I found the fears and anxieties Americans had about immigrants to be very interesting. For one, they thought that they were strange, poor, and dirty. Because of this they perceived them to be a threat and labeled them as slums, ghettos, criminals, and job stealers. In addition, they blamed them for outbreaks of disease. Although some of these cases may be true, ie. not having as much money or having more crime rates, it is prejudice to give them these labels as a whole. I found this eye-opening because I have always heard the terms slumlord and living in the ghettos but I never associated them towards immigrants. I always figured the ghetto was a place that was dirty and full of gangs, but did not realize it was simply because they were immigrants. I know there has been a large deal in America about building a wall over the border of Mexico, but why not a border across Canada if that is an issue? It sounds more like racism and discrimination to me. A lot of immigrants were coming from several different countries. Why the hostility against other parts of Europe since America was founded from the English? My mom is an immigrant for Korea, but she is none of these titles. It is unfair they do not give these people a solid chance as born citizens. America was supposed to be the home of the brave and give everyone a chance to live the American dream. What ever happened to that vision? 

I found this cartoon interesting because it depicts how things were between the Catholics from trying to immigrate to America in the 1850s. America were suspicious of Catholics because they listened to the pope who supposeably had direct communication and authority from God to govern the people. Americans did not like this because it conflicted with their democracy so they were more unphased by their arrival and told them they know nothing butwhat comes from the bible. Even though the Catholics said they come to help with spiritual welfare and education, America resisted their proposals. Know Nothing was a political party who held secret organizations and were against immigration and Catholicism.  After our in class discussion on should religion be celebrated in school, I definitely agree people should be educated on all of the different religions but not forced to celebrate any they do not want to. This is a perfect example with Catholicism and Christianity. Sure they have diffferent denominations, but that does not mean they need to convert nor shame the other person for their own belief system. 

The Melting Pot was a play directed by Israel Zangwill in 1904. It was about a Russian Jewish refugee who escaped ethnic cleansing in his homeland and immigrated to the US. In the U.S, he experience belonging, love, and acceptance. Theodore Roosevelt, US president at the time, loved it so much and the play became a hit. It then became a hit. The Melting Pot then became a phrase for America about ethnic assimilation of all immigrants into an American identity. Today, it is referred to America welcoming in people from all of the world and encouraging them to integrate them into the culture. Unfortunately, America is a lot more complicated than before, so it is important for immigrants to learn English, so it is easier for them to communicate with other Americans who are fluent in the language.