Jay Quick, owns a local metal shop. He ran for Congressional District 8 as an independent candidate in 2006.

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Social Studies Content Writer

America's promise to the impoverished and downtrodden of the world held a magical allure to citizens of the Old World long before the New World was even discovered.

Europeans, torn by centuries of warfare, religious oppression, and cruel monarchs yearned for a fresh start in a new land on the far side of the sea. The words of Emma Lazarus' poem chiseled on the base of the Statue of Liberty several centuries after America was discovered and colonized, still reflect the original ideals and hopes of those seeking a better life.

Those words — "Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to be free...." — have been a beacon of hope for millions of refugees from every country around the world for centuries.

Many have come ashore and made their dreams come true in spite of the fact that they weren't welcomed with the warmth that was implied by America's famous promise. In truth, every wave of immigrants who came to America looking for jobs and a better way of life was deeply resented and vilified even as they made enormous contributions to our economy and culture.

The majority toiled in factories, mine shafts and fields at below standard wages. But if you were an immigrant laborer willing to keep your head down and work hard you could eventually achieve your dreams. You could raise a family and your children could go to school, learn to speak English perfectly, and even become President of the United States.

Getting into America legally has always been a matter of timing. After an arduous journey by sea or land, you had to be healthy and intelligent enough to pass muster at a time when America had a need for workers to build railroads, mine ore bodies, pick crops, or work in sweat shops making garments. If your timing was good you could get in and eventually become a citizen. If your timing was bad the gates were closed.

Prior to 1875 the federal government had not assumed the authority to regulate immigration. All immigration was handled by the individual states. The Federal Immigration Act of 1917 banned people with mental disorders and only required the ability to read and write one (any) language. In 1921 the first quotas were set for European immigrants.

The National Origins Act of 1924 established the first permanent set of immigration quotas and required the use of visas. Obviously, gaining legal entry to America has become progressively more difficult over time. Your great-grandmother would have had no trouble getting in, but your grandmother would probably have been denied entry. However and whenever they came, the energy and vitality of voluntary immigrant labor, and involuntary slave labor, played a key role in America's growth and development as the world's strongest economic engine and one of the world's most culturally diverse democratic nations.

Most of us are descendants of those hard working immigrants who had the fortune to arrive before quotas were established. Obviously there isn't room in America for all of the world's refugees, but when we deny qualified new immigrants the same opportunities to fill vacant job openings which were extended to our forefathers, we not only douse the eternal flame of the promise of America to the tired and poor of the world, we also deprive ourselves of the fresh infusion of energy, vitality and ideas that will keep our democracy and economy healthy.