On May 14, 1607, a group of 104 Anglo-Saxons landed at a swampy and mosquito infected coast in what is now Jamestown, Virginia, to settle for the first time in an unknown North American territory. To them, it felt like a dream come true. 13 years before, a group of Pilgrims had landed at Plymouth, Massachusetts, and 27 years after, Sir Walter Raleigh had visited and baptized the area as Virginia, in honor of Queen Elizabeth I. One hundred and 130 years later, in 1776, a group of their descendants, together with other immigrants from Germany, Ireland, Sweden and other European countries, got together to proclaim their independence from the British crown. It also felt like a dream come true. Today, four hundred years later, after thousands of Italians, Irish, Polish, Eastern Europeans, Africans, Hispanics, Asian and Middle Eastern immigrants have poured into American territory, the United States has become a unique and resilient alloy forged in a crucible of freedom, democracy, opportunity, mutual respect, and civil responsibility. For all of these welcomed immigrants, it again felt like a dream come true. This book brings together the documents that inspired, sustained, and advanced our formidable coalition of human beings. Our diversity accounts for our vitality, our strength, and our energy. No effort to weaken and create dissidence has ever undermined America's integrity; neither will do any of the naysayers swarming in our midst.
