Theodore Roosevelt is one of the most famous presidents in American history, a leader who took action that made a difference by serving in the military, fighting for civil rights and fighting for the environment. But did you know that he was also an ardent believer in immigration reform? In this article, we’ll take you back to Teddy Roosevelt quotes on immigration to see how much he believed in welcoming newcomers into the country.
Immigration is the process by which people who are not citizens of the United States, move to another country and take up residence there. The United States has a long history of immigration, going back to the first colonial settlers in the 17th century. The first national law regarding immigration was passed in 1882.
Immigration has always been controversial in America because of its cultural impact on society. In the 19th century, for example, many saw immigrants as taking jobs away from American citizens and lowering wages (although this was less true with increasing industrialization). In fact, a number of states had laws restricting or banning certain ethnic groups from entering their territories.
Theodore Roosevelt believed that immigration should be liberalized and even encouraged so that America could continue to grow economically and culturally while keeping its traditions intact. He spent a lot of time in his personal life helping immigrants move into positions of power within American society.
In this blog post, Quotesgeeks share 10 Teddy Roosevelt quotes on immigration that reveals his pro-immigration stance.
Teddy Roosevelt’s Thoughts on Immigration
Rooselvelt outlined his thoughts on the matter and offered some recommendations for policy. One of these recommendations was for the government to create a system that would allow immigrants to become citizens without having to go through an extensive process. Rooselvelt believed that this system would help to eliminate corruption and identify those who were truly interested in becoming Americans.
Around the turn of the century, America welcomed over 15 million immigrants — more than ever before — as the result of significant immigration during the period, from 1900 to 1915. More than 13% of the United States’ population were foreign-born during that time, with the overwhelming majority of them coming from Europe.
Teddy Roosevelt Quotes On Immigration:
1.
Every immigrant who comes here should be required within five years to learn English or leave the country.
– Theodore Roosevelt
2.
There can be no divided allegiance here. Any man who says he is an American, but something else also, isn’t an American at all. We have room for but one flag, the American flag…We have room for but one language here, and that is the English language…and we have room for but one sole loyalty and that is a loyalty to the American people.
– Theodore Roosevelt
3.
There is no room in this country for hyphenated Americanism. The one absolutely certain way of bringing this nation to ruin, of preventing all possibility of its continuing to be a nation at all, would be to permit it to become a tangle of squabbling nationalities.
– Theodore Roosevelt
4.
In the first place we should insist that if the immigrant who comes here in good faith becomes an American and assimilates himself to us, he shall be treated on an exact equality with everyone else, for it is an outrage to discriminate against any such man because of creed, or birthplace, or origin. But this is predicated upon the man’s becoming in very fact an American, and nothing but an American.
– Theodore Roosevelt
Conclusion
Roosevelt believed that America should be a nation of immigrants. His policies toward immigration helped to make this a reality. He wanted to encourage immigration but also wanted to make sure that the immigrants were able to become citizens and participate fully in American society. He also believed that it was important for the government to have a system in place that would allow immigrants to become citizens without having too much of an extensive process. This system would help eliminate corruption and identify those immigrants who were truly interested in becoming Americans.
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