% of the population was foreign-born. I suppose the case could be made that most of the citizens of the U.S. are not foreign-born therefore the U.S. is not a “nation of immigrants”. The last cite posted presents the “circular logic” and claims to be interested in creating interest in debating this issue. Choosing to refer to the U.S. as a “nation of immigrants” or not, should lead to consideration of the immigration issue. This thread seems to be stuck with the validity of this phrase. ---
**Author:** ![SuaSponte](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/67e7ee/32.png) [@SuaSponte](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SuaSponte)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2002, 12:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-some-people-claim-that-the-u-s-is-a-nation-of-immigrants/132121/43 "2002-10-14T12:49:47Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Cat Patrol \* > TomnDebb, I asked a general question: Why do some people say that the the US is a nation of immigrants? > > You couldn’t answer the question, and instead gave some kind of gobbletygook answer. One must learn this concept - the distinction between “not providing an answer” and “not providing an answer that accords with my freakish world view.” Another concept to learn - the difference between _denotation_ and _connotation._ Say “the U.S. is a nation of immigrants,” to the average speaker of American English, and they will know exactly what you mean - a nation wherein the large majority of citizens can identify with particularity from which other region of the world their individual ancestors emigrated. And the funny thing about the American English language - words and phrases in American English mean precisely what the users of the language understand them to mean. America is a “nation of immigrants” because Americans use that phrase to identify and describe their nation. End of story. > [@](#): > > I had better not catch any Straight Doper mouthing the liberal platitude that “America is a nation of immigrants” ,cause I’ll know it’s a lie. Thank you, thank you, thank you. The boards had barely survived before you came along. You really should change your screen name from “Cat Patrol” to “Truth Patrol.” What’s the next “lie” you are going to expose - that old saw about 6 million Jews dying in the Holocaust? Sua ---
**Author:** ![monstro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba9def/32.png) [@monstro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/monstro)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2002, 1:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-some-people-claim-that-the-u-s-is-a-nation-of-immigrants/132121/44 "2002-10-14T13:18:06Z")
> [@](#): > > Just one more nail in the “we’re all really the same” coffin. Really? The phrase “nation of immigrants” makes me think of a nation of immigrants. Just like “e pluribus unum” makes me think “out of many, one”. ---
**Author:** ![jacksen9](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ce73a5/32.png) [@jacksen9](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jacksen9)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2002, 2:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-some-people-claim-that-the-u-s-is-a-nation-of-immigrants/132121/45 "2002-10-14T14:07:07Z")
_Kyle Gridley_ > [@](#): > > Just one more nail in the “we’re all really the same” coffin. There is more “sameness” than difference. Celebrate what makes us different. Diversity keeps life from being a bore. ---
**Author:** ![ruadh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/d2c977/32.png) [@ruadh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ruadh)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2002, 5:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-some-people-claim-that-the-u-s-is-a-nation-of-immigrants/132121/46 "2002-10-14T17:29:55Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by MGibson \* > **I wonder if Irish people look at Irish-Americans and say "You’re American not Irish."** For the most part, yes. ---
**Author:** ![Siege](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/dbc845/32.png) [@Siege](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siege)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2002, 5:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-some-people-claim-that-the-u-s-is-a-nation-of-immigrants/132121/47 "2002-10-14T17:49:45Z")
I’ll give you a very simple example of why America is considered “a nation of immigrants” and other countries aren’t. My family and I immigrated to the United States from England in 1967. We’ve got the paperwork to prove it, including British birth certificates. I think it’s safe to say that everyone here would agree I’m an immigrant in any sense of the word we’ve discussed so far, if only because exactly when we arrived can be documented. Taking my father’s family, since it’s a bit more documentable, I’ve got an ancestor with the same last name as my father who lived in Lancashire back in the 1500’s and who lived less than 5 miles from where Dad was born. I’m told there have been Howorths (and Howarths and Haworths) in Lancashire going back to the Domesday book, in the time of William the Conqueror. Not only is our arrival in England not documented, as far as anyone can tell, we’ve always been there. With the exception of Native Americans, there was some documentable point in history when American’s ancestors came to this shore from some other country, even if it was as colonists in the 17th and 18th centuries. Even though geneologies have been lost, neglected, or not recorded, the event of coming to the current boundaries of the United States of America happened. By the way, **MGibson** , my own relatives tell me I’m American. I agree. CJ Howorth ---
**Author:** ![Baldwin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/baldwin/32/7264_2.png) [@Baldwin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baldwin)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2002, 5:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-some-people-claim-that-the-u-s-is-a-nation-of-immigrants/132121/48 "2002-10-15T17:51:50Z")
I doubt if this’ll help, but, **Cat Patrol** , your question is based on the false assumption that “nation of immigrants” has to mean that a majority of the current population were born elsewhere. This is what we call a “straw man” meaning that you’re insisting on opposing an argument that **nobody is making**. Nobody here has said that the U.S. is literally composed mostly of immigrants, and it has been explained to you carefully that this **is not what people mean when they use the phrase “nation of immigrants.”** I think it’s been explained pretty clearly what they **do** mean. I see now that you’ve been banned. Well, in case you’re still lurking, try to think about this. Try hard. Oh, and, nighty night. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-some-people-claim-that-the-u-s-is-a-nation-of-immigrants/132121.md?page=2)