Many Chinese came to the West Coast of this nation during the gold rush. They came to work in the gold mines hoping to make their fortunes like other people who traveled to California from around the world. Most Chinese did not strike it rich. As a result, some returned to China, and others stayed to become servants or railroad workers. Many Chinese still live in the Chinatowns of the large cities in this nation. The Chinese community in San Francisco, for example, is the largest Chinese community outside of Asia.
Africans. One of the first Africans on this continent was an explorer in the Southwest. Estevanico "The Black" led a party of explorers from Mexico into the area that is now Arizona and New Mexico in about 1539. Estevanico was a slave, as most of the African people were who came to the United States before the Civil War. Today, most African-Americans know very little about their native country of Africa. Most do not know the tribal origins of their ancestors because the slave owners forced the slaves to forget their African cultures.
The ancestors of most African-Americans were brought in chains as slaves to the United States. A few African immigrants were freemen and women who lived in northern cities. Some were artisans and craftsmen, but most of the African people brought to this country served as the labor for landowners who grew crops on large plantations in the southern states. The slaves often lived in small family groups on isolated farms or plantations. Often, slave owners did not treat the Africans as if they were human. Some slave owners sold their slaves and broke apart slave families. They treated the African people much like they treated the animals they used to help them plow the fields. They did not think it was cruel to take an African child away from its mother any more than they thought it was cruel to sell a foal and keep the mare. During this time, many African-American slaves escaped to freedom and settled in some of the northern states and in Canada. After the Civil War, when slavery was abolished, many of the former slaves left the southern plantations and found homes in the big cities of the North. This migration of African-American people increased after World Wars I and II. Many African-Americans now live in the big cities of the United States.
There have been other recent political events that have influenced immigration to our country. The United States opened its arms to Cuban refugees after Fidel Castro came into power in the island nation south of the United States in 1959. Many of the immigrants settled with their families in southern Florida. "Little Havana" is a section of Miami, Florida where many Cuban refugees live. Just like the earlier immigrants, recent immigrants have chosen to live with people whose language they can understand, with people whose traditions and values are like theirs.
In April of 1975, the capital of Saigon fell, and the Vietnam War ended. American soldiers came home. Many loyal friends of the Americans in Vietnam emigrated to the United States. Some of the people were so frightened after the war ended that they sailed away from their country in little boats. Sometimes, there were too many people on the boats, and the boats sunk before people could reach a safe country. Many people died trying to escape before the new government took over the country. All around the world, people were saddened by the experiences of the "boat people." Sometimes, freighters picked them up and took them to countries where the people lived in tent cities until they could emigrate. Many of the Vietnamese refugees came to the United States. Some of them settled with their families on the West Coast. Some of them found homes along the gulf in Louisiana and Texas where they caught fish and shrimp, much as they did in their birth country.
The European immigrants were the base of the "melting pot" concept. These immigrants quickly lost their ties to their birth country and were assimilated into the various ethnic ways of the new culture. The United States has been called a "melting pot" because so many immigrants from so many different countries have come here. The immigrants have found homes, jobs, and friends and "melted" into the population. In coming to a new country, they have set aside old customs and adopted the customs of this country.
Many immigrants who came to this country felt insecure when they arrived. The strange sights and sounds of large cities were frightening. Language barriers, lack of jobs, and the lack of job skills increased their fears. The people needed to be free of worry about finding employment or about providing food and clothing for their families. Many immigrants felt the scorn and prejudice of people who were different. These attitudes made their adjustment even more difficult. People need to be physically and mentally healthy and to have positive feelings about those close to them.
Basic to all people is the need to have a real purpose in life and a sense of accomplishment. Some have been unable to find this kind of freedom and have looked to others for help. Most immigrants were strong, proud people determined to be successful and happy in the country that provided the best opportunities--the United States.
Paul tells us (Romans 8:28) that when we turn to God and love Him, His purpose becomes ours: "And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose. " We no longer have to look to others for freedom or purpose; these are found in Christ.
