A Nation of Immigrants

by John Fitzgerald Kennedy

“In this timeless book, President Kennedy shows how the United States has always been enriched by the steady flow of men, women, and families to our shores. It is a reminder that America’s best leaders have embraced, not feared, the diversity which makes America great.” —Former Secretary of State Madeleine K. Albright Throughout his presidency, John F. Kennedy was passionate about the issue of immigration reform. He believed that America is a nation of people who value both tradition and the exploration of new frontiers, deserving the freedom to build better lives for themselves in their adopted homeland. This 60 th anniversary edition of his posthumously published, timeless work—with a foreword by Jonathan Greenblatt, the National Director and CEO of the ADL, formerly known as the Anti-Defamation League, and an introduction from Congressman Joe Kennedy III—offers President Kennedy’s inspiring words and observations on the diversity of America’s origins and the influence of immigrants on the foundation of the United States. The debate on immigration persists. Complete with updated resources on current policy, this new edition of A Nation of Immigrants emphasizes the importance of the collective thought and contributions to the prominence and success of the country.

Genres: History, Politics, Nonfiction, Political Science, Law, United States, Presidents

160 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1964

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.

John Fitzgerald Kennedy, also known as JFK, was the 35th president of the United States, serving from 1961 until his assassination in 1963. He was the youngest person elected president. Kennedy served at the height of the Cold War, and the majority of his foreign policy concerned relations with the Soviet Union and Cuba. A Democrat, Kennedy represented Massachusetts in both houses of the United States Congress prior to his presidency.
Born into the prominent Kennedy family in Brookline, Massachusetts, Kennedy graduated from Harvard University in 1940, joining the U.S. Naval Reserve the following year. During World War II, he commanded PT boats in the Pacific theater. Kennedy's survival following the sinking of PT-109 and his rescue of his fellow sailors made him a war hero and earned the Navy and Marine Corps Medal, but left him with serious injuries. After a brief stint in journalism, Kennedy represented a working-class Boston district in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1947 to 1953. He was subsequently elected to the U.S. Senate, serving as the junior senator for Massachusetts from 1953 to 1960. While in the Senate, Kennedy published his book, Profiles in Courage, which won a Pulitzer Prize. Kennedy ran in the 1960 presidential election. His campaign gained momentum after the first televised presidential debates in American history, and he was elected president, narrowly defeating Republican opponent Richard Nixon, the incumbent vice president.
Kennedy's presidency saw high tensions with communist states in the Cold War. He increased the number of American military advisers in South Vietnam, and the Strategic Hamlet Program began during his presidency. In 1961, he authorized attempts to overthrow the Cuban government of Fidel Castro in the failed Bay of Pigs Invasion and Operation Mongoose. In October 1962, U.S. spy planes discovered Soviet missile bases had been deployed in Cuba. The resulting period of tensions, termed the Cuban Missile Crisis, nearly resulted in nuclear war. In August 1961, after East German troops erected the Berlin Wall, Kennedy sent an army convoy to reassure West Berliners of U.S. support, and delivered one of his most famous speeches in West Berlin in June 1963. In 1963, Kennedy signed the first nuclear weapons treaty. He presided over the establishment of the Peace Corps, Alliance for Progress with Latin America, and the continuation of the Apollo program with the goal of landing a man on the Moon before 1970. He supported the civil rights movement but was only somewhat successful in passing his New Frontier domestic policies.
On November 22, 1963, Kennedy was assassinated in Dallas. His vice president, Lyndon B. Johnson, assumed the presidency. Lee Harvey Oswald was arrested for the assassination, but he was shot and killed by Jack Ruby two days later. The FBI and the Warren Commission both concluded Oswald had acted alone, but conspiracy theories about the assassination persist. After Kennedy's death, Congress enacted many of his proposals, including the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Revenue Act of 1964. Kennedy ranks highly in polls of U.S. presidents with historians and the general public. His personal life has been the focus of considerable sustained interest following public revelations in the 1970s of his chronic health ailments and extramarital affairs. Kennedy is the most recent U.S. president to have died in office.

Reviews

[Mark Taylor · Rating 4 out of 5]

When he was a young man, John F. Kennedy had dreams of being a writer. The second son of Joe and Rose Kennedy, he was not the golden boy his older brother, Joe Jr., was. Joe Jr. was hale and robust, while Jack, as John was known to his friends and family, was frail and sickly, plagued by a bad back and constant stomach problems. After Jack wrote his senior thesis, his father helped him get it published in 1940. Titled Why England Slept, it was an examination of the policy of appeasement under Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain’s administration. Why England Slept became a surprise best-seller, and by the middle of 1941, sales totaled 80,000 copies. Not bad for a senior thesis.

After Joe Jr.’s death in a plane crash in 1944, Jack was thrust into the limelight. He picked up Joe Jr.’s nascent political career, running for the House of Representatives in 1946. But Jack still had literary ambitions. His second, and most famous book, Profiles in Courage, was released in 1956 and won the Pulitzer Prize for Biography, which added to Kennedy’s prestige and his rising national profile. From the moment Profiles in Courage appeared there were allegations that Kennedy himself didn’t write the book, and it’s now widely accepted by most historians that the book was largely the work of Kennedy speechwriter Ted Sorensen.

Kennedy’s book A Nation of Immigrants is quite obscure compared to Profiles in Courage. I consider myself to be a fairly well-informed Kennedy buff, and I didn’t know about A Nation of Immigrants until just recently. I decided that 2017 seemed like an opportune time to read the book, given the current political climate.

A Nation of Immigrants was originally published by the Anti-Defamation League in 1959, when Kennedy was still a Senator. During his Presidency, Kennedy pushed for immigration reform, wanting to change the outdated quota system, and he also planned to expand and revise A Nation of Immigrants. He was assassinated before the revisions were completed, and the book was republished in 1964, with an introduction by Bobby Kennedy. The immigration reform bill that Kennedy had proposed to Congress in 1963 was eventually passed in 1965.

A Nation of Immigrants is a slim volume; there are just 51 pages of text by Kennedy, plus a generous photo section and a chronology of American immigration bringing it up to 85 pages in the updated 2008 edition. However, the book still makes an impact, as it is very clear that immigration was an issue of great importance to John F. Kennedy.

This is one of my favorite passages in the book:

“Another way of indicating the importance of immigration to America is to point out that every American who ever lived, with the exception of one group, was either an immigrant himself or a descendant of immigrants.” (p.2) This simple truth bears repeating, especially at this time in our history.

In Kennedy’s proposal to liberalize immigration status, he said, “Our investments in new citizens has always been a valuable source of our strength.” (p.81) This is quite true, as new groups add richness to the texture of America.

Another of my favorite quotes came from a Chattanooga Times editorial, written just after Kennedy’s proposal was announced in 1963: “The time to worry about immigration is when people stop wanting to come to this country.” (p.85) My thoughts exactly.

A Nation of Immigrants is not often discussed by Kennedy scholars. Robert Dallek’s 2003 biography of Kennedy, An Unfinished Life, doesn’t even mention the book at all. However, Thurston Clarke, in his 2013 book JFK’s Last Hundred Days, writes of A Nation of Immigrants “it is possibly the most passionate, bitter, and controversial book ever written by a serious presidential candidate.” (p.156) That judgement might need to be revised in the age of Donald Trump. I don’t know enough about all of the books written by presidents, or presidential candidates, to pass perfect judgement on Clarke’s claim. But certainly A Nation of Immigrants took a bold stance on an issue that was not always popular in Kennedy’s time, and is still a volatile issue in politics today.

[Megan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing that what JFK had to say about immigration 50 years ago still rings true today. I'll be sharing this with my 8th graders this year.

[Samantha · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well, that was a depressing reminder that things never change, we’re still debating the same issues, and history is repeated by those who refuse to study it.

[Immigration Art · Rating 5 out of 5]

President John F. Kennedy is the architect of the Immigration Laws of the United States that we use today (in 2022). He singlehandedly restructured our Immigration Laws that were in place in 1960, when he was elected.

The laws in 1960 were comprised of (1) The Chinese Exclusion Act of the 1880s and (2) the equally racist 1924 "national origin quota system" that favored Northern and Western Europeans and harshly restricted the "undesirable" (the allegedly dumb, unclean, criminal, revolutionist, dangerous, anarchist, violent, unskilled, or unscrupulous and crafty) Southern Europeans, Eastern Europeans, and Jews.

This book is inspirational because it is a fact-filled, rational explanation of why the laws of the 1880s and of 1924 were wholly unsuitable for, and harmful to, the best interests of the United States in 1960. JFK was correct, and his successor, LBJ, enacted into law, in 1965, the very solutions -- to the immigration mess -- that were proposed by JFK.

The tragedy of this book is that it highlights for our citizens in 2022, that there is no comparable intellectual and eloquent leader, with a free mind, free will, and the guts to do what's right, for our nation, in this century, to act on what needs to be done in order to fix the then elegant (but now outdated) JFK / LBJ immigration law of 1965 -- a law that is now in 2022 hopelessly short-changing our need for more highly skilled (immigrant) workers; is contrary to our national economic realities; and is extremely broken, leaving our nation with processing delays, system inefficiencies, and demoralized immigrants.

We need a leader to transform the JFK / LBJ Immigration Law of 1965 into a humane vehicle, an economic spark, for an American vitality in the 21st Century. I see no one who is up to the job.

[Rick Patterson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Imagine a president who was interested in changing an American law that was, in his estimation, "without basis in either logic or reason." Because he wanted to convince his fellows in Congress that his legislation had merit, this president researched the subject--his bibliography has nearly 100 titles--and composed a treatise that summarized the information and led to his argument in favor of changing the law. The law was changed, of course; given that sort of intellectual rigor and respect for his audience, it is impossible to imagine anyone taking serious issue with him. That's how John Kennedy operated when he pushed for changes to the Immigration and Naturalization Act in 1963. For the record, both sides of the Senate--Democrats and Republicans--praised his work and offered a bipartisan show of support that was reflective of how government works when it works well.
Like most political history, this book would read slightly differently every time there was a change in the political climate; the plodding advance of years makes most books of this type more historical and less political until they settle into another sepia-toned archival curiosity. In this case, however, it should be instructive, at least, to imagine what a change in American politics would have to happen for something even remotely like this to occur again. First, imagine politicians who are not knee-jerkedly stapled to their partisan affiliations. Second, imagine a president who respects research and assumes that his audience--including the mass of voters--is intelligent enough to appreciate the details essential to the debate. Third, imagine a public that is not jaded by every political utterance and does, on occasion, expect real work to be accomplished by its civil servants.
Put that way, the fifty-odd years that have elapsed since Kennedy wrote this seem like a long geological age.

[Sara · Rating 4 out of 5]

An intelligent and compassionate look at the impact of immigration in America. Kennedy had a mature and balanced perspective of how immigrants have enriched our nation despite our frequent self-defeating prejudices.

[Montse · Rating 5 out of 5]

I wish everyone would read this book 💔

[Dean Cummings · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Immigration policy should be generous; it should be fair; it should be flexible. With such a policy we can turn to the world, and to our own past, with clean hands and a clear conscience.” – John F. Kennedy

John F. Kennedy wrote “A nation of Immigrants” in 1958. He was motivated to write this book based on his long-held passion for, and curiosity about the subject of immigration in the U.S.A. Further, he saw his work in this area as much more than just an academic pursuit, but rather a fight for fair and rational immigration laws. The dawn of the 1960’s was appearing on the horizon, a bold decade in the modern era, the perfect time to modernize, democratize and better American immigration policy and thought.

He began typing the first draft of the manuscript when he was a Junior Senator from Massachusetts. Before starting, he’d been approached by the Anti-Defamation League, (ADL) who proposed that he channel his curiosity, intelligence, enthusiasm, and growing national influence to shed much needed light on the need for reform of an immigration system still informed and designed based on a 1920 census-based quota framework, and still firmly in place in the late 1950’s.

The ADL and Kennedy had their meeting of the minds at a critical juncture. The nation was locked in a debate about the direction immigration should take in the modern era. This was also a time when nativism, bigotry, and fear of competition from foreign labor were dulling the collective American memory of its own immigration history and ideals.

The research for and writing of this book was the primary means that Senator Kennedy utilized to formulate and hone his thoughts, opinions, and positions with respect to this critical issue. The essential meanings and most important aspects of which informed his “Proposals to Liberalize Immigration Statutes,” a document which he transmitted for Congressional consideration on July 23, 1963, when he was president. The text of his proposals appears as an appendix near the end of this book.

Tragically, John F. Kennedy would be killed before “A Nation of Immigrants” would finally be published in 1964. Despite this, perhaps Kennedy’s own words best apply here:

“A man may die…but an idea lives on.”

One of my favorite aspects of this book is the way Kennedy detailed the unique, and fascinating variety of ways that each wave of immigrants helped to shape what the U.S.A. was to become, and to the character it was to assume.

He told the stories of these great contributions through the individual and collective talents, abilities, and traditions of the many people groups that were coming to America. He shone a light on some of the lesser-known stories of how these contributions helped make the U.S.A. a prosperous, successful nation. I was previously unaware of so many of these stories, and as I read, I found myself feeling appreciative of these immigrants in new and unique ways.

One example was that of the Irish immigrants, and the way that they improved their collective lot, generation by generation from being a primary labor force, to a nation-wide network of outstanding administrators and organizers. The Irish founded Notre Dame, and later, the descendants of Irish immigrants went on to become teachers, writers, journalists, labor organizers, orators, and priests. The Irish were also instrumental in organizing the Knights of Labor, a fledgling organization that would later evolve into the American Federation of Labor.

Kennedy also wrote about the contributions of German immigrants, beginning with their early innovations that led to the modernization of the agricultural industry, and how the urban based German immigrants developed a wide variety of industrial enterprises, including: lumbering, food-processing, brewing, steelmaking, electrical engineering, piano making, railroading, and printing. He touched on the fact that almost every American city has its own symphony orchestra, and how this could be traced back to the investment, and influence of Americans of German descent. Also, still on the cultural front, the Christmas ritual of religious services, combined with the exchange of gifts around the Christmas tree is a tradition of German origin, so too is the celebration of New Year. These were all very interesting things for me to learn, but I was most intrigued to learn that the Germans were the ones who introduced America to the educational concept of kindergarten, or as originally named, “Children’s Play School.”

And it was in the same spirit of celebration that Kennedy went on to showcase the amazing array of contributions that could be credited to Americans who were either first generation immigrants, or descendants of immigrants from all around the world.

As I read this book, I also learned of the injustices of past U.S. immigration policies such as the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882, and the way Congress overrode President Wilson’s veto in order to pass into law literary testing of immigrants in 1917. Kennedy also wrote of the evacuation of Japanese Americans from the Pacific Coast to detention camps, a move motivated by an unfair, and unbelievable suspicion that this entire group of people was somehow collectively involved in espionage designed to sabotage the United States of America.

As I neared the end of the book, I reached the text of the proposal that President Kennedy had submitted for Congressional consideration back in 1963. As I read these proposals, I found myself enlightened and inspired, and somewhat amazed at how fresh, modern, and relevant his ideas were. Kennedy had asked Congress to address the urgent problem of the continued quota system, an outmoded and outdated policy originally designed over 40 years before, based on a 1920 census, to a new, more relevant system that would system that would more accurately reflect the global diversity of immigrant applicants, especially from those outside of northern and western Europe. He also made his proposals based on the idea that the U.S.A. was at his best when it embraced its diverse origins, and how continuing to do so would continue to meet the evolving needs of the U.S.A. itself.

And finally, aside from the main body of the book itself, were the informative and interesting appendices that came at the end. These included a chronology of American immigration, an intriguing map of the U.S.A. that depicts the people who’d settled in each state and region, and a listing of major immigration policy developments since 1963. There is a listing of suggested reading on immigration in America, and as previously mentioned, President Kennedy’s proposal on immigration to Congress.

In summary, I found “A Nation of Immigrants” an engaging, inspiring, and educational read, one I highly recommend to anyone interested in the history, and continued relevance of the topic of immigration in the United States of America.

[layne · Rating 5 out of 5]

There are so many reasons to love this man and this is just one of them. He wrote this and published it as a senator in 1958, and just put that into perspective - the 1950s, when racism, prejudice and xenophobia were all commonplace, segregation had only just been struck down and criminalised and tensions were high due to the situations in Vietnam and East Germany (and, still, Japan). So, in somewhat of a retaliation, he wrote a book denouncing harsh immigration policies, reaffirming the view that every man was created equal and celebrating the cultural diversity of America, a relatively new country built on the integration of different cultures and societies. A WONDERFUL MAN (totally objective, 100% unbiased, etc).

[Cat J · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm torn between 3 stars and 3 1/2 stars...unfortunately the majority of the book was just regurgitation of facts, some interesting, and I'm sure during the time this was originally written it was probably a novel idea to even put these ideas out there. It's only until the end where Kennedy actually adds some analysis/stances on his end, and I will say there are some gems of wisdom. My personal favorite being, "It reminded every American, old and new, that change is the essence of life, and that American society is a process, not a conclusion".

[Claudia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Will read again, this time with my stickies. The book is a loan, but I have permission to fill with stickies

[Pareen Mhatre · Rating 5 out of 5]

need my own copy of this

[Zoe Goode · Rating 4 out of 5]

(3.5) I liked this book. It was very straightforward and although it was written in like 1960-something, a lot of his points are still pretty relevant when thinking about them in the context of modern US immigration policy.

[Ami Boughter · Rating 4 out of 5]

Whole lot of folks seem to have forgotten this. Succinct writing, still painfully relevant.

[dennise · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very concise and easy-to-digest read about the culture of American immigration. I think this book is a good introduction for someone like me who wants to learn more about the historic element of immigrants in the United States.

Big Kennedy fan here, I agree with and support the policies proposed by former president John Kennedy to improve the management of immigration bureaucracy and maintain the ideals of the Constitution that recognize all persons as equals in deserving the same opportunities and freedoms.

It appears to me that since the beginning of what we now recognize as America, there's always been retractors of allowing newcomers to this part of the globe, even though technically all Americans are sons and daughters of past immigrants.

This issue is definitely a continuous work in progress and I'm happy I got to have a deeper understanding of it thanks to A Nation of Immigrants.

[Alana · Rating 5 out of 5]

A must read.

[Paul · Rating 5 out of 5]

Not sure who this Kennedy guy is, but if he has any political ambitions, this book will scuttle them.

No modern office seeker, conservative or liberal, can possibly attract voters by praising the economic and cultural contributions of the ethnic groups who migrated to America in massive numbers between 1820 and 1920. Any aspiring Republican politician should follow the template which JD Vance established when he espoused a subtle nativism in his book "Hillbilly Elegy" ("oh, these poor oppressed rural whites!") that deteriorated into the blatant xenophobia ("Do you hate Mexicans?") of his recent successful primary campaign in Ohio. And any young Democrat who says nice things about populations that are currently described as Caucasian (think the Irish, the Poles, the Italians, etc etc) will be accused of white nationalism. Claiming that the United States is a "Nation of Immigrants" as Kennedy does in this eloquent but misguided essay is about as successful a political strategy as admitting that Americans once owned slaves.

So I'm sorry to tell you, Mr. Kennedy, but you will lose your race for any political office you seek, be it Congressman, Senator, or dogcatcher, by a landslide. Don't feel bad, maybe you can teach a seminar on immigration policy at the Kennedy Institute. (Hmm, wonder if there's a family connection.)

[Ryan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an interesting short book by JFK (or his writers; I’m not sure how much of this he wrote) which uses cherry picked history to try to justify the upcoming 1965 INA (written before it was law, but definitely from the same pool of thoughts which became the law). Basically, the magic dirt argument. Not the best form of the argument, but worth reading to understand how things had been misrepresented (that massive changes in immigration policy would have no substantial effects).

[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

"The continuous immigration ... was thus central to the whole American faith. ... It reminded every American, old and new, that change is the essence of life, and that American society is a process, not a conclusion."

[Ernest · Rating 3 out of 5]

In 1957 Senator Kennedy was part of a committee to revamp immigration laws. This book covers the history of European immigration from the founding of the nation until 1957. Political issues covered include: the concept of the American dream, opportunity and open doors for the less fortunate and ambitious, xenophobia and political backlash against each wave of immigration, and the reasons why immigration is an asset to the American economy and culture. This 50th anniversary addition includes appendices on governmental policies from 1963 until the early 21st century. Kennedy's original work does not include the history or experiences of non European cultures. The value of the book is that the cultural political issues on immigration have not easily changed since the founding of America.

[Dave · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a short book written and updated by John F. Kennedy in preparation for his proposal to comprehensively reform immigration in 1963. It contains two forwards, by Senator Edward M. Kennedy and Abraham H. Foxman, then national director of the Anti-Defamation League. It proposes that we live up to ideals. As Kennedy notes, inscribed at the Statue of Liberty is, "Give me your tired, your poor/Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free". Although more than 50 years old, its amazingly pertinent. One can only dream of having a president like Kennedy (or many of our other past presidents of both parties for that matter) in view of the predicament we now find our selves in! Maybe someday...

[Derek Griffin · Rating 5 out of 5]

A timely read. JFK gives a brief and concise history if immigration in America. One that reminds us not only where we've come from but who we are. This text drives home one single point, we should not ask what immigrants can do for this country but this country is immigrants. There is no separation between us and them so what right do we have to restrict their access.

It strikes me that reading this 50 years later it tells us a lot about not only our immigration policy but about our 35th president. To write this text in the midst of his presidency show his dedication to his work and beliefs but also his immense intelligence and thoughtfulness. The fact that the conversation has barely shifted immediately gives the reader pause until you recognize that this issue has been at the core of american discussion since before there was "America". This text helps me to realize that this question is a quintessential part of answering the question, "As Americans, who are we?"

[Abbie Roberson · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an interesting read especially since it was written by the man who would eventually cause the end of our national origin quota system. It was also sad that we are still dealing with so many of the same problems 60 years later. I would love to know JFKs views on the debates on immigration we are currently having. A very informative history on immigration in this country including a small portion of immigration reform desires written by Kennedy.

[Amelia Valentino · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quick car ride read. It’s interesting how we still have similiar immigration problems. Even in the 1960s, Kennedy notes the racism and nativism in certain immigration policy. It’s an interesting historical curio but I didn’t learn much more than these are more constant ideas and idealism than I thought.

[Josiah · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great book by a great man. Though the statistics belong to the time in which it was written, the stories are eternal, as are the truths and principles Kennedy lays out in this short, punchy read. I only wish he were around today to give this message the renewal it so desperately needs!

[Leo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Short but powerful essay from the first "immigrant" President on why immigration has been the affirmation of America's success.

[Claire Baxter]

No rating because it is really a historical document rather than a book.

[rara ➶ · Rating 4 out of 5]

i have my issues with the foreword, but overall the book itself is insightful.

[Joey Randazzo · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.6 stars.. we desperately need a better immigration system.

[Mallory · Rating 5 out of 5]

I can think of no other title that is more perfect to read right now. Highly recommended.

Favorite quotes: "It is no accident that freedom of religion has always been a central part of the American creed. People who crossed oceans for the right to believe in their own God were not lightly going to surrender that right in their new life."

"Only one thing is certain - every immigrant served to reinforce and strengthen those elements in American society that had attracted him in the first place. The motives of some were commonplace - the motives of others were noble. Taken together they add up to the strengths and weaknesses of America."

"It is not unusual for people to fear and distrust that which they are not familiar with. Every new group coming to America found this fear and suspicion facing them. And, in their turn, members of these groups met their successors with more of the same."