Immigration

Max Miller


In the recent years immigration and the migrant crisis has been a very talked about topic in the news. The drama surrounding the southern border has been in the forefront of headlines for years now, but the US is not the only country dealing with problems surrounding borders and immigration. The EU and almost all of Europe have also been dealing with a migrant crisis. The US and the EU both have their own immigration issues, and many people think of them of having the same kind of problem but do they require the same solution? When many people hear about immigration today and news involving the US and the EU they think that both parts of the western world are dealing with the same kind of problem and also require a similar solution. Even government officials constantly compare the problems and say that a certain solution would fix the US and the EU, but the US and the EU have some similarities and a lot of differences and is it possible for them to learn from each other?

The European crisis and the influx of immigration in the US have some parallels as they both involve immigration as being the core of the issue but they also have major differences. An NPR interview dives deeper into these differences. In the interview it goes over how Europe is actually allowing many refugees and some world leaders in the EU are supporters of open border policies, but in the US, president Trump vowed to not let any immigrants in in exchange for much stronger border policies. There are also many supporters for closed borders in European countries such as Germany who say that the US should serve as a role model and close their borders off. In the US there is now a backlog of over 750,000 immigrants and it is said it will take many years to process all of them, Germany has a similar issue with long wait times for hopeful immigrants even after the number of migrants entering Germany has dropped significantly since 2015. This was a result of the German government making deals with other countries to prevent a glut and overwhelming migrant influx. Despite President Trumps hopeful talks with Mexico trying to do the same thing he is taking a more hands on approach and trying to build a physical wall instead of diplomacy. Immigrants trying to come from Germany and the US often come for the same reason. In the US immigrants are coming form central America trying to escape poverty and crime, it is the same case with middle eastern  refugees trying to escape war in Syria. This highlights some of the similarities and differences between the US and other countries.

The US and the EU are intertwined on their struggle against controlling immigration. The American Foreign Service Association states that immigration in the US and EU is often regarded as a crisis and there is still no end in sight. They also state that the EU has been reliant on American financial aid to help with refugees since the Obama administration but the White House has since changed its stance on this policy now that trump has been elected. In the EU countries have partnered with many other nations such as the ones that are in a good geographical place to help such as Turkey, to work together on a solution which as been proved effective and has worked on putting a limit on huge influxes of migrants making the problem more manageable to deal with. The US on the other hand has worked alone to solve its issues such as when Trump signed an order that would ban immigration from certain middle eastern countries that he deemed were a danger to national security. This resulted in the many countries in the EU breaking off ties with the US on migration issues, resulting in the US being left almost completely alone to solve its issues. But in the EU there is still a lot of disagreement on how best to go about this problem. Countries work together on certain things but they are still often divided on many aspects, there are also many calls for the countries to unite to act as one.

In the EU it seems like everybody has a different opinion on what to do, and the more arguing that happens the more people suffer which is why in Europe it is such a talked about issue because in a New York Times article it says that more than 14,000 people have been recorded dead of missing in the Mediterranean sea trying to reach countries like Italy, and even more people are held up in refugee camps and forced to wait with no other option. The conditions in these camps are often said to be terrible which is why so many people are eager for a solution as they know the longer they wait for European countries to argue the more people will end up suffering. European counties have been under a lot of pressure around their actions and some countries are now at the point where they are just avoiding the problem and their nations legal and moral responsibilities states the New York Times again.

In Europe and the US there seems to be a vast divide in opinions and the longer the arguments go on the more refugees and immigrants have to wait. For some it seems hopeless as waiting lists for citizenship is scheduled to take many years and those who were once hopeful are now forced to wait in often inhumane conditions which has caused a lot of controversy with human rights. But despite all of the bad news, there is hope. Which comes in the form of the Netherlands who have developed a system. This system is a fast-track system and is very efficient in processing refugees and migrants, instead of years this system only takes weeks and it combines empathy and humanity with border control. This is a system many countries are trying to replicate and something other countries could learn by, that instead of politics they combine humanity with border control.

Irregular immigration in the EU: European parliamentary service blog  


Contemplating the politics of the EU immigration policy-MUN Planet

Gangs conspiring with officials to smuggle Illegal immigrants into the EU-Daily Express


Sources:
The Differences Between The European Migration Crisis And The Influx To The U.S.-NPR

Europe remains as divided as ever over ‘almost impossible to solve’ migration crisis-CNBC

In U.S. and Europe, Migration Conflict Points to Deeper Political Problems-NY Times

Immigration rows: US and Germany compared-BBC

The Migrant Crisis in Europe and the U.S.-E.U. Relationship-AFSA Org

The 5 Big Questions About Europe's Migrant Crisis-Times

2.2 Success Factors

Max Miller
Success Factors

Opportunity 

Skill 

Hard Work 

Luck 

In terms of economic success these are the order of the factors I think contribute to success. Opportunity is first because in order for anything to work and be successful opportunity is at the core and most important, because you can know exactly how to do something and work hard at it but you will never be successful if you do not have the opportunity to display and use such skills. I ranked skill next as I feel it is also a major key to success because if someone can work hard but it can be very ineffective if they lack the skill as opposed to if one possesses such skill it will be easier to be successful. Next is hard work because hard work is one of the building blocks of success without it can be very hard to be successful but not impossible.  Last is luck I put it last because luck is luck is not essential for success but it does make it easier at times and if luck is being relied upon for success them success will most likely not come. 

   

Tips for Success-Strathcona Elementary School 

Barbed Wire

Max Miller
Barbed Wire

Glidden's Patent for Barbed Wire-National Archive  

        First Patented in 1867, barbed wire was the perfect solution for a widespread problem facing the American West. Before the invention of barbed wire, fences formed boundaries by using timber, soil, stone and sometimes metal, but the American West had none of these resources to create fences and it was inefficient and very expensive to fence off large areas during the west at that time. The idea of having a fence made out of wire was not new. It was not until Joseph Glidden's perfected the idea by adding little barbs on the wire and inventing a machine for its manufacture that barbed wire saw use. Gliddens won a patent for this new type of wire in 1867 resulting in lawsuits from many other inventors at the time claiming that it was their idea, but Gliddens won because he was one one that was responsible of making the machine to mass produce all of the wire.

This new invention of wire fence was more economical and durable than its wood and metal counterpart and finally made it possible to fence off large areas such as cattle ranges in the west. This caught the eyes of businessman and steel tycoon owner John Warne Gates who used the idea of barbed wire to create “American Steel and Wire Co”, he used his the new innovations in manufacturing technology to create a barbed wire monopoly. Accordin to the BBC, In the year 1880, his factory produced 163,000 miles of wire which is enough to circle the world 10 times.

      But the history of barbed wire is one that is much more complex than it might seem. There is good and bad that was a result of this new popular innovation. The Good, National Archives compared barbed wire to having the same magnitude of change as other inventions that dramatically affected the West such as the windmill, locomotive and rifle. This is because the Barbed wire proved perfect for the conditions in the west. Joseph Glidden's, John Warne Gates  steel and wire manufacturers, and anybody in the industry at all at the time was made very rich because of the tremendous popularity of the wire. It was efficient, cost effective and exactly what farmers needed at the time. Benefiting the land owners more than anyone else, they could finally fence off their land keeping things in and keeping things out just like they would do with any other fence. And because of the Homestead Act many landowners were looking for just the innovation. But this did not come without a price and the barbed wire fences would soon become a controversy.

      Because of how widely used barbed  wire was, it limited the openness of the west, which in turn limited the freedom of the ranchers and cowboys as they were fenced off of the land that the relied on to make a living during their cattle drives. They also cut many people off of necessities that they relied on to survive. This caused many disputes among the different people living in the west. Private farmers would unlawfully fence off land that was not theirs and claim it for themselves, which resulted in conflicts where a group of people would go and cut the wire of a landowners property which cited many violent conflicts. The cattle were now given less land to roam as they would be fenced in and closed off. Slowly, Wealthy ranchers pushed out small time ranchers and the power in the west now shifted dramatically in favor of those who owned land. The uncontrollable expanse of barbed wire fences led to many new laws, as Rush country-The Barbed Wire Museum states “Miles of barbed wire was being constructed daily”. All of these factors gained barbed wire the name “Devil's rope” in the west, and also started to mark the end of cowboys and ranchers.

     Though the history of barbed wire is long and controversial. It is undoubtedly an extremely underrated innovation. As Native Americans also lost land due to barbed wire it became a controversy and is now a symbol of oppression that is still used today. Barbed wire is also widely used today and is easy to find during ones average day if they were looking. A major part of barbed wires’ history was its use in both World Wars the Glidden Homestead organization estimates that there is around 1,300 miles of barbed wire used on the western front alone in WWI, as just like it did in the american west, proved to be a perfect solution to a pressing problem, as barbed wire could not be shot or destroyed by guns and was very good at stopping enemies.

Patent Drawing for Barbed Wire-National Archives

     In conclusion, barbed wire is an old invention that has stood the test of time, hardly ever differing from its original patent. It has proved itself as a useful tool time and time again throughout history. Although the history of barbed wire is a controversial one, there is no doubt that it has influenced not only American but the World.

Sources:

Rush Country Organization-General Information and History  

BBC-Affects Barbed Wire had on America 

University of Richmond History Engine- Deeper understanding on the American West and Barbed wire  

 First Machine used-Glidden Homestead Foundation 

JSTOR-Affects Barbed wire had on farming and how it changed many aspects of life 

Glidden Homestead Foundation-Complete History on Barbed Wire

National Archives-Patent Information on Barbed Wire 

Britannica Articles-General knowledge 

Timed Research Article

Times Research Article
Max Miller
History.com Picture about the first Thanksgiving meal

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Thanksgiving is a holiday that is celebrated all across America. It is an American holiday, but what people think is the true origin of Thanksgiving is often skewed and has evolved from many years of misinformation and marketing ploys. When I think about the origin of Thanksgiving and where I learned about it the first thing that comes to mind is the Thanksgiving Charlie Brown special which I watch every year with my parents ever since I was a little kid, its tradition in my house. When I was doing research I was very surprised to find how the only knowledge I had about this holiday before I started my research was from a Charlie Brown special where the origin of Thanksgiving is told in dramatic fashion through cartoon characters. While doing my research I was very interested in the true historical origin of what we know now as Thanksgiving and how it was been shaped over the years by a number of factors

Using the Charlie Brown cartoon as my reference point for all of my newfound knowledge, I discovered that a lot of what the cartoon showed was relatively accurate. So thanks, Mom and Dad for showing me a decently accurate portrayal of how Thanksgiving came to be. But as all good things marketing teams from companies were quick to jump on it and to make any profit possible. The details of Thanksgiving are often skewed through inaccurate teaching the New York Times writes about, many people are unfamiliar with the true details of the holiday. Despite me learning a lot about how the Pilgrims landed on Plymouth Rock and the hardships that they faced along with how Squanto helped them in this new land and brought his tribe together with the Pilgrims together for a grand feast from the Charlie Brown Special, (which I was surprised to see how many people were unfamiliar with this) I was surprised to learn how Thanksgiving was not an official holiday until 1863 where President Lincoln issued the papers written up by William Seward. I was also unfamiliar with how Sarah Josepha Hale, the writer of Mary Had a Little Lamb and other pieces of work and articles was a tremendous influence on Thanksgiving finally becoming a national Holiday. She lobbied to government officials and wrote about her feelings on how Thanksgiving should be a national holiday that would unify the country. This gained support and finally it was declared a holiday.

In the early years of Thanksgiving there were many different variations of the food, the food would depend on the family and their cultural background and would differ depending on family. Now, the food that is eaten on Thanksgiving is much of the same everybody has turkey, pumpkin pie, cranberries and often some sort of alcohol which was found out from a poll thanks the Smithsonian. So how did Thanksgiving dinner go from a different cultural experience depending on the family so such a widely regarded cookie cutter meal that only differs slightly from others? Well the short answer is marketing. Starting during the 1920s ads started focusing on turkey for Thanksgiving, before that there was a wide range of bird such as duck and goose consumed at the dinner table. But marketing teams started to market items such as roasters, thermometers and cooking bags that focused on the preparation and presentation of turkey, along with ads that claimed turkey was a sacred Thanksgiving tradition (although no evidence supports that). Other companies caught on to what was happening with the turkey and advertised things like cranberries and other foods which many know now as the “traditional” Thanksgiving food. Even though pilgrims lacked many of the necessary ingredients to make the majority of the food that is being marketed as “traditional” such as pumpkin pie.

Marketing teams for food companies have all tired to state their claim that their food deserves a spot on the highly competitive dinner table on Thanksgiving, some have had great success such as Butterball Turkeys and Ocean Spray Cranberries, other companies not so much. But over the years more and more companies started to do this with more and more aggressive ad campaigns and Americans have maintained these traditions to the point where it was evolved so that a Thanksgiving dinner table is a familiar sight to many and people expect the same food despite the differences in people's culture. This went on until it finally evolved into a holiday that was being shaped not by the rituals of the pilgrims who landed on Plymouth rock but the rituals of the marketing teams trying to make a profit.

New York Times Article about the relatively unknown origin of Thanksgiving

History. com about how Thanksgiving officially become a holiday

Smithsonian article about how marketing shaped Thanksgiving  

12 Years a Slave Paraphrase

Max Miller
12 Years a Slave paraphrase

12 Years a Slave, review by The Telegraph 


People were saying, 12 Years a slave was called the greatest movie to be created about slavery in America not long after the movie first showed in theaters. Despite being an extremely bold statement the author of this article believes that it is a true one. Then he goes on to ask, "Where,exactly, is the competition?". The movie is about the events in character Solomon Northups' life showing how he was once a free man but his life is altered forever once he is kidnapped into slavery and forced to experience first hand slavery in the American South, the movie should not feel too revolutionary as other movies have also touched the category of slavery in America. But the reason, 12 Years a Slave feels different to people is because it is very scarce that a film is completely about a american slavery and has the whole plot revolve around a story in slavery. The writer of this review also says how this type of movie could become a category all in its own. He then goes on to describe how you feel the emotions of Solomon from start to finish how he is confidant at the beginning, then him and the audience are baffled and sad when he first comes to the realization about his situation. During his time in slavery you also feel the deep rooted emotions that come from him and his environment, you see how much pain and hate is relevant just as much as he does, which makes the film so powerful as you follow Solomon in his journey from different masters and plantations how each one is different. The film is then compared to other films like Django Unchained , a popular film in the american slavery genre but then goes on to say how the reason 12 Years a Slave is so popular is because it shows the reality of slavery for how it was and not plagued with hyperbole to satisfy certain movie goers, 12 years a slave shows the real side of slavery and how it really was, which was something people were really interested in.

12 Years a Slave reviews and ratings showing how monumental people thought the movie was. 

Slave Narratives

Slave Narratives

Max Miller


On the Master-Slave Relationship

While reading On a Master-Slave Relationship I read a lot of information that I already knew, such as the slaves were treated terribly and punished in unimaginable ways but what really surprised me is how much they were taken advantage of sexually. I knew that physically slaves were abused but I also learned that sexually they were also taken advantage of in many ways such as being forced to reproduce to create more slaves which I had already knew was something that happened but I did not know how common and prevalent it was on slave plantations. I something else that stood out to me a lot was the fact that slave masters often were considered good people but when given absolute power over a group of people such as slaves it turns the once good people corrupt from all the power that is bestowed upon them. The slave masters start to get more and more abusive the longer they are in power over the slaves even if that goes against their moral principals, when put into a situation of power they lose all sight of humanity. Something else that I read that struck out to me was that in locations where slavery was present it was widely supported and accepted but in places where slavery was not practiced there was strong resistance to it in that location, either a location was completely for slavery or completely against it. Native american slave holders were much more favorable and kind than white slave holders, they allowed their slaves enough food and water and much better working conditions compared to white slave holders.

Questions: Did the slave masters not see how other slave masters were corrupted by the power given to them? If so why how did they not critically look at themselves and change or say something?  To what extent did pressure of the acceptance or resistance to slavery environment affect slave holders?
Why did Native Americans treat their slaves so much better than normal slave holders?

Lincoln Paraphrase

Max Miller
Lincoln Paraphrase

'Lincoln' by Steven Spielberg, New York Times 

"This is, in other words, less a biopic than a political thriller, a civics lesson that is energetically staged and alive with moral energy. Lincoln, having just won re-election, faces a complex predicament. The war has turned in the Union’s favor, but the Capitol is in some turmoil. Lincoln must contend with a Democratic opposition that reviles him as a dictator (“Abraham Africanus,” they call him) and also with a deep, factional split within the Republican Party."

My paraphrase of this selected passage.

Lincoln, in its simplest form, is much more like a cliffhanger of political suspense, filled with the complexities of the government, than a biographical film portraying Lincoln and his life. The movie is set so that it is filled with the spirit and vitality of those who are participating in determining the rights of the country. Fresh after succeeding to secure his presidency for a second term, President Lincoln is now confronted with a complicated dilemma. Although, the Union has taken the upper hand in the civil war against the South, and this is a success on one front, on another front the Capitol of the Union is experiencing a high level of strife among its members. The Democrats who are constantly against Lincoln, try to portray him as a corrupt power-hungry ruler, this is a problem that Lincoln must deal with. The Democrats also refer to him as "Abraham Africanus", Lincoln must also deal with a strong split among his own party.