The Founding Father's View on Immigration
I can safely say they were not advocates of "Open Borders".
Overall, the Founding Fathers believed that we should be selective about who we allow in our Country; citizenship should not come easy; the immigrant should assimilate; and that land ownership should be reserved to citizens or those immigrants that have established a legal, reasonable length of residency in the Country. Furthermore, the Founding Fathers believed that immigrants who wish to be citizens should leave their ties to their former Country's form of government behind and learn, understand, and cherish America's unique form of government.
Federalists and Anti-Federalists were mostly in agreement on the subject, with minor debates occurring over a few issues, such as land ownership (some wanting immigrants to have NO ownership rights), length of residency required, preferential treatment given to scholars and skilled tradesmen, and so on.
Here are some of their own words on the matter:
From Federalist #2:
"...Providence has been pleased to give this one connected country to one united people--a people descended from the same ancestors, speaking the same language, professing the same religion, attached to the same principles of government, very similar in their manners and customs..." -- John Jay
From a letter from George Washington to John Adams:
[Immigrants should be slowly integrated into the United States so that] "by an intermixture with our people, they, or their descendants, get assimilated to our customs, measures, laws: in a word soon become one people." -- George Washington
From a 1790 speech to Congress:
"welcome every person of good fame who really means to incorporate himself into our society, but repel all who will not be a real addition to the wealth and strength of the United States." -- James Madison
From "Notes on Virginia":
"Every species of government has its specific principles. Ours...is a composition of the freest principles of the English constitution, with others derived from natural rights and natural reason. To these nothing can be more opposed than the maxims of absolute monarchies. Yet, from such, we are to expect the greatest number of emigrants. They will bring with them the principles of government they leave, imbibed in their early youth; or if able to throw them off, it will be in exchange for an unbounded licentiousness, passing, as is usual, from one extreme to another. It would be a miracle were they to stop precisely at the point of temperate liberty. These principles, with their language, they will transmit to their children. In proportion to their numbers, they will share with us the legislation. They will infuse into it their spirit, warp and bias its direction, and tender it a heterogeneous, incoherent, distracted mass." -- Thomas Jefferson
"To admit foreigners indiscriminately to the rights of citizens, the moment they foot in our country would be nothing less than to admit the Grecian horse into the citadel of our liberty and sovereignty." [Instead we must gradually acclimate newcomers] "to enable aliens to get rid of foreign and acquire American attachments; to learn the principles and imbibe the spirit of our government; and to admit of a philosophy, at least, of their feeling a real interest in our affairs." -- Alexander Hamilton
From the 1790 Congressional Debate on the rules of Naturalization:
"…it was intended by the Convention, who framed the Constitution, that Congress should have the power of naturalization, in order to prevent particular States receiving citizens, and forcing them upon others who would not have received them in any other manner." -- Roger Sherman - Connecticut
From the 1790 Congressional Debate on the rules of Naturalization:
"…It is no doubt very desirable that we should hold out as many inducements as possible for the worthy part of mankind to come and settle amongst us, and throw their fortunes into a common lot with ours. But why is this desirable? Not merely to swell the catalogue of people. No, sir, it is to increase the wealth and strength of the community; and those who acquire the rights of citizenship, without adding to the strength or wealth of the community are not the people we are in want of." -- James Madison - Virginia
From the 1790 Congressional Debate on the rules of Naturalization:
"I would let the term of residence be long enough to accomplish two objects, before I would consent to admit a foreigner to have any thing to do with the politics of this country. First, that he should have an opportunity of knowing the circumstances of our Government, and in consequence thereof, shall have admitted the truth of the principles we hold. Second, that he shall have acquired a taste for this kind of Government." -- Michael Stone - Maryland
From the 1790 Congressional Debate on the rules of Naturalization:
"I think, before a man is admitted to enjoy the high and inestimable privileges of a citizen of America, that something more than a mere residence amongst us is necessary. I think he ought to pass some time in a state of probation, and at the end of the term, be able to bring testimonials of a proper and decent behavior; no man, who would be a credit to the community, could think such terms difficult or indelicate: if bad men should be dissatisfied on this account, and should decline to emigrate, the regulation will have a beneficial effect; for we had better keep such out of the country than admit them into it." -- James Jackson - Georgia
Overall, the Founding Fathers believed that we should be selective about who we allow in our Country; citizenship should not come easy; the immigrant should assimilate; and that land ownership should be reserved to citizens or those immigrants that have established a legal, reasonable length of residency in the Country. Furthermore, the Founding Fathers believed that immigrants who wish to be citizens should leave their ties to their former Country's form of government behind and learn, understand, and cherish America's unique form of government.
Federalists and Anti-Federalists were mostly in agreement on the subject, with minor debates occurring over a few issues, such as land ownership (some wanting immigrants to have NO ownership rights), length of residency required, preferential treatment given to scholars and skilled tradesmen, and so on.
Here are some of their own words on the matter:
From Federalist #2:
"...Providence has been pleased to give this one connected country to one united people--a people descended from the same ancestors, speaking the same language, professing the same religion, attached to the same principles of government, very similar in their manners and customs..." -- John Jay
From a letter from George Washington to John Adams:
[Immigrants should be slowly integrated into the United States so that] "by an intermixture with our people, they, or their descendants, get assimilated to our customs, measures, laws: in a word soon become one people." -- George Washington
From a 1790 speech to Congress:
"welcome every person of good fame who really means to incorporate himself into our society, but repel all who will not be a real addition to the wealth and strength of the United States." -- James Madison
From "Notes on Virginia":
"Every species of government has its specific principles. Ours...is a composition of the freest principles of the English constitution, with others derived from natural rights and natural reason. To these nothing can be more opposed than the maxims of absolute monarchies. Yet, from such, we are to expect the greatest number of emigrants. They will bring with them the principles of government they leave, imbibed in their early youth; or if able to throw them off, it will be in exchange for an unbounded licentiousness, passing, as is usual, from one extreme to another. It would be a miracle were they to stop precisely at the point of temperate liberty. These principles, with their language, they will transmit to their children. In proportion to their numbers, they will share with us the legislation. They will infuse into it their spirit, warp and bias its direction, and tender it a heterogeneous, incoherent, distracted mass." -- Thomas Jefferson
"To admit foreigners indiscriminately to the rights of citizens, the moment they foot in our country would be nothing less than to admit the Grecian horse into the citadel of our liberty and sovereignty." [Instead we must gradually acclimate newcomers] "to enable aliens to get rid of foreign and acquire American attachments; to learn the principles and imbibe the spirit of our government; and to admit of a philosophy, at least, of their feeling a real interest in our affairs." -- Alexander Hamilton
From the 1790 Congressional Debate on the rules of Naturalization:
"…it was intended by the Convention, who framed the Constitution, that Congress should have the power of naturalization, in order to prevent particular States receiving citizens, and forcing them upon others who would not have received them in any other manner." -- Roger Sherman - Connecticut
From the 1790 Congressional Debate on the rules of Naturalization:
"…It is no doubt very desirable that we should hold out as many inducements as possible for the worthy part of mankind to come and settle amongst us, and throw their fortunes into a common lot with ours. But why is this desirable? Not merely to swell the catalogue of people. No, sir, it is to increase the wealth and strength of the community; and those who acquire the rights of citizenship, without adding to the strength or wealth of the community are not the people we are in want of." -- James Madison - Virginia
From the 1790 Congressional Debate on the rules of Naturalization:
"I would let the term of residence be long enough to accomplish two objects, before I would consent to admit a foreigner to have any thing to do with the politics of this country. First, that he should have an opportunity of knowing the circumstances of our Government, and in consequence thereof, shall have admitted the truth of the principles we hold. Second, that he shall have acquired a taste for this kind of Government." -- Michael Stone - Maryland
From the 1790 Congressional Debate on the rules of Naturalization:
"I think, before a man is admitted to enjoy the high and inestimable privileges of a citizen of America, that something more than a mere residence amongst us is necessary. I think he ought to pass some time in a state of probation, and at the end of the term, be able to bring testimonials of a proper and decent behavior; no man, who would be a credit to the community, could think such terms difficult or indelicate: if bad men should be dissatisfied on this account, and should decline to emigrate, the regulation will have a beneficial effect; for we had better keep such out of the country than admit them into it." -- James Jackson - Georgia
posted by Curt at
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