Into A New Century Americans Look to the Future

Immigration America has always protected religious & personal freedoms – This has attracted large numbers of immigrants – Immigration views & policies have changed

Changing Policies 1960s- strict immigration laws/policies become more relaxed Immigration Act of 1990 – Increased quotas by 40% & east remaining restrictions 1990s-2000 – Largest number of immigrants in country’s history – Almost 1 million immigrants from all over the world Today: Immigrants make up over 10% of total population

Immigration Statistics

Latinos Most new immigrants were Latinos – 2000: 27% of all immigrants were Mexicans – 17% from Caribbean & Central America – Mexicans/Central Americans settled in South & SW – Caribbeans (mostly Cubans) settled in Florida US census – 1/3 + residents in TX, NM, AZ, CA were Latinos

Latinos Contd. Latinos have varying educational & employment backgrounds – Very few jobs skills – Tend to take lower paying jobs w/ no benefits Made social, cultural, political impact despite background – By 2001: 5,000 Latinos held political office – Held 4% of seats in congress – Cuban Americans in FL have had influence on policy concerning Cuba

Asian Population 2 nd largest source of new immigration 2000: 23% of total immigrant population – Largest numbers from China, Philippines, India – Most have settled in CA Varying backgrounds – Generally, highest education of all immigrants – Many came to U.S. with college degrees – Many found professional jobs – Others came from war-torn countries & have little education

Immigration Debate Immigration hotly debated topic in America For Restriction – Immigrants will take jobs – Immigrants will take social security from native-born Americans – Oppose bilingual education Students are taught in native languages as well as in English Must learn English in order to assimilate into American society Against Restriction – Immigrants contribute to the economy – Take the job no one else wants – Help maintain U.S. population

Illegal Immigrants Majority of debate is about Illegal Immigrants Large number of Latinos here illegally – Take low paying jobs – Receive no benefits Immigration Reform & Control Act of 1986 – Stop illegal immigration – Penalizes employers who hire illegals – Grants resident status to immigrants living in U.S. since 1982 Immigrants still entering U.S. illegally

American Demographics 2000 – More Americans moving than ever – Coastal cities, sunbelt, warm southern & southwest region saw large population growth – Many people left cold Northwest & Rust belt areas

Changing Families 1960: 70% households headed by working father – Mothers did not work – Very low divorce rate 2000: 15% fit same model – 1 out of 2 marriages ended in divorce – High percentage had both parents working – Single-parent households very common 1960: 5% children born out of wedlock 2000 – 1 out of 4 white babies born out of wedlock – 1 out of 3 latino babies born out of wedlock – 2 out of 3 black babies born out of wedlock

Affirmative Action 1960s: Affirmative Action (AA) introduced – Improving opportunities for women & minorities by giving preference to them in school admissions & job applications Arguments for: – w/out initiative, minorities cannot overcome discrimination Arguments against: – Unfair & discriminates against nonminorities 1996: affirmative action ended in CA – Federal courts stopped AA admissions at Univ. of Texas 2003: University of Michigan – Courts ruled that race could not be deciding factor for admission

Rights for All 2002: 33% African American families make $50,000 – Puts them in middle class 2002: 17% African Americans over 25 have bachelor’s degrees Legislation has also improved – Equal pay for equal work – Child care for working women – Ending sexual harassment in workplace Women’s lives outside work have improved – Spouse abuse & date rape are openly discussed – Violence against women more often reported – Men more often punished than before

Rights for All Contd – Violence Against Women Act – Increased federal resources to apprehend & prosecute men guilty of violent acts against women

America Grows Older 1900: American life expectancy 50 years 2000: American life expectancy 77 years – Older Americans retired earlier – Older Americans lived longer – Older Americans have more political influence Country’s social welfare has become strained less than $100bill spent on social welfare $ trillion spent on social welfare

Older Contd. Baby-boom generation reaching retirement age – Use of elder care has become critical – Birthrates have fallen over past few decades – As baby-boomers retire, not enough workers to cover their Social Security benefits Ability to pay SS benefits is serious issue for politicians Bush suggested privatizing Social Security – Allowing younger workers to invest some of their earnings in individual retirement accounts Measure defeated – Argued that this measure would put younger workers at mercy of fluctuating stock market w/out addressing shortfall of funds

Facing the Future Debate about Social Security continues America still faces challenges – Facing same problems as other nations and societies – New problems will pop up that are unique as well America’s greatest resource is its people That will help the country face any new challenges it faces