A Nation of Immigrants
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/2f/A_Nation_of_Immigrants_Front_Cover_%281958_first_edition%29.jpg/220px-A_Nation_of_Immigrants_Front_Cover_%281958_first_edition%29.jpg)
A Nation of Immigrants (ISBN 978-0-06-144754-9) is a 1958 book on American immigration by then U.S. Senator John F. Kennedy of Massachusetts.
The name of the book is a reference to the fact that the United States is a country whose population is predominantly made up of non-native people, who settled the country following the European colonization of Americas and the establishment of the Thirteen Colonies.
History[]
The book was written by Kennedy in 1958, while he was still a senator. It was written as part of the Anti-Defamation League's series entitled the One Nation Library.[1] In the 1950s, former ADL National Director Ben Epstein was concerned by rising xenophobia and anti-immigrant rhetoric, so he reached out to then-Senator Kennedy to write a manuscript on immigration reform.[2][3]
Subsequently, after gaining the presidency, Kennedy called on Congress to undertake a full reevaluation of immigration law; and he began to revise the book for further publication. In August 1963, excerpts of the 1958 pamphlet were published in The New York Times Magazine.[4] He was assassinated before completing the revision, but the book was posthumously published in 1964 with an introduction by his brother, then Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy.[5]
The book was re-issued by the Anti-Defamation League in 2008.[6] The 2018 edition was endorsed by Former Secretary of State Madeleine K. Albright and U.S. Senator Marco Rubio.[7]
Summary[]
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/22/A_Nation_of_Immigrants.jpg/220px-A_Nation_of_Immigrants.jpg)
The book contains a short history of immigration from Colonial America onwards, an analysis of the importance of immigration in US history, and proposals to liberalize immigration law.
References[]
- ^ "Book by President Kennedy To Be Published on Oct. 7". The New York Times. 1964-09-03.
- ^ "ADL and Harper Perennial Release 60th Anniversary Edition of John F. Kennedy's Classic Essay, "A Nation of Immigrants"". Anti-Defamation League. Retrieved 2020-06-18.
- ^ "How a Jewish Charity's Long Game Readied It for Today's Turbulence". www.philanthropy.com. Retrieved 2020-06-18.
- ^ Kennedy, John F. (1963-08-04). "A Nation of Immigrants". The New York Times. Retrieved 2009-03-16.
- ^ Kennedy, John Fitzgerald (1964). Kennedy, Robert F. (ed.). A Nation of Immigrants. HarperCollins. ISBN 0-06-091367-3.
- ^ "John F. Kennedy's A Nation of Immigrants". Anti-Defamation League. Retrieved 2020-06-18.
- ^ "A Nation of Immigrants - John F. Kennedy - Paperback". HarperCollins Publishers: World-Leading Book Publisher. Retrieved 2020-06-18.
External links[]
- Amazon.com's book reviews and description
- Barnes & Noble's editorial reviews and overview
- OnTheIssues.org's book review and excerpts
- 1958 non-fiction books
- 1964 non-fiction books
- Books about immigration to the United States
- Books by John F. Kennedy
- American political books
- Anti-Defamation League
- Harper & Row books
- United States history book stubs