Strengthening Constitutional Self-Government

No Left Turns

Immigration, Old Style

From the fine textbook, Colonial America in an Atlantic World, by T.H. Breen and Timothy Hall. In the 18th Century:

arrival in an American port brought relief to passengers and excitement onshore. Crowds of prospective masters gathered to bid for immigrants ‘exposed for redemption sale.’ Fellow countryfolk already settled in America came on board to refresh expected relatives and friends with bread, fruit, and beer or to glean news and collect letters from home. Paying passengers settled accounts and gathered belongings, whereas those sailing on credit tried or arrange for payment or prepared themselves for terms of servitude. . . . Non British passengers then made their way to the courthouse, where English officials required them to take the oath of allegiance to the King and his successors, renounce any allegiance to the Pope, and abide by the laws of the colony where they were settling.

Discussions - 8 Comments

More immigration, old style.


"My father, Jacques Kurt Gadiel, arrived in the United States as a refugee in 1940."


"He arrived here legally, with a visa issued to him because he was being hunted by the Nazi German government. The Nazis had many reasons to want to kill him: he was a German Jew by birth (his French first name was due to his mother’s love of French culture); he had been very active in anti-Fascist political activities before fleeing Germany for France in 1927; he had violated Nazi race laws in 1939 by marrying my mother, a German Protestant who herself had defied the Nazis before also fleeing Germany."


"When he arrived in New York in 1940 his only identity document was his German passport with a big red "J", for Jew, stamped inside the front cover, and the middle name "Israel" scrawled in by a German official as was required for Jews whose names were not obviously Jewish. (For women with names not sufficiently Jewish, the name added was "Sarah".)"


Read the rest. It's fascinating stuff.

It seems a bit overboard to make them renounce allegiance to the Pope. Good thing the Founders put that pesky First Amendment in there.

Ah, the good old days!

As an American I'm a bit embarrassed over the thousands of Jews who were turned away because of the country's immigration laws, and were therefore forced to return to certain death in Germany. Mr. Gadiel was one of the lucky ones.

On the other hand, after Henry VIII broke with the Church, the Pope excommunicated him. The implication was that no good Catholic could swear allegiance to the King of England. I can't recall when that changed.

As an American I'm a bit embarrassed over the thousands of Jews who were turned away because of the country's immigration laws


As an American, hmmm?

From what I've read, no one had any idea of the breadth or depth of what the Nazis were doing--and of the danger to these Jews. Did any of us really imagine that 19 terrorists would fly 3 planes into buildings (and try with a 4th), killing themselves and the passengers? Somethings are inconceivable as real--until they happen.

Having had grandparents immigrate to this country and having immigrant in-laws, all I can say is that the following would NOT be unreasonable immigration laws:

1) You are healthy (No immigration for free medical treatment. AIDS should not be politically protected)

2) You have a skill of some sort

3) You have a CITIZEN sponsor

4) Speaking English moves you up the line a bit

5) You become an AMERICAN. If you want to turn this country into a copy of the one you left, just stay there.

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