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Asylum for Mankind: America, 1607-1800

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In "Asylum for Mankind" Professor Baseler masterfully weaves together the forces shaping Colonial America's immigration policies and patterns. In the old world struggles for global supremacy among European empires, the desire to provide a home for Europe's "wastrels and convicts," attempts to populate the new world with subjects loyal to the mother country, and attempts to gain wealth for European powers all determined emmigration policies. In the new world colonists were.."torn by..[the]..promise to provide santuary for liberty and the victims of oppression while safeguarding the republic from immigrants who would pervert or destroy its principles and future development." Democratic and idealistic intent.."to fulfill their republican vision of an international community built on the free movement of goods and people"..coexisted with self serving desires to control the racial, religious, and ethnic composotion of the immigrants. To be sure, some of the talk of liberty and democracy was public relations hype. On the other hand was an honest determination to bould a nation.."where policies were determined by the needs of the people rather than the ambitions of princes." "Asylums for Mankind" provides an essential starting point for an understanding of present day struggles for and against racial,ethnic,religious, and multicultural equality.

This book reminds us of where we all started, what made the New World so attractive to the settlers and how the New World became and organized society. "Asylum for Mannkind" gives a new understanding of what settlers experienced and the prices they would pay for freedom.