http://borderbattles.ssrc.org/Hirschman/ - A brief, excellent overview of Immigration

The Impact of Immigration on American Society: Looking Backward to the FutureBy Charles Hirschman

Excerpt:

“While it is not possible to predict the role of immigration in America’s future, it is instructive to study the past. The current debates and hostility surrounding immigrants echo throughout American history. What is most surprising is that almost all popular fears about immigration and even the judgments of ‘experts’ about the negative impact of immigrants have been proven false by history. Not only have almost all immigrants (or their descendants) assimilated over time, but they have broadened American society in many positive ways. In this review, I discuss the popular fears about immigrants by old stock Americans and the historical record of immigrant contributions to the evolution of the industrial economy, political reform, and even to the development of American culture.”