It was this society and culture that among other things - including economic opportunities here and repression in Europe - attracted subsequent generations of immigrants to this country.

Immigrants are people who leave one country, one society, and move to another society. But there has to be a recipient society to which the immigrants move.

The other aspect of American identity worth focusing on is the concept of America as a nation of immigrants. That certainly is a partial truth. But it is often assumed to be the total truth.

First of all, we haven't always welcomed immigrants.

They weren't immigrating to some existing society; indeed, they often did whatever they could do to destroy whatever existed here in the way of Indian society.

From 1882 until the 1950s, a whole series of legislation excluded immigrants from Asia from coming to our society.