Charles Hirschman, professor of sociology at the University of Washington, delivers the 33rd Annual University of Washington lecture on the debate over immigration in the early 20th century. More than 65 million Americans are immigrants or children of immigrants. For many Americans, new immigrants are a reminder of their own heritage and the identity of the United States as a "nation of immigrants." Beneath the surface, however, is a deep ambivalence and fear about the economic and social consequences of continued high levels of immigration. Some political leaders and scholars claim that the contemporary stream of immigration will change the character and identity of American society. These fears are not new. Look back at an earlier era of mass migration and what types of changes resulted from this mass migration.
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