As
I look over my shoulder, I see the place where I grew up, my heritage, and the
land I call home. I can see the hillside covered with beautiful flowers and
cactus. I take another glance and I notice the beautiful colors of the Mexican
flag the red, white, and green all a symbol of my home and a part of me. I look
ahead of me and unknowingly see what will now be my home and future. I can see
tall buildings, pavement, and city streets filled with anxious people. I notice
another flag, one that I am unfamiliar with; it is red, white and blue. Numerous
individuals have no other option but to leave the land they once called home to
pursue their life dreams, find a stable career, provide a safe living
environment for their children, and hope for success in foreign land. My family
is no exception.
“Migration
is a fundamental human activity” (Daniels 3). I believe this passage is very
true, and it amazes me that it has remained true throughout history. The human
race was able to spread throughout the entire globe because of migration. I
found it very interesting how in historic times there was already an
established distinction between migration and immigration. Since my family and
I moved across an international frontier, we are considered immigrants.
Nonetheless, every individual immigrant or not plays an important role in
history.
I
was stunned when I read that the first person of which scholars are aware of,
Lucy, was first found migrating by foot. More surprising is the fact that her
footprints were still legible after three million years! I found it very
humorous how Daniels used “so-called age of discovery” to describe the European
voyages that lead them to land where people had already established themselves.
His sarcasm demonstrates how ethnocentric Europeans were throughout history.
The
fact that Europeans felt superior then the other individuals in the nation definitely
bothers me. “Most Europeans also assumed that they and their stock were
inherently superior to the various people the subjugated. With some notable
exceptions, Europeans has a contempt for the cultures and peoples they
encountered, an attitude that would soon evolve into modern racism” (Daniels
4). It’s very unfortunate that racism began in thousands of years ago and still
remains today, although not as severe. Racism has been witnessed most with
African Americans, but certain apply to all cultures.
People
migrate across the globe for distinct motives and many of them had no idea what
they were getting themselves into. It was very sad to read that since migration
to America was so expensive, many immigrants were forced to indenture
themselves to labor for some planter or company. I believe that this remains
true. The price to move from one place to another is unbelievably expensive and
a financial burden on many individuals. I know many individuals that have come
to America with a farm labor contract that requires them to work with a
specific company regardless of the situation. They are taken advantage of when
the only thing that the innocent immigrants want is to better themselves and
secure their families future. It is shame that individuals believe that they
have the right and authority to discriminate a particular immigration group
when history has clearly proven that everyone has immigrated from somewhere
foreign to the land we now call home in search of a better future.
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