Conclusions

Abstract

The population of the United States is growing and changing because of immigration. These changes will alter the look, economics, and perhaps the cultural mind-set of America. Not unlike sentiments expressed at the turn of the twentieth century, concerns have recently been raised about how new immigrants differ from the old. Differences in appearance, education, culture, and perceived earning potential of the new immigrants have raised anxiety levels among some in the population. Data supports the conclusion that the ethnic and racial composition of the nation is in a process of transformation. This transformation shares some similarities with changes in the mid-nineteenth century (when large numbers of Irish and German immigrants came to the United States) and the early twentieth century when new immigrants originated from Eastern Europe (Italy, Russia, Austria-Hungary). Some differences, however, exist between older immigrant streams and today’s immigrants.