Born in the USA: The Story of Immigration and Belonging
About this ebook
The words carved into the Statue of Liberty make a simple promise— America will provide a home for anyone in search of a better life. However, the true story of immigration to America is full of complication and caveats.
Born in the USA tracks the history of immigration to the United States, revealing how economic interests and political winds have sculpted Americans' thoughts about who belongs in the USA. From black enslavement to Chinese exclusion and the modern-day debate over birthright citizenship, Lawrence Goldstone and James Otis Smith reveal the dissonance between the American Dream and the American Reality.
About the author
Lawrence Goldstone has written extensively on Constitutional law and equal rights. His book, On Account of Race: The Supreme Court, White Supremacy, and the Ravaging of African American Voting Rights, won the 2021 Lillian Smith Book Award. His articles, reviews, and opinion pieces have appeared in The Atlantic, Salon, Slate, New Republic, Boston Globe, Los Angeles Times, Wall Street Journal, Chicago Tribune, and Miami Herald. Goldstone holds a PhD in Constitutional history from the New School. He has also been a teacher, lecturer, senior member of a Wall Street trading firm, taxi driver, actor, quiz show contestant, and policy analyst at the Hudson Institute.
James Otis Smith is a writer, illustrator, graphic designer, video editor and amateur musician. He is the artist behind Showtime at the Apollo, and is the creator of the comics Gang of Fools and Black Heroes of the Wild West. His clients have included HarperCollins and Abrams ComicArts. Born and raised in Washington, D.C., he currently lives in Brooklyn, NY where his neighbors agree that he is, indeed, an amateur musician.
