History

One Mighty and Irresistible Tide: The Epic Struggle Over American Immigration, 1924-1965

One Mighty and Irresistible Tide: The Epic Struggle Over American Immigration, 1924-1965

  • Downloads：9346
  • Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
  • Create Date：2021-05-10 20:31:00
  • Update Date：2025-09-06
  • Status：finish
  • Author：Jia Lynn Yang
  • ISBN：0393867528
  • Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle

Reviews

Jeremy ，

This is a well-written mainly political account of American immigration policy。 Lots of focus on individual politicians。 This is a really good start to understanding this topic， but I was ultimately left wanting much more。 I certainly learned plenty about a subject I was pretty uneducated on。Our immigration policy between 1924 and 1965 focused on limiting immigrants from anywhere except northern Europe。 It was a completely racist policy， focused on keeping America Anglo。 There were high fears， a This is a well-written mainly political account of American immigration policy。 Lots of focus on individual politicians。 This is a really good start to understanding this topic， but I was ultimately left wanting much more。 I certainly learned plenty about a subject I was pretty uneducated on。Our immigration policy between 1924 and 1965 focused on limiting immigrants from anywhere except northern Europe。 It was a completely racist policy， focused on keeping America Anglo。 There were high fears， as there are today， about America becoming too non-white。 There is nothing new today about conservative worries of whites losing their majority status， it's been a fear for over a century。 Enter Lyndon Johnson。 As an aside， this book made me yearn for Robert Caro's final LBJ book， there is still so much to cover！！！ The title of this book is an LBJ quote。 I was certainly aware of LBJ's Civil Rights work， but I was unaware of the 1965 immigration act， which still governs today （in amended form）。 Without getting into the weeds on the act （which this book didn't really do either）， this act is responsible for the huge increase in immigration since 1965 from southern European and Asian countries， among others。 It dropped the country specific quota and allowed chain immigration from families， which occurs outside the overall quota numbers。 The epilogue of this book was the best chapter， and should have been multiple additional chapters， fleshing out the impact of the 1965 act and where we are today。 This is overall a shallow look at the topic， but a decent introduction。 。。。more

Ana ，

This is a book you must read because immigration is at the heart of our country’s divisions， as it was in 1924-1965。 What does it mean to be American？ Who deserves to call this place home？ What’s the future we can paint for a sense of collective identity that is more just and inclusive？Yang， a NYT editor and a daughter of immigrants herself， writes a thoughtful narrative of how we got to the immigration reality we have today in the US。 The book shines in its engaging depiction of the legislative This is a book you must read because immigration is at the heart of our country’s divisions， as it was in 1924-1965。 What does it mean to be American？ Who deserves to call this place home？ What’s the future we can paint for a sense of collective identity that is more just and inclusive？Yang， a NYT editor and a daughter of immigrants herself， writes a thoughtful narrative of how we got to the immigration reality we have today in the US。 The book shines in its engaging depiction of the legislative battles for immigration laws between the immigration liberalization advocates— folks like Manny Celler and Herbert Lehman， and the immigration restriction hawks— like Pat Mcarran。 You will learn about the competing motives， fears， and public narratives used as different polices were deliberated。Yang details the history of numerous ethnic groups as they aimed to get accommodation for increased rights and increased ability to bring family， including the stories of Chinese， Japanese， and Jewish asylum seekers during WWII。 The book is a reminder of the tragedy that can befall when a lack of humanitarian aid is extended to people fleeing unconscionable violence。Do not skip the epilogue， it’s my favorite part of the whole book。 All in all， I loved this book， and highly recommend it in audiobook form。 。。。more

Alyssa Bowman ，

great detailed information on recent immigration law history， a few too many anecdotal stories and quotes that didn't add much for me。 Well researched and only mildly politically slanted。 I will now have a better background to compare the US immigration history to those of other countries to try to counter the constant stream of media bias about how terrible America is。 great detailed information on recent immigration law history， a few too many anecdotal stories and quotes that didn't add much for me。 Well researched and only mildly politically slanted。 I will now have a better background to compare the US immigration history to those of other countries to try to counter the constant stream of media bias about how terrible America is。 。。。more

Grant ，

An engaging study of the period of American immigration history when arrivals were controlled by national origins quotas。 Yang effectively covers the pseudo-intellectual and political origins of restriction， resistance to the quota system， and its eventual replacement by the current system emphasizing family reunification and skills。

Jenny ，

Am excellent history of immigration policy in the 20th century。 The climax of this story is the 1965 Immigration Act that completely reshaped the way we look at immigration and our country- solidifying America as a multi ethnic country。 I enjoyed learning about the many fascinating players that championed and fought against this reshaping。 And of course the struggle continues and continues today。 4。5 stars。

Kevin Cott ，

A sweeping overview of US immigration in the 20th century。 Yang's work underscores the idea that the fundamental question at the core of any policy is essentially a question of borders。 What defines a nation， and to whom will that nation show partiality？ Any philosophy of immigration short of open borders must answer these basic questions。 The turbulent history of immigration policy in the US is one in which neither progressives nor conservatives can claim innocence of championing overtly racist A sweeping overview of US immigration in the 20th century。 Yang's work underscores the idea that the fundamental question at the core of any policy is essentially a question of borders。 What defines a nation， and to whom will that nation show partiality？ Any philosophy of immigration short of open borders must answer these basic questions。 The turbulent history of immigration policy in the US is one in which neither progressives nor conservatives can claim innocence of championing overtly racist and profoundly damaging policies in the name of the "national good"。 By telling the story of immigration in this way， Yang works to "unflatten" the historical narrative and contexulaize it in our modern day left/right dichotomy。 。。。more

Aaaschless ，

A well researched and well written history of twentieth century immigration policy。 Of great interest are the unintended consequences of the 1965 bill， which have resulted in the development of a multicultural society beyond anyone of that era's imagining。 A well researched and well written history of twentieth century immigration policy。 Of great interest are the unintended consequences of the 1965 bill， which have resulted in the development of a multicultural society beyond anyone of that era's imagining。 。。。more

Dylan Marton ，

The book was very well written， thoroughly researched， and seamlessly weaved into a well done historical story。 That being said， I thought the book’s topic and title was a bit misleading。 If you are looking for a book on the politics behind passing a few significant immigration laws， then this is the book for you。 If you are looking for a book about immigrants and perspectives of immigrants， this is not the book for you。 The subtitle， “The epic struggle over immigration” in this book means the s The book was very well written， thoroughly researched， and seamlessly weaved into a well done historical story。 That being said， I thought the book’s topic and title was a bit misleading。 If you are looking for a book on the politics behind passing a few significant immigration laws， then this is the book for you。 If you are looking for a book about immigrants and perspectives of immigrants， this is not the book for you。 The subtitle， “The epic struggle over immigration” in this book means the struggle of a few politicians while trying to pass immigration law， not the struggle OF immigrants。 Just a disclaimer。However， the epilogue was AMAZING！ I’d give that 5 stars。 。。。more

Christopher P。 Steele ，

If half stars were possible， I'd give this book 3 1/2 stars。 The writing is good。 I really like Yang's cadence and tone。 I wish her editor had done a better job of bringing forth the through-line in the work。 The book is engaging， but reads as a series of episodes in Congress。 Perhaps too much time is spent painting the picture of the characters in the story， than the topic。 One result for me is a renewed interest in Harry Truman and LBJ。 In that it's a book about politics， the book works pretty If half stars were possible， I'd give this book 3 1/2 stars。 The writing is good。 I really like Yang's cadence and tone。 I wish her editor had done a better job of bringing forth the through-line in the work。 The book is engaging， but reads as a series of episodes in Congress。 Perhaps too much time is spent painting the picture of the characters in the story， than the topic。 One result for me is a renewed interest in Harry Truman and LBJ。 In that it's a book about politics， the book works pretty well。 。。。more

Gerry Connolly ，

Jia Lynn Yang’s One Mighty and Irresistible Tide narrates the immigration politics that drove restrictions in 1917， 1926 and 1952 laws that set racial quotas and limited asylum seekers in the US。 It was Emmanuel Celler and LBJ and Ted Kennedy who reversed those policies and remade the face of America。 The 1965 Immigration and Nationality Act was the vehicle for the transformation。 Accessible and instructive。

Cat Roule ，

Not what I expected， started out good but lost steam。 I thought it would be about how our nation was built on immigration。 Then it turned political。

Fraser Kinnear ，

Yang tells the story of immigration in the first half of the 20th century， cumulating with President Johnson’s passage of the 1965 Immigration and Nationality Act， which ended our country’s race-based quota system， and transformed the nation。 As she summarizes in the epilogue， we benefit from the law to this day:The primary weapon used by lawyers who argued that Trump’s ban was illegal was the 1965 immigration law， with its clause banning discrimination against immigrants based on race， national Yang tells the story of immigration in the first half of the 20th century， cumulating with President Johnson’s passage of the 1965 Immigration and Nationality Act， which ended our country’s race-based quota system， and transformed the nation。 As she summarizes in the epilogue， we benefit from the law to this day:The primary weapon used by lawyers who argued that Trump’s ban was illegal was the 1965 immigration law， with its clause banning discrimination against immigrants based on race， nationality， or ethnicity。 Because it abolished the national origins quota system – arguably one of the most explicitly racist ideas ever signed into American law – the 1965 Immigration and Nationality Act deserves a place in history alongside this country’s most significant civil rights breakthroughs。 Probably the most powerful statistic in the book:The number of immigrants living in the United States has mor than quadrupled since the law’s passage， increasing from 9。6 million in 1970 to a record 44。4 million in 2017。 Perhaps most striking， the foreign-born population has now reached its highest share since 1910， returning the country to the very state that supporters of the national origins quotas wanted to unwind a century ago … In 2015， Pew Research estimated that without post-1965 immigration， the country [in 2015] would have been 75% white， 14% black， 8% Hispanic， and <1% Asian。 Instead， it was 62% white， 12% black， 18% Hispanic， and 6% Asian， and was on its way to having whites constitute <1/2 the total population in the coming decades。 The legislation had this outsized impact， because the writers didn’t appreciate the amount of chain migration and refugee acceptance （e。g。， from Cuba and Vietnam） the US would accept。 Strangely， Yang doesn’t seem to comment on the importance of immigrants for powering our economy。 She seems satisfied with just the moral argument。 Fair enough！ But， in general， this not really a book about policy， economics， or sociology。 Rather， Yang is focused on the political history of the key players who pushed the pendulum of openness between the 1920s and the 1960s。 It’s a wonderful， frequently heart-warming story。 On occasion， the politics made strange bedfellows， which in turn made for great story-telling！I come away really wanting to learn more about Truman， and， of course LBJ。 Maybe I’ll finally attempt the Caro biography… 。。。more

Ginget Poulton ，

So wonderful to sit and read this book written by my old high school classmate。 Such an important read and so apropos right now。 The epilogue is so moving。 Thank you and congrats Jia Lynn！

Steve Mayer ，

A readable account of the battle over immigration law between 1924 and 1965。 But it suffers from lack of analysis。 I wanted to know why things happened in addition to what happened。

Alissa Heynen ，

This is an amazing synopsis of nearly fifty years of immigration history。 She so clearly captures the personal politics and its affect on policy。

Miguel ，

This was overshadowed a bit in comparison to similar ground of several recent works， but most notably ‘America for Americans’ by Erika Lee which was published earlier in the year and did a slightly better job in covering the history of xenophobia in immigration policy in the 20th century。 Still it is a good overview of the topic。

David ，

The period between the 1924 National Origins Act and the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965 is often treated as a blank space in American immigration history。 Given the relative dearth of new arrivals during this time， what could be said about immigration politics beyond terms like "restrictive"？Jia Lynn Yang's account of this forty year period corrects this historiographical gap in a narrative and engaging way。 She highlights the ways in which Jewish immigrant advocates led the way in push The period between the 1924 National Origins Act and the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965 is often treated as a blank space in American immigration history。 Given the relative dearth of new arrivals during this time， what could be said about immigration politics beyond terms like "restrictive"？Jia Lynn Yang's account of this forty year period corrects this historiographical gap in a narrative and engaging way。 She highlights the ways in which Jewish immigrant advocates led the way in pushing for an end to the national origins system， particularly in light of the Holocaust， which was driven by the same sort of supremacist thinking that undergirded the 1924 law。 But there were very few straight lines during this period， as when Jewish groups worked at cross-purposes from Japanese groups in the buildup to the 1952 McCarran-Walter Act。 Two strands that Yang examined that were particularly interesting to me were the relationship between immigration policy and foreign policy （such as Cold War anti-communism）， and the varying pressures on immigration policy in different parts of the country （such as employers' push for agricultural immigrant labor in the west and southwest， which could be used as a way to exclude urban European Jews）。 I also really enjoyed the epilogue where Yang examined the （often unforeseen） consequences of the 1965 law， and the way it has shaped America and its 21st century immigration debates。 。。。more

Pat Carson ，

Loved this。 Big law change that flies under the radar in most general history books。

Julian Hattem ，

This is very much a book about immigration policy and the members of Congress/presidents who set it over a critical period in US history。 It might have benefited from a slightly wider lens， but this is a well-written and engaging history of modern US immigration law， which now has a profound impact on our national identity。 A reminder that the notion of the US as a "melting pot" and "nation of immigrants" is relatively new and was not necessarily inevitable。 This is very much a book about immigration policy and the members of Congress/presidents who set it over a critical period in US history。 It might have benefited from a slightly wider lens， but this is a well-written and engaging history of modern US immigration law， which now has a profound impact on our national identity。 A reminder that the notion of the US as a "melting pot" and "nation of immigrants" is relatively new and was not necessarily inevitable。 。。。more

Sally Anne ，

Essential reading for those interested in understanding the politics and horrible legacy of immigration in 20th century USA。

Craig Werner ，

Your response to this book will depend a bit on how much you know about the big picture story of immigration legislation。 I know that pretty well， so there was relatively little new to me。 I was hoping for more detail on the 1965 Hart-Cellar legislation， but there was enough there to have made it well worth while， particularly concerning Ted Kennedy's contributions to the process。 Your response to this book will depend a bit on how much you know about the big picture story of immigration legislation。 I know that pretty well， so there was relatively little new to me。 I was hoping for more detail on the 1965 Hart-Cellar legislation， but there was enough there to have made it well worth while， particularly concerning Ted Kennedy's contributions to the process。 。。。more

Kathleen Hulser ，

Readable account of the most important years in framing immigration policy。 It is stunning to realize how obstructionist the government was （is）， making it impossible to accomplish anything most of the time。 This history also sharply warns us of the malevolent strain of red-baiting: many changes in immigration law were shipwrecked on the shoals of America's perennial anti-communist fears。 As a historian， I certainly can state there was NO moment ever in American history where communism was a thr Readable account of the most important years in framing immigration policy。 It is stunning to realize how obstructionist the government was （is）， making it impossible to accomplish anything most of the time。 This history also sharply warns us of the malevolent strain of red-baiting: many changes in immigration law were shipwrecked on the shoals of America's perennial anti-communist fears。 As a historian， I certainly can state there was NO moment ever in American history where communism was a threat here， but the Republican party and the Democrats under McCarthy， McCarren and Walter made life hell for anyone with even the mildest of leftist views。 The chapter on State Department maneuvers to prevent Jewish visas during WWII is a giant blot on American history， and again a reminder that policy does not just happen in Congress。 Appointments of prejudiced officials operating in the shadows can ensure that vendettas， paranoia and bigotry can function as walls against the outsider。 Yang could have perhaps devoted more attention to why the idea of "open borders" which was never espoused by more than a tiny minority of people was weaponized by Anglo-Saxon nationalists to generate fear， official racism and policies that made of mockery of Eleanor Roosevelt's cherished Declaration of Human Rights。 Although the history ends with the passage of the 1965 law under LBJ which finally remade the quota system， the arguments， the hatred， the disfunction and the policies of "unofficial" discrimination against people from somewhere other than Northern Europe have marked the subsequent 50+ years。 And yet under these violent and ugly traits， the virulent public rhetoric and the craven use of racist tropes to bolster political careers， millions of immigrants have nevertheless arrived and contributed to making America a much more productive， creative and interesting place。 I watch with interest the ascent of LatinX and Asian-Americans to positions of influence， reshaping and strengthening the breadth of American culture。 。。。more

David ，

More narrowly focused than I had hoped， this one focuses on the events leading up to the establishment of the national quota system in 1924 and its eventual replacement in 1965。 Nothing against exploring an aspect of US history not well understood， but I think there was a missed opportunity here to explore in more detail the impacts of both laws and chart a potential path forward rather than focus on the political maneuvering involved in the passage of each。

Kathryn ，

Really helps with understanding our current dilemma and complexity with immigration！ I read the audio book。

Zach Whitcomb ，

A more accurate title might have been “One Mighty Collection of Governmental Figure Anecdotes that Bounces Around in Time and Includes a Dash of Immigration Reform Narrative。”

Joyce ，

Appreciated this book， but it was challenging to read; hard to present legislative action in a way that doesn’t lean dry。 The epilogue pulls it all together in a really meaningful way。

Tareq ，

Eye opening history of America's changing immigration laws of the 20th century。 It was very interesting to read about the political landscape in congress in the 1920's that shaped the Johnson-Reed act of 1924， and also the isolationist policies of congress that had they not turned their back， could have prevented the saving of thousands of lives during World War II in Europe。 Overall a great read。 Eye opening history of America's changing immigration laws of the 20th century。 It was very interesting to read about the political landscape in congress in the 1920's that shaped the Johnson-Reed act of 1924， and also the isolationist policies of congress that had they not turned their back， could have prevented the saving of thousands of lives during World War II in Europe。 Overall a great read。 。。。more

Michael Murphy ，

Fundamental to an understanding of the immigration issues facing America today。

Hasan ，

I wanted to like this book more。 Immigration is an acute interest of mine and a fissure separating American politics in the 21st century。 And it started off promisingly but ended up being a number of interesting people's mini biographies， which was fine but she ended up shorting the bill that changed the face of America: The Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965。 I would have preferred if she had focused a couple of chapters about the passage of the bill， the consequences of the law and what i I wanted to like this book more。 Immigration is an acute interest of mine and a fissure separating American politics in the 21st century。 And it started off promisingly but ended up being a number of interesting people's mini biographies， which was fine but she ended up shorting the bill that changed the face of America: The Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965。 I would have preferred if she had focused a couple of chapters about the passage of the bill， the consequences of the law and what it means for the country moving forward。 Instead， the chapter about the 1965 law seemed rushed and very short。I love process especially political process and so I will give the author points for that。 But she could have done a lot better。 。。。more

Bob T ，

A well-written and readable account of US immigration policy and the politics and national sentiment behind it for the first half of the 20th century。 The author seems to save her biases for the epilogue。