“Migration”-Diversifying or Unifying the Cultural Landscape

Human migration is physical movement by humans from one area to another, sometimes and usually over long distances or in large groups. The people who migrate are more commonly called migrants, or more specifically emigrants and immigrants. Immigration is the act of coming to a foreign country to live and emigration is the act of leaving one‘s country to settle in a foreign country. The term "immigrant" is often considered to be rather disparaging; a person from a poorer country settling in a richer one would be called an immigrant. Migration happens all over the world. In some countries migration happens more than in others. According to the International Organization for Migration's World Migration Report 2010, the number of international migrants was estimated to be 214,000,000 in 2010 alone and if it continues to grow at the same pace as it has the past 20 years, then it could reach 405,000,000 in 2050. In 1882, for the first time in American history, Congress had passed a law that restricted free and open immigration into the United States. This first act specifically targeted Chinese immigrants that were migrating to have the “American Dream.” In the 1920’s, American immigration policy evolved into a nakedly discriminatory ethnic quota system, which allowed most Northwestern Europeans to enter freely while strictly limiting the immigration of Southern and Eastern Europeans and entirely excluding all Asians. There are many different reasons people migrate. One of these reasons is education. Education is and always will be very important. In the more poor countries, education is not nearly as advanced as it is in the richer countries. For example, Africa is in extreme poverty. Africa also has a very poor education system. On the other hand, the Unites States’ education is much more advanced. Therefore, it is a possibility that African people migrate to the United States for a better education. Another reason for migration is a higher standard of living. The