Roger Daniels, author of Prisoners Without Trial: Japanese Americans in World War II, is a renowned expert on immigration, consultant to PBS and the Immigration Museum on Ellis Island, and expert witness on Japanese-American internment.
"Roger Daniels, a leading historian of American immigration, has written a valuable book covering American immigration policy since the 1880s. This was no easy task, but Daniels deftly manages to cover the many laws, administrative decisions, politics, and policy debates that comprise this fascinating history. Throughout it all, Daniels explains the issues and outcomes with clarity and insight. Guarding the Golden Door should be read by every American trying to get a grasp on how central immigration has been to our history, and continues to be. Immigration is now front-page news, and to grasp the background of current issues this is the book to read." --David Reimers, author of Unwanted Strangers: American Identity and the Turn Against Immigration "In a clear-eyed, smartly argued analysis, Daniels shows that both sentiment and statistics have obscured the truth of immigration history, so much of which takes place between the lines of laws. Ranging from Chinese Exclusion to Homeland Security, Guarding the Golden Door assembles a powerful and provocative argument about why the United States has remained an immigrant country--and why it should stay one for its own benefit." --Eric Rauchway, author of Murdering McKinley "Roger Daniels confirms his standing as our preeminent historian of immigration policies. Guarding the Golden Door has it all: solid, informed research, and clear, cogent writing. His conclusions underline the constant paradox that has plagued immigration history: however invaluable to our economy and our material comfort, we exploit, marginalize, and particularly now, regard immigrants with suspicion, distrust, and hatred." --Stanley I. Kutler, author or Wars of Watergate: The Last Crisis of Richard Nixon
"Roger Daniels, a leading historian of American immigration, has written a valuable book covering American immigration policy since the 1880s. This was no easy task, but Daniels deftly manages to cover the many laws, administrative decisions, politics, and policy debates that comprise this fascinating history. Throughout it all, Daniels explains the issues and outcomes with clarity and insight. Guarding the Golden Door should be read by every American trying to get a grasp on how central immigration has been to our history, and continues to be. Immigration is now front-page news, and to grasp the background of current issues this is the book to read." --David Reimers, author of Unwanted Strangers: American Identity and the Turn Against Immigration "In a clear-eyed, smartly argued analysis, Daniels shows that both sentiment and statistics have obscured the truth of immigration history, so much of which takes place between the lines of laws. Ranging from Chinese Exclusion to Homeland Security, Guarding the Golden Door assembles a powerful and provocative argument about why the United States has remained an immigrant country--and why it should stay one for its own benefit." --Eric Rauchway, author of Murdering McKinley "Roger Daniels confirms his standing as our preeminent historian of immigration policies. Guarding the Golden Door has it all: solid, informed research, and clear, cogent writing. His conclusions underline the constant paradox that has plagued immigration history: however invaluable to our economy and our material comfort, we exploit, marginalize, and particularly now, regard immigrants with suspicion, distrust, and hatred." --Stanley I. Kutler, author or Wars of Watergate: The Last Crisis of Richard Nixon
Immigration-perhaps no other subject so contentiously touches on both our collective idealism and our capacity for irrational fear. Nostalgic about past immigrants, we magnify the threat of newly arriving hordes of outsiders. Daniels, author of several books about the Japanese-American experience, judiciously avoids a sweeping narrative in favor of an immersion in the messy details of legislation and demography, although accurate assessments are elusive. Reflecting the lack of overarching plot, the book's first half is chronological to 1965, after which it switches to an ethnic breakdown. As Daniels shows, the subject yields hyperbolic rhetoric and misleading statistics, which rarely lead to coherent or effective legislation. Congress rarely grasp the real ramifications of its immigration policy as it underfunds its nominally ambitious measures. Despite his deeply academic cast of mind, Daniels keeps his prose engaging and lively, as he displays his evident love of accuracy and impatience with obfuscation. Those who read closely will unearth arresting tidbits, such as the central role of the Chinese as targets in virtually all early anti-immigration measures and the brief but virulent anti-Filipino hysteria of the early 1930s. Perhaps most interesting is the final section, in which Daniels tackles broader questions about the debate, including the surprisingly little-changed status of immigration in the post-9/11, post-INS landscape. (Jan.) Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.
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