Bill, my point was that it is immigrants who have made this country.
Historically, of course, each wave of immigrants has been tempted to slam the door on subsequent waves. Remember, for example, how threatened many of the Anglo-Protestants in this country felt when, as it seemed to them, floods of Catholic immigrants were about to wash away their culture (especially those from Southern Europe, who were bringing in unappetizing "alien customs" with them, along with their Catholicism).
Some Northern European immigrants were demonized too, notably the Irish. Read some of the descriptions of the Irish that were common at one time -- "degenerate baboons," "criminal dregs," and -- yes -- "mongrels."
One of my own forbears, a very famous preacher in his day, left New England to found a seminary in Ohio, to battle the incursions of Papism...(Ironic, that his great-great-great granddaughter was baptized a "Papist.")
I won't even talk about attitudes to Asian immigrants...
Hence, my antennae tingle when I hear talk about the "mongrelization" of our culture..
jbe
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