My paradigm shift essay centered on immigration and how views on certain immigrants have evolved throughout the century. Early on, all immigrants were discriminated against due to the simple fact of them being immigrants and outsiders, however society has evolved to where there is an acceptance of white or European immigrants. Minorities and people of color who immigrate to the United States are treated as criminals and are falsely accused of being the ones to blame for many issues in our country (unemployment rates, economic downfalls, etc.) For this TED Talk, I want to convince viewers to look past the politics behind the immigration debates, and instead focus on the families that are hurting and the positive impact that immigration can have on our nation.  

Topic: Systemic racism within our immigration system 

Purpose: To analyze the benefits of immigration so that viewers can understand why it is needed and how to eradicate misinformation and racism within immigration debates.  

Thesis: Debates on immigration have long been plaguing our society with misinformation and callous efforts to discriminate against only immigrants of color; because of this, it is crucial for people to understand that immigrants are essential for overall growth because immigrants are the reason why our nation is so strong.  

Introduction: In order to convey the importance of immigrants to my audience, I want to start off with a lesson that was taught to most American students in history class: the transcontinental railroad. This lesson was emphasized as a great American feat, however the underlying notion behind it is that this accomplishment was entirely due to the work of immigrants. Expanding on this, many of the undesirable jobs we see today are occupied by migrant workers who are willing to take on the jobs most Americans do not want in order for them to survive. Highlighting this in the beginning will hopefully help the viewer understand that immigrants truly did build this nation.  

Body:  

• History behind immigrants 

• What have they contributed to our nation 
• What are the benefits of immigrants being in this country 
• How has their role/acceptance evolved 

• Systemic racism in our immigration system 

• Issues with the Mexico border 

• Mistreatment throughout the Trump presidency 

• Specific bans during the pandemic 

• How does this mirror historical events?  

• Acceptance of white immigrants 

• Solutions 

• Why should immigration policies be in effect?  

• How lenient should they be?  

• What do immigrants have to offer?  

• What are the economic, social, and political benefits?  

My chosen focus for the paradigm shifts project is immigration. Not only is immigration a subject that I can closely relate to, but it is also a huge topic of contention currently in our politics and society. The larger waves of immigration first came about in the 1920s and have continued into our present-day affairs. Therefore, my focus for this project would extend over centuries and would primarily cover the ideas American citizens have consistently have as well as any changes seen in our ideology about immigrants. Initially, immigrants faced discrimination and poverty upon arriving in America, almost regardless of their race or ethnicity. Irish and Italians alike faced hatred and discriminatory behavior from US citizens, however as the times have progressed there has been a certain acceptance of “white immigration” while other immigrants are treated harsher and as criminals. This shift is my key focus, as the effects and current news surrounding harsher border policies based on race and ethnicity are extremely relevant and recent in 2022.  

This particular shift must be understood because it is not just adults facing the repercussions of systemic racism in immigration. Families are driven apart as the countries they are fleeing thrive off their citizens’ fear and reluctance to leave. In addition, many anti-immigration lawmakers and supporters tend to make the argument that immigrants “steal jobs” and worsen our economy. However, it is quite the contrary; immigrants contribute to our economy by creating a more specialized and experienced workforce as well as increasing our overall total revenue and unemployment rate. The experiences that immigrants went through in the 1920s were reflective of citizen’s feelings of immigration at the time and continues to be like that to this day. Not only does traveling and border patrol pose life threatening issues, but the path to citizenship is rigorous and takes longer than expected. For my project, I will be able to delve deeper into the plights faced by immigrants both in the 1920s and in present-day, as well as the shift to a systemically racist policy of immigration.  

Annotated Bibliography 

https://immigrationforum.org/article/american-attitudes-on-immigration-steady-but-showing-more-partisan-divides/ 

• I will use this source to illustrate more recent polls on immigration and to demonstrate an overall look at how Americans feel about immigration. It is particularly useful since there are visuals to show an overview of the poll results.  

https://www.gilderlehrman.org/sites/default/files/2022-02/immigration%20cartoon_0.jpg 

• This is a political cartoon provided by the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History. It will be used to demonstrate how even in the 1920s, the literacy tests and overall struggle for immigrants was recognized and is a constant seen today.  

https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2018/07/where-do-americans-stand-on-immigration-they-re-not-as-divided-as-you-might-think/ 

• This source is another poll about Americans’ views on immigration and offers an interesting take. In this poll, almost 75% of Americans view immigration as a good thing, offering a stark contrast to what was widely accepted in the 1920s. This brings up the influence of politics and sharp partisan contrasts creating a divide in the topic of immigration.  

https://www.loc.gov/classroom-materials/united-states-history-primary-source- 

• This source offers an overall background about immigration in the 1920s and will be my primary source when mentioning the history and direct facts.  

https://history.state.gov/milestones/1921-1936/immigration-act 

• This source outlines certain milestones that made immigration between 1921-1936 such a challenge and a difficult process for immigrants.  

https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/guides/zkng87h/revision/5 

• This source generally explains what issues people had with immigration in the 1920s, and some of the rationalities made then are similar to what people argue now.  

https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna24714378 

• This source identifies different discrimination and racism related to immigration, however the starting point to all of these practices is seen through the wave of immigrants seen in the 1910s and 20s.   

https://www.brookings.edu/blog/how-we-rise/2021/03/26/us-immigration-policy-a-classic-unappreciated-example-of-structural-racism/ 

• I am going to use this source since it primarily defends one of my main focuses, being that immigration has developed into a form of systemic racism and discrimination.  

The Dangers of Blind Followership 

Introduction and Thesis:  

A commonality taught to us as children is the idea of following adults’ decisions, usually without a moment’s hesitation. This teaching later dissipates as we grow older and are expected to form our own opinions. However, no matter how old we get, our opinions that we are forming will always somehow be attributed to what we were taught as children. The irony of this is that the evolution of creating our own choices still resides in what we were told to do when this opportunity was not afforded to us. This is not to say that parental influences are harmful, however the danger arises when generational misinformation leads to continuing issues as the years progress. A prime example of this is the continued use of the Confederate Flag today. Although we are no longer in Civil Wartime, this symbol of racism and intolerance has pervaded not only social norms, but people’s attempts at creating a safer and more equal society in America.  

Many new symbols arose during recent social movements, such as the Black Lives Matter movement. Through this, protesters raised their fists and held signs illustrating their fight for equality and their desire to end violence against minorities. As this movement progressed, counter organizations continued their own protests, however with a not-so-new symbol for their cause. The Confederate Flag was seen being wielded by members of domestic extremism organizations, most notably, the Proud Boys. The Proud Boys contributed to one of the largest and most shocking events in our history, which was laced with the continued spread of hatred and discrimination through that of the Confederate Flag and other racist symbols being paraded on our nation’s capital. The events and words leading up to this unprecedented attack highlight the danger that blind followership and misinformation continue to pose to our democracy. There is no longer a place for outdated and hateful opinions, fueled by inherited bias and lack of education, to take such a grasp over our legislation and the safety of our citizens.  

Body Paragraphs:  

• Background and phrases said during the speech initiating the capital insurrection 
• Details behind how these phrases were misinformation 
• The negative effects behind the widespread misinformation seen prior, during, and after January 6th 
• Call to action 

• The audience will remain the same as my first artifact 
• Young voters who will be voting for the first time, students in this class 

While a Prussian-American artist named Nicola Marschall designed the Confederate Flag, the flag has been both popularized and encouraged by mainly conservative Americans who idolize the Confederate soldiers of the Civil War. The people who continue to fuel this Civil War memorabilia also tend to emphasize the commonplace of respect and honoring the fallen that is so prevalent in U.S. patriotism, while ignoring the other symbol that it represents for around 13% of the United States population. 

After eleven states seceded and sparked the Civil War, the Confederacy opted for a new symbol to represent their opposition to the United States at the time. When the Confederate Flag was created, it represented the unity of the southern states, while also inherently supporting their obsession with white supremacy, racism, and hatred. 

Although the Civil War is over and the need for this artifact should be long gone, many self-proclaimed conservative Americans stand by their continued use of this flag and use it to represent their ancestry who fought in the Confederacy. More recently, this artifact was flown throughout events such as the January 6th Insurrection, indicating that the Southern appeal to this flag has been more likely than not transferred to its representation of hate and supremacy. 

The aforementioned 13% of our population view this artifact as a symbol for hatred of their skin color and race, and they are not alone. A North Carolina study showed that around 44% of North Carolinians believed that the flag should not be flown and that it is an obvious symbol of racism. At this point, many protesters believe similar action should be taken to ensure that this artifact remains in the museums and history books, and not flown in the hands of supremacists calling for inequality. 

Most supporters of the flag illustrate that the need to respect our veterans does not end for Civil War soldiers, and the flag is a way for Americans to do so. In many ways, this can be seen as an appeal to simply remember the Confederate Soldiers, while ignoring the racist effects it has on the rest of the population. 

The interesting aspect of this artifact is that it is a constant topic of discussion between differing parties. A seemingly simple illustration flown on the side of a road can mark the beginning of an area where any minority, especially African Americans, can feel unsafe due to this reminder of white supremacy. Certain questions must arise when mostly Southern Communities feel so strongly about the continued use of their flag, even when it affects minorities in such a harsh and daunting way. It’s polarizing use throughout the Black Lives Matter movement framed the narrative and showed the opposing sides throughout nationwide protests. In essence, many protests were fighting for the freedom from discrimination and racism in their daily lives. Whereas supporters of this flag were fighting for the freedom to represent their supremacist ideologies and discriminatory views, further emphasizing the contentious discussion of race and it’s dramatic effects it has on Americans.