JF Ptak Science Books Quick Post
I have a pamphlet here issued by a furrier union around 1930 which vehemently denounced immigrants coming from a particular country, and described them in racist and bigoted detail for a half-page before another general rant against immigration in general; it was only after turning the page that I found out who the furriers were attacking--the Greeks. It could have been just about anyone--especially if the printing date was unknown. There are a number of pamphlets like that here in a small "misguided social movements" collection--it would be interesting to post a collection of the statements to see how much havoc the entry of Poles and Irish and Catholics and Jews and Greeks and Quakers and Chinese and Japanese and Koreans and Vietnamese and Italians and so on has been caused to the greatness of the United States. It might be sobering for some Wall-Builder types and stop-all-Muslim-immigration folks to read the history of anti-immigration movement and legislation and see how much of that impacted the lives of their forebearers, It may be impossible for people to believe that in certain sections of NYC in the 1920s that there were movements afoot to restrict further settlement of Norwegians, but it is true.
And so the reason for this recollection: the appearance of the pamphlet, An Appeal to American Citizens, published by the National Liberal Immigration League in New York City in 1910). This group was in favor of equality and acceptance of immigrants at a time when there were many very active nativist, restrictive, racist, and anti-immigration groups (and legislation), and laid out their conviction and approach very simply in this six-page pamphlet. It discusses the "victim of...prejudice" at the hands of "persons who, disregarding the teachings of religion that men should love their neighbor and welcome the stranger". They made good arguments, and given the brevity of the publication I reprint it in full:
Notes:
See the long (50pp) and inclusive report on the National Liberal Immigation League by Rivka Shpak Lissak "The National Liberal Immigration League and Immigration Restriction", http://americanjewisharchives.org/publications/journal/PDF/1994_46_02_00_lissak.pdf
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