Faces of America

     In the movie, Faces of America, I learned a lot about genealogy and the history of immigration into America.  Personally I found the records of entry and the pictures very interesting.  It is incredible how Mr. Gates and his teams were able to retrieve all of this information.  I more specifically learned that Europe contributed to the mass number of immigrants that came to America in the 19th-20th centuries.  I found this movie extremely entertaining and motivating because it emphasizes the significance and importance of your own family's history.

What do you think it means to be a "nation of immigrants"?

"Nation of Immigrants"

     Being a nation of immigrants can be considered both good and bad.  People can claim that we have no true original traditions or originality in general.  Also people can treat us as the greatest and biggest long-term gathering of different types of people.  America is in the making of becoming traditional and unique.  Although if you were to go back and trace the genealogy of every person in the United States, almost none, if any would only consist of only americans.  I believe that being this way is the most significant aspect of our modern culture and our past influences contributing to our modern architecture and many, many currently standing monuments and traditions.  Being a nation of practically no originally, we have done pretty darn good at making it our own.
     It is incredible to think of how millions or people literally dropped everything and left.  This movie and thought has made me totally aware of my connection to my ancestry.  But having all of these driven immigrants, with great new ideas and sights for their and their family's future, is what has shaped our nation and economy up to date.