Foreign Born In the USA
Critical Analysis
According to the data from the visual above, as of the 2010 U.S. census what percentage of Americans were foreign born (Not U.S. citizens at birth)?
According to the data from the visual above, what percent of the U.S. population was foreign born in 1850?
According to the data from the visual above, what year had the largest percent of foreign born Americans ever?
What story does this tell about the change in the foreign born population in America over time?
What is one cause of that change?
Recently, we have heard a lot about foreign born people being bused or flown from Red states like Texas, Arizona, and Florida to Blue states/districts like Massachusetts, New York City, and Washington D.C. Why do you think this is happening and how does it relate to the data from the chart above?
None of the Framers of the Constitution were born American citizens (they were all British citizens). Martin Van Buren (1782-1862) was the first president to be born a citizen of the United States and not a British subject. Yet the Constitution in Article II, section 1 forbids a foreign born citizen from becoming President. Make a claim about whether a foreign born citizen should be able to be president of the United States?
What might an American Indian say to an American ho was concerned about the percent of people living in this land who were not citizens at birth?
If you asked the average American to guess the percent of foreign born citizens what do you think they would guess?
Here’s what the U.S. constitution says about the U.S. census. “ The "Census clause" or sometimes called the "Enumeration clause" is found in Article I, 1, § 2, cl. 3 of Constitution. After taking into account the removal and additions that have occurred with later amendments, that clause reads as follows: "Representatives . . . shall be apportioned among the several States . . . according to their respective Numbers . . . . The actual Enumeration shall be made within three Years after the first Meeting of the Congress of the United States, and within every subsequent Term of ten Years, in such Manner as they shall by Law direct." Further, Section 2 of the Fourteenth Amendment states that "Representatives shall be apportioned among the several States according to their respective numbers, counting the whole number of persons in each State, excluding Indians not taxed." Explain how the census relates to voting and representation?
Learning Extension
To learn more about the American foreign born population read the U.S. census report. And check out these fantastic interactive resources from the Pew Research Center on the foreign born population!
Action Extension
Ask five people you know to guess the percent of Americans who are foreign born, then show them the actual number. Share their responses in class or online.
