Immigrating to North America... The Pain And The Gain

 North America is torn between the issues of safety and kindness when it comes to the present refugee crisis. We want to help the Syrians fleeing their war-torn country that is plagued by terrorists, but at the same time, we want to prevent these terrorists from sneaking into Western Countries, and killing ‘Westerners’, who these extremists have been brainwashed into hating.  North Americans need to remember that thousands, upon thousands of refugees at one time or another have left their countries to avoid persecution and immigrate to North America. Also, that North America was built on the backs of those who were looking for a better life because bitter hatred seemed to plague them in their Mother Countries.

 In 1492, Christopher Columbus sailed the ocean blue. It's a nursery rhyme that has been passed down for children to remember the date when Europeans landed on the shores of North America, ultimately changing the course of history forever. For thousands of years, North and South America had only been populated by Native tribes. Of course, new land that proved to be very resourceful was irresistible to the reigning monarchs of the day. Upon John Cabot’s discovery of Newfoundland, a letter was sent to the Duke of Milan declaring “The said Englishmen, his companions, say that they took so many fish that this kingdom will no longer have need of Iceland.” (Raimondo 1497). Soon, France, Britain, Spain, Sweden and several other monarchies sent out their own explorers to discover land worthy of settlement. By the 1600’s, the first successful settlements were flourishing with merchants, fishermen, and explorers, who had brought their families to live with them in the New World. All resources produced were sent back to the mother countries (most notably France and Britain who domineered modern day Canada and America). At this time, relations with the Natives were quite peaceful, and although the life in the New World was a dangerous one, it was a satisfying life as well. There wasn’t any social structure or strong form of government, and therefore, there wasn’t as much prejudice and hatred against freethinkers or those of a different flavour of Christianity.

It was this lack of dominance of the Church of England, that attracted the Pilgrims to the New World. Persecuted by the Church of England for wanting to separate from the church, and lead a life of their own, a hundred or so Pilgrims arranged to leave the country and sail to the Colony of Virginia. It was a hard, and crucial life living in the untamed wilderness. Many of the Pilgrims died of disease and starvation, but due to the help of the Natives they were able to thrive into a strong colony. “You might say, if you wanted to be critical, they’re religious nutters who won’t settle for anything except the most literal reading of the Bible, they want to transform a nation-state into something that resembles what they take to be a godly kingdom,” (Croft) British historian Pauline Croft informs.

By the 1700s, North America had become vital in the success of the reigning monarchies. The popularity of Beaver pelts in the European fashion world allowed for a booming success in New France, while the slave trade and forced labour in the Thirteen Colonies strengthened the British economy. The rivalry between the two countries ended with the Seven Years War, which lasted from 1756 to 1763. It was the first global war, and several battles were fought in New France which led to its capture by the British Army. At the end of the war, several treaties including the Paris Treaty and the Quebec Act were set in place to accommodate the people of New France to avoid an uprising in the colony.  This infuriated the people of the Thirteen Colonies, who already felt abandoned by Britain. This was the beginnings of the American Revolution, which led to the independence of the United States of America. The American Revolution led to an interesting immigration for some 75 000 “Tories” (those who were loyal to England) who fled into Canada. It's a peculiar migration that isn’t often discussed in Canadian or American history classes. Americans were so sick of the British Monarchy, that they would publically ridicule British sympathizers. These Loyalists trekked through the wilderness, to live in a colony where they could still hold their traditional beliefs without being humiliated for a simple loyalty to a monarch. They lived in tent cities during the cold winters, only to face the untamed woods of Ontario to resettle themselves.

Another flood of refugees fleeing American oppression was the African slaves. Slavery had been a powerful trade that had brought wealth to many, many people. In the early 1700s, there are some records that show there were more African slaves in the Thirteen Colonies than white people. From the late 1700’s to the end of slavery in 1865, thousands of slaves escaped to freedom in Canada through the Underground Railroad, a system of safe houses, and white people who believed in freedom, and equality for all. The African slaves had endured generations of abuse, torture, and forced labour that was inhumane. Kidnapped from Africa, and shipped in ‘Coffin Ships’ to North and South America, forbidden to maintain their cultural practices, the African Slaves lost their loved ones and their identity. Escaping into Canada meant freedom, but it did not end the prejudice.

The 1800s saw an influx of immigrants from all around the world to North America. This was partly due to the Canadian and American governments strongly encouraging immigration by strong advertising in a European country. Many of the countries had begun to become more modern due to the Industrial Revolution, and many workers were out of jobs due to being replaced by machinery. They left their home countries and established many communities in North America.  These governments gave more encouragement to countries like Germany, Ukraine, and Poland, as they had a similar environment to the Middle West, and were more white than other countries like Italy, Greece, and the African countries.

The Great Potato Famine of 1845-1852 (especially bad in 1847) drove thousands of Irish to North America. An airborne fungus that came from North America, English ships spread the fungus when they entered the Dublin port, which  immediately spread through all of Ireland within several months. The potato plants would turn black and curl up, and potatoes would appear to be salvageable, but in the days following their harvest would quickly mould away because of the fungus. With thousands of people starving and dying of illness (Typhus spread like crazy during this time) many landlords cheated their Irish tenants into travelling to Canada where they were promised land, food, and clothes. They were packed into ‘coffin ships’ and sailed to Canada (and later the United States) where they found that their landlords had lied to them to get them out of the country so they couldn’t return home to make a claim. Once in North America, the Irish Catholics experienced prejudice from the mostly British immigrants, who viewed the Irish as another race that was too poor, and were sometimes compared to African slaves. Another problem was that a large part of the Irish population was Catholic. With most of America, and the British part of North America being Protestant, this caused a rift between the two major Christian heads. The Irish spread out across North America, sticking to communities that had the same nationality and religious background as them. The Irish had left Ireland in hopes of coming to a country that was free of the hatred they had received from the English in their homeland. They came into a country where they were disliked, and cheated, and stereotyped as ‘stupid drunkards’. What I think was so astounding was that the Irish were sent over in ships that were plagued with Typhus, and unfit for sailing over the Atlantic Ocean. When the ships arrived in the New World, they would often sit in the St Lawrence River to quarantine the diseases they carried, with little to no medical treatment ultimately infecting more people with Typhus. It seems impossible to us today, as everyone has, at least, one friend who has Irish ancestry. The Irish were eventually able to overcome these negative British attitudes and added strong connections into the identities of the American and Canadian cultures.

 Up until the 1920’s, many of the immigrants came to North America in search of a more prosperous life and were eager to leave their mother countries. The 20th century saw a huge flow of refugees fleeing to Canada and America, especially after the Second World War.

The destruction of the War had shocked the world, causing many countries to question their involvement in foreign affairs. As fascism rose around the world, Canada and America chose to ignore the rising situation in Germany, and the amount of immigrants allowed into the country declined rapidly. The anti-Semitism of fascist Germany extended into North America, and Jewish immigration came to a complete stop in Canada during the 1930s. Nothing illustrates this more profoundly than the famous journey of the St Louis, which was a ship that sailed to ports all over North and South America in search of a country that would allow its passengers, European Jews, to find a refuge away from Nazi Germany. Of course after the Second World War, the horrors of the Concentration Camps were publicized to the world, and Canada and America opened their doors to not only the Holocaust survivors but to refugees fleeing other  war-torn countries in Europe. In the years following the Second World War, many Europeans left a country they never thought they would leave, due to the aftermath of a gruesome war forged by a fascist, and oppressive government.

 In 2015, refugees arriving in North America is almost the norm. After World War Two, North America lifted the restrictions on immigrants from ‘less desirable’ countries, which proved to have more conflict in the later years of the 20th century, and early 21st. Most recently, the Syrian refugee crisis is the modern movement of immigration in North America. After the Arab Spring demonstrations in 2011, a civil war between government and rebel forces broke out. This also led to further terrorist attacks from extremist groups such as ISIS. Since then, nearly eleven million people fled the country in the hope of finding a safer home for their families. The problem is that many of these families aren’t necessarily moving into countries where they are welcomed with open arms. While many communities have been warm and welcoming, some people have turned to violence, such as an incident in Vancouver where a man sprayed pepper spray into a crowd or Syrian refugees who had recently arrived in Canada. The fact of the matter is, people are worried for their own well being, as reports of members of ISIS disguising themselves as refugees circulate. Terrorism is a threat to society, and we should do all we can to fight against it however by ostracizing its victims, are we really doing justice?

 The history of North American immigration has almost been the same story repeating itself. An ethnic group leaves their country due to economic hardship, persecution or racism, and comes to North America in search of a new, and fresh start. While many people flourished and became quite successful, many faced economic and cultural  oppression because of their nationality. We have to remember that most of our descendants were immigrants, even if they have been in North America for over a hundred years.

North America will continue to allow immigrants into Canada and America.  There is no doubt about that, but what will be interesting, is who we let in. The Syrian crisis has proved that after over 400 years of immigration, many North Americans still cannot let go of old prejudices and accept that at the end of the day, all everyone wants is a safe place to live and raise the next generation.

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