Americans have long taken pride in being a nation of immigrants, pointing to the inscription on the base of the Statue of Liberty taken from the poem by Emma Lazarus, reading in part: “Give me your tired, your poor, Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free…,” and taking pride in identifying themselves as hyphenated Americans (e.g., Italian-Americans, Irish-Americans). The pride of being a nation of immigrants has been incorporated into the idea of American exceptionalism and America being founded on an idea, rather than blood lines,. At the same time, America has been the home of persistent anti-immigration sentiment, at times bordering on xenophobia and outright violence. This seminar will explore the history of these two competing ideas and the search for a middle-of-the-road of accommodation and acceptance of various minorities and their place under the “sacred canopy” of being Americans.

Four sessions. $170/$153.

Led by Bryan LeBeau.