A Nation of Immigrants [Paperback]

John F Kennedy (Author), Robert F. Kennedy (Introduction)

Book Description

Publication Date: 1964

Throughout his presidency, John F. Kennedy was passionate about the issue of immigration reform. He believed that America is a nation of people who value both tradition and the exploration of new frontiers, people who deserve the freedom to build better lives for themselves in their adopted homeland. This modern edition of his posthumously published, timeless work—with a new introduction by Senator Edward M. Kennedy and a foreword by Abraham H. Foxman, national director of the Anti-Defamation League—offers the late president's inspiring suggestions for immigration policy and presents a chronology of the main events in the history of immigration in America.

As continued debates on immigration engulf the nation, this paean to the importance of immigrants to our nation's prominence and success is as timely as ever.

--This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

John F. Kennedy (1917-1963) graduated from Harvard with honors in 1940 and served as a P. T. Boat Commander in the South Pacific during World War II. He was decorated twice by the Navy for the serious injuries he suffered when his boat was rammed in two while attacking a Japanese destroyer in the Solomons, and for "his courage, endurance and excellent leadership" in towing injured members of his crew to safety.

A writer and newspaperman, Kennedy in 1940 wrote Why England Slept, a best-selling analysis of England's unpreparedness for war, termed by the New York Times "a notable textbook for our times."

The son of Joseph P. Kennedy, former Ambassador to Great Britain, and the grandson of Boston's one-time Mayor and Congressman John F. Fitzgerald, Kennedy was elected to Congress in 1946 at the age of twenty-nine, and re-elected in 1948 and 1950. In 1952 he became the third Democrat ever elected to the Senate from Massachusetts, receiving the largest vote ever polled by a Senator in the history of the state. He was President of the United States from 1961 to 1963. He was the youngest man ever elected to the Oval Office and the first Roman Catholic President.

--This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

Product Details

• Paperback: 111 pages
• Publisher: Harper and Row; Revised and Enlarged edition (1964)
• ASIN: B0007DUKJG
• Product Dimensions: 7.8 x 5.3 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,437,162 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Amazing & extremely relevant book, February 10, 2012

By 

Maxima - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: A Nation of Immigrants (Paperback)

The book goes through a history of US immigration and shows how truly we are a nation of immigrants. It is a short book but very detailed, giving the numbers of millions of Irish, Italians, and others who made America what it is, including the immigration patterns of "the Founding Fathers." None, except the slaves, came with any documentation--and of course that was forced migration and human trafficking. The book makes the indisputable point is that our nation is from people mostly from other places and that immigration policy has only been restrictive in a discriminatory manner. President Kennedy also writes eloquently about the very American principles of equal opportunity that our country was founded upon (despite having mistakenly departed from those principles and needing to expand the franchise). This book is a great read and clearly demonstrates that if we are to be true to our values, there is no reason to discriminate against current immigrants.

15 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars JFK on Immigration Reform, October 1, 2005

By 

Pamela (Dubuque, IA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: A Nation of Immigrants (Paperback)

From the back cover:

"John F. Kennedy's classic essay on the immigrant experience in America -- reissued to coincide with the reopening of the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island.

"A lifelong concern of President Kennedy's was immigration reform....This landmark essay, written while he was President, discusses the ideas ultimately put into practice with the Immigration Bill of 1965, for which President Johnson gave him full credit.

In his new preface, John P. Roche, Kennedy's colleague and longtime friend, gives a charming and clear-eyed picture of the man and his career. And he puts _A Nation of Immigrants_ into perspective with a look at the current state of immigration laws...."

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Educational and Well Written, April 11, 2010

By 

A. Ballard "Corinthos fan 4 life" (Fortuna,ca) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: A Nation of Immigrants (Paperback)

I learned alot about how America was developed and who came here first and what we adapted from them ini which we still use today. Stuff I never learned in History classes at scool which kinda suprised me. Very educational and as well informable on How President Kennedy looked on the issue. A great book to add to a collection.