Coming to America: A History of Immigration and Ethnicity in American Life [Paperback]

Roger Daniels (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 1991

Illustrated with period photos and prints, this history of American immigration is a tribute to the men and women from diverse cultures who have helped shape the American character.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

University of Cincinnati history professor Daniels, in this substantial, impressive social analysis, focuses on the diverse motives and experiences of those who have settled in the U.S. since 1500. He illustrates how, despite racial conflicts, varied ethnic patterns and cultures, emigres, including the controversial recent influx of Hispanics and Cold War refugees, have adapted and contributed to American society. His rich lode of personalized data yields portraits ranging from those of "nonreligious, hired gun" Miles Standish to second-generation Italian-American Lee Iacocca. Daniels concludes with a forceful argument that, despite rising nativism spurred by illegal migrants, more immigration is needed to reverse a population decline. Illustrations not seen by PW.
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From School Library Journal

YA-- After discussing the topic of immigration in general and sociological theories of why people migrate between countries, Daniel discusses each racial or national group that came to the United States during the various eras of the nation's history, giving statistics and patterns of immigration and detailing interesting and often little-known facts. Also set out are the reactions of Americans to the various waves of immigration from the rise of the antiforeign Nativists, Know Nothing, and Ku Klux Klan elements; to the restrictive immigration laws and quotas of the 1920s; through the World War II era incarceration of Japanese Americans in "resettlement camps." This excellent work is an effective tool for increasing multicultural awareness and should be an effective teaching guide for social sciences and humanities.
- Richard Lisker, Fairfax County Pub . Lib . , VA
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 512 pages
• Publisher: Perennial (October 1991)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0060921005
• ISBN-13: 978-0060921002
• Product Dimensions: 7.9 x 5.3 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,132,836 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

25 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The sine qua non for understanding immigration to America, January 4, 2004

By 

Michael H. Ebner (Lake Forest, IL) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Coming to America (Second Edition): A History of Immigration and Ethnicity in American Life (Paperback)

Roger Daniels second edition of "Coming to America" is masterful. There is no other book, I believe, that is more authoritative by way of explaining immigration to the United States during the final third of the twentieth century. And for those interested in exploring the story extending back to the European settlement of North America since the seventeenth century, "Coming to America" is also the place to begin. Daniels narrates this history, in all of its pain, complexity, and brilliance, with a thorough-going understanding of its twists and turns. This book merits its place on the shelf of often-consulted staples in every American's home library.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Coming to America, June 28, 2011

By 

C Solem ""Bookworm"" (SANTA CRUZ, CA USA) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Coming to America (Second Edition): A History of Immigration and Ethnicity in American Life (Paperback)

This is an extremely useful book for anyone who has an interest in the impact on immigrants upon U.S. history. This book gives capsule histories of most groups of immigrants to the United States. It also provides a very useful theoretical understanding of the reasons for immigration. Though it is particularly useful in its examination of the pre-colonial and colonial periods, it also (unlike many texts) includes a significant history of the pan-Caribbean slave trade, and the impact on the country as a whole of twenty percent of the population (at one time) being Africans or the children of Africans. I wish I had read it years ago, as I found my own family, immigrants from Krefeld, Germany, discussed here!

Coming to America (Second Edition): A History of Immigration and Ethnicity in American Life

9 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Must have if you do a lot of genealogy!, April 8, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Coming to America: A History of Immigration and Ethnicity in American Life (Paperback)

This is an outstanding book that every genealogical society should own, as well as serious genealogist. The book provides information in both an overview format as well as ethnic group specific information. The price is right - add it to your collection of materials - you will not be sorry.