Erika Lee

An award-winning historian reframes our continuing debate over immigration with a compelling history of xenophobia in the United States and its devastating impact The United States is a nation of immigrants. But it is also a nation of xenophobia. In America for Americans, Erika Lee shows that an irrational fear, hatred, and hostility toward immigrants has been a defining feature of our nation from the colonial era to the Trump era. Benjamin Franklin ridiculed Germans for their "strange and foreign ways." Americans' anxiety over Irish Catholics turned xenophobia into a national political movement. Chinese immigrants were excluded, Japanese incarcerated, and Mexicans deported. Today, Americans fear Muslims, Latinos, and the so-called browning of America. Forcing us to confront this history, America for Americans explains how xenophobia works, why it has endured, and how it threatens America. It is a necessary corrective and spur to action for any concerned citizen.

A History of Xenophobia in the United States

America for Americans

Tish

An absolute must read for anyone interested in the history of xenophobia in the US. Actually, it should be a must read for every American, everyone should know about what’s in this book. This was something I was assigned to read for class but I honestly enjoyed every bit of it, so much so that I’d recommend it to those who aren’t studying sociology or immigration. Highly highly recommend!

Stephanie Ridiculous

Excellent. This was a great insight into the specific and nuanced history of xenophobia and immigration in the US- it's so much worse and disgusting than your high school civics class was willing to tell you. Please, read up on it! It's still at work & reverberating today.

This definitive history of American xenophobia is "essential reading for anyone who wants to build a more inclusive society." (Ibram X. Kendi, New York Times-bestselling author of How to Be an Antiracist) The United States is known as a nation of immigrants. But it is also a nation of xenophobia. In America for Americans, Erika Lee shows that an irrational fear, hatred, and hostility toward immigrants has been a defining feature of our nation from the colonial era to the Trump era. Benjamin Franklin ridiculed Germans for their "strange and foreign ways." Americans' anxiety over Irish Catholics turned xenophobia into a national political movement. Chinese immigrants were excluded, Japanese incarcerated, and Mexicans deported. Today, Americans fear Muslims, Latinos, and the so-called browning of America. Forcing us to confront this history, Lee explains how xenophobia works, why it has endured, and how it threatens America. Now updated with an afterword reflecting on how the coronavirus pandemic turbocharged xenophobia, America for Americans is an urgent spur to action for any concerned citizen.

Sahi K

Very detailed history of how xenophobia is a part of America’s ethos since the days before the Revolutionary war to the present - only the way it is propagated has changed its face. The author’s writing style can feel a bit dry, but the book is full of eye opening historical events that need to be remembered and taught, and especially not glossed over anymore.

America for Americans A History of Xenophobia in the United States

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