Not "A Nation of Immigrants"

1. The "Nation of Immigrants" is a Myth Masking Settler Colonialism.

"A nation of immigrants" was a mid-twentieth-century revisionist origin story.

Liberal rhetoric. The popular narrative of the United States as a "nation of immigrants" is a modern invention, popularized by figures like John F. Kennedy in the 1950s. This ideology, while seemingly benevolent and used to counter xenophobia, serves to obscure the violent settler-colonial history of the United States. It reframes the country's origins, making it appear as a welcoming land for diverse peoples rather than a state founded on conquest and dispossession.

Erasing violence. This myth actively masks the foundational violence against Indigenous peoples and the institution of racial slavery. By portraying all non-Native arrivals as "immigrants," it turns them into de facto settlers, erasing the distinct experiences of those forcibly brought to the continent or those whose lands were violently seized. The rhetoric gained traction post-WWII as the US sought to project an image of moral leadership globally, contrasting with the Soviet Union's critiques of Western colonialism.

Political convenience. Politicians across the spectrum, from Mitt Romney to Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton, have invoked the "nation of immigrants" theme to promote optimism and national unity. However, this convenient narrative often sidesteps the uncomfortable truths of how the nation was actually formed, particularly the ongoing presence and struggles of Native nations and the descendants of enslaved Africans. It allows for a selective memory that celebrates diversity while ignoring systemic oppression.

2. The US was Founded as a Fiscal-Military Settler State.

The United States was thus founded as the first constitutional capitalist state and an empire on conquered land, with capital in the form of slaves and land (real estate).

War-making state. The United States was conceived as a "fiscal-military state," designed for war and territorial expansion from its inception. Alexander Hamilton, often celebrated as an immigrant hero, was instrumental in structuring this state, which prioritized capital accumulation through land sales and enslaved labor. This foundational design meant that military force was not an aberration but an integral tool for achieving national goals.

Land as commodity. A unique aspect of US settler colonialism was the transformation of land into a marketable commodity through the Public Land Survey System (PLSS). This system systematically divided Indigenous territories into salable plots, fueling the capitalist economy. The government actively recruited European settlers with promises of "free land," knowing that their encroachment would necessitate military intervention against resisting Native nations.

Genocidal policy. The objective of settler colonialism is the elimination of Indigenous peoples as nations to make land available for settlers, a process inherently genocidal. The Northwest Ordinance, enacted even before the Constitution, laid out a plan for military ethnic cleansing and colonial development. This policy was not merely an event but a continuous structure, evident in:

• The Ohio Country wars (1787-1832)
• Jacksonian forced removals (1830s)
• California gold rush massacres (1850s)
• Post-Civil War "Indian wars" (up to 1890)
• Compulsory federal boarding schools (1870s-1960s)

3. Racial Capitalism and Slavery are the Economic Bedrock of the US.

By 1840, the United States was the leading economic powerhouse in the world, having expanded its claimed territory beyond the Mississippi and establishing the Cotton Kingdom.

Human capital. The US economy was built on racial capitalism, where enslaved African bodies were legally private property and a primary source of capital. By 1840, the monetary value of enslaved people surpassed all other property combined, including gold, bank reserves, and real estate. This system, particularly the Cotton Kingdom in the Mississippi Valley, was the fiscal-military center of US capitalist development.

Systemic control. The institution of slavery was maintained through brutal slave patrols, which evolved into modern policing. These patrols, originating in the Caribbean and adopted in North America, enforced racial hierarchy and controlled enslaved populations. After the Civil War, the Thirteenth Amendment's loophole allowing involuntary servitude as punishment for crime laid the groundwork for mass incarceration and convict leasing, perpetuating racial exploitation.

Enduring legacy. The wealth generated from enslaved labor and stolen land created institutions fundamental to the present-day US, including:

• Policing and the prison system
• Real estate, insurance, and finance systems
  The "Lehman Trilogy" and "Hamilton" musicals, while celebrated, often whitewash this history, omitting the central role of slavery in their narratives of American capitalism and success.

4. Continental Imperialism Forged the US-Mexico Border.

The United States is the only rich country that has a long border with a poor and formerly European-colonized country, which provides a permanent reserve of surplus labor.

Conquest, not expansion. The US-Mexico border, established in 1848, is a direct result of US military invasion and annexation of half of Mexico's territory. This process, often euphemistically called "manifest destiny" or "westward movement," was a clear act of continental imperialism. US officials and newspapers actively promoted the idea of "reuniting" and "reacquiring" Mexican lands, driven by a desire to reach the Pacific and dominate the continent.

Racialized aggression. US attitudes towards Mexicans were deeply racist, viewing them as an "inferior race" destined to recede before Anglo expansion, similar to Indigenous peoples. This racial animosity fueled the war and justified the brutal actions of forces like the Texas Rangers, who engaged in ethnic cleansing against both Indigenous and Mexican communities. The war served as a training ground for future US military leaders and tactics.

Unsettled legacy. The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, which ceded Mexican territory, promised property rights to Mexicans who remained, but this was largely violated, leading to widespread dispossession. The border, though fixed, remained porous for decades, allowing local populations to cross easily. However, the US government's increasing militarization and criminalization of Mexican migrants, particularly after the Mexican Revolution and the Bracero Program, transformed it into a site of immense suffering and control.

5. European Immigrants Achieved "Whiteness" by Becoming Settlers.

The refusal of Irish miners in an anthracite hell-hole of eastern Pennsylvania not only to sympathize with the slaves, but to accept the implication—even from their own national hero—that they were in America anything less than ‘CITIZENS,’ speaks volumes about the ideological impact of American exceptionalism and the difficulties of building a class-conscious movement.

From despised to dominant. Irish Catholic immigrants, fleeing British colonial oppression and famine, arrived in the US facing intense nativism and anti-Catholic bigotry. However, their eventual integration into the "white republic" was contingent on their participation in the settler-colonial project and adoption of anti-Black and anti-Indigenous racism. This process allowed them to shed their "inferior" status and gain the privileges of whiteness.

Pathways to power. Irish Americans achieved political influence through sheer numbers and their alignment with the Democratic Party. A significant pathway to becoming "Americanized" was through military service and, crucially, by dominating urban police forces. This transformation from being viewed as a source of crime to becoming its enforcers solidified their white settler status, often at the expense of Black and other marginalized communities.

Self-indigenizing myths. Some Irish nationalists and later Irish Americans developed myths of Irish discovery of America or Indigenous peoples having Irish descent. This "doubleness of Irish transnational identity" allowed them to claim affinity with Indigenous struggles while simultaneously legitimizing their own settler status in the US. This narrative, along with the embrace of figures like Columbus, helped to "Americanize" Catholics and integrate them into the dominant white culture.

6. "Yellow Peril" and Asian Exclusion are Deeply Ingrained in US History.

This yellow peril, pest-adjacent imagery of Asians remains deeply embedded in our national psyche.

Ancient fears, modern targets. The "yellow peril" trope, rooted in centuries-old European fears of Asian dominance, has been a persistent feature of US racism. It demonizes Asian peoples, particularly the Chinese, as a threat to white civilization, labor, and health. The COVID-19 pandemic reignited this Sinophobia, leading to a surge in anti-Asian violence and revealing the fragility of the "model minority" myth.

Economic and racialized exclusion. The US capitalist system, while reliant on immigrant labor, has historically used racialized exclusion to control specific groups. The Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882, the first federal immigration law, explicitly targeted Chinese immigrants, barring them from citizenship and entry. This set a template for broader Asian exclusion, driven by:

• Fears of economic competition
• Perceived threats to white racial purity
• Labor union opposition, often rooted in white supremacy

Wars and refugees. US imperialist wars in Asia, from the Philippines to Korea and Vietnam, have profoundly shaped Asian American identity and immigration. These conflicts, often framed as "Indian wars" against "savages" or "communists," generated massive refugee flows to the US. However, these "war stories" are often reframed as "immigrant stories," obscuring the US's role in creating the conditions that forced migration.

7. The US-Mexico Border is a Militarized Zone of Imperialist Violence.

The border, strictusenso, is a state-sanctioned system of violence: Physical, environmental, economic, and cultural.

A wound of conquest. The US-Mexico border is not a natural boundary but a consequence of the 1848 war of conquest, and it remains an "open wound." It is a highly militarized zone, with walls, barriers, and aggressive enforcement that inflict immense suffering on migrants and Indigenous communities whose lands it bisects. The criminalization of Mexican migrants, often fueled by racist rhetoric, has a long history, from "repatriation" programs to "Operation Wetback."

Humanitarian crisis. The border has become a site of severe humanitarian crisis, particularly for refugees from Central American countries destabilized by US interventions. Unaccompanied children and families seeking asylum are often met with detention, family separation, and deportation, despite international laws protecting refugees. The Trump administration's "zero tolerance" policy, while extreme, built upon existing harsh practices.

Indigenous impact. For Indigenous nations like the Tohono O'odham, Kumeyaay, and Yaqui, the border is a static invasion that cuts through their ancestral homelands, disrupting cultural practices, family ties, and access to sacred sites and resources. The proposed border wall threatens not only human communities but also the diverse ecosystems and wildlife that depend on cross-border movement.

8. The "Settler Move to Innocence" Erases Indigenous Presence.

A deep psychosis inherent in US settler colonialism is revealed in settler self-indigenization.

Claiming indigeneity. A recurring theme in US settler colonialism is the "settler move to innocence," where various groups attempt to claim a form of indigeneity to legitimize their presence and erase the original inhabitants. This phenomenon is distinct from "playing Indian" and involves asserting a deep, almost spiritual connection to the land, often after the actual Indigenous populations have been dispossessed.

Appalachian example. White, predominantly Scots-Irish settlers in Appalachia, whose ancestors violently seized Indigenous lands, have increasingly claimed to be "indigenous mountaineers." They portray themselves as agrarian "peasants" who suffered "enclosure" by industrial capitalism, drawing parallels to Native experiences while simultaneously disappearing the Cherokee and other Native nations from the historical narrative. This self-indigenization serves to negotiate inequalities among white settlers and valorize their own struggles.

Hispano claims. In New Mexico, descendants of Spanish colonizers, known as Hispanos, have asserted "Indo-Hispano" identity and "querencia" (a deep sense of belonging to the land). While they have legitimate grievances over land lost to US annexation, their claims often overlook or actively compete with the land rights of the Pueblo nations, whom their ancestors brutally colonized. This "double colonization" creates complex dynamics where one colonizer's descendants claim victimhood while perpetuating the erasure of another.

9. Decolonization, Not Just Deracialization, is Essential for Justice.

The thrust of American struggles has been to deracialize but not to decolonize. A deracialized America still remains a settler society and a settler state.

Beyond race. The US has made strides in deracializing its society through civil rights and multiculturalism, but it has largely failed to decolonize. This distinction is crucial: deracialization addresses racial discrimination within an existing framework, while decolonization challenges the very foundation of the settler state and its claims to Indigenous land and sovereignty. Multiculturalism, while seemingly inclusive, often camouflages settler colonialism by transforming Native nations into an "oppressed racial group" rather than distinct, sovereign peoples.

Immigrant complicity. Immigrants, particularly those of color, are often unwittingly drawn into complicity with settler colonialism through the "Americanization" process. This process demands an embrace of patriotism and often a denial of the violent history of land theft and racial oppression. Without conscious resistance, migrants can passively contribute to the continued settler-colonial order, as their avenues for success are often "paved over native lands and sovereignty."

A call to action. True justice requires a fundamental reimagining of the US, moving beyond superficial reforms to dismantle the fiscal-military state. This entails:

• Acknowledging settler colonialism as inherent in US institutions.
• Rewriting US history to include the perspectives of oppressed peoples.
• Challenging the "nation of immigrants" myth.
• Demanding reparations for historical injustices.
• Resisting the pressure to conform to a "whiteness" that erases Indigenous presence.
• Building solidarity across racial and ethnic lines to deconstruct the entire apparatus of the settler state.