The Influence of Asian Immigrants, Westward Movement and Immigrants of Puritan Parents on American Immigration Policy.

In the United States, the geographical change of population has gone through three obvious stages. In the first stage, the first colonists settled in the Atlantic coast at the beginning of17th century, and the territory of America extended to the Pacific coast at the end of19th century. The 200-year history of the United States is the history of population migration to the west and subsequent expansion to the western territory. This period of history, also known as the "westward movement", gave birth to the famous frontier theory of American historian Frederick Turner. He believes: "Until today, American history is largely a colonial history of the Great West. The existence of a free land, its continuous shrinking and the continuous westward advancement of settlements explain the development process of the United States. "

The westward movement has had a far-reaching impact on all aspects of American society. Without the westward movement, the territory of the United States would not span the entire North American continent; Without the westward movement, the vast agricultural areas in the central and western regions may not become American states, but without the support of these agricultural states to the North, the outcome of the American Civil War may be rewritten (or the victory of the North may pay a higher price); Without the westward movement, the Great Lakes region would not have become the manufacturing base of the United States, and without a large number of workers employed by the manufacturing industry, the Great Lakes region would not have become an important ballot box for the Democratic Party in the half century after Roosevelt's New Deal. In addition, the westward movement also strengthened individualism and political equality in American political culture, triggered the first populist movement in American history, led to the rise of physiocracy and isolationism, and so on.

Second, the great migration of African descent.

The Westward Movement ended in the 1970s, which was the second great migration in American history, characterized by large-scale migration of African Americans from the south to other regions, especially the industrial centers in the midwest and northeast. The great migration of African descendants can be divided into two stages:191kloc-0/940 and 1940- 1970. Due to the tightening of American immigration policy in the early 20th century, industrial bases in the midwest and northeast were seriously short of labor, so the main destinations of African-American immigrants in the first stage were industrial centers in the north, such as Chicago, Detroit, new york and Philadelphia. In addition to the traditional industrial centers mentioned above, the main destinations of the second great migration include San Francisco and Los Angeles on the Pacific coast. Compared with the first great migration, the important factors promoting the second great migration include the surge of labor demand in northern industrial cities after the outbreak of World War II and the civil rights movement (including the signing of the historic civil rights bill of 1964), but it did not fundamentally improve the economic and social status of African-Americans in the south.

As a direct result of the two great migrations, the African-American population in the south decreased sharply, while the African-American population in the northern cities increased sharply. According to statistics, in 19 10, 89% of African Americans lived in the south, but by 1970, the proportion had dropped to 53%. 1940, African-Americans only accounted for 10.6% of the total population of Newark, New Jersey. However, 30 years later, this proportion soared to 54.2%. Similarly, in 1930, there were just over 50,000 African Americans living in major cities in California, and by 1950, it had increased to 250,000. A large number of African-Americans left the south, which led to a sharp increase in the voting age of African-Americans living in big cities in the Midwest and Northeast China. It is estimated that in 1940, the African-American population in Chicago and new york was about 200,000 and 300,000 respectively, but in 30 years, it was close to 600,000 and more than 900,000 respectively. Because the vast majority of African-Americans support the Democratic Party, they live in big cities, which have long been the bastions of the Democratic Party.

Third, air conditioning and population migration to the south.

The third great migration of population began in 1950s. Different from the second great migration, this time the main body is white, and the migration direction is just the opposite, from the cold area in the north to the sunny area in the south. Compared with the previous two migrations, the important factor that triggered the third migration was the invention of air conditioning. Therefore, this great migration can also be called air-conditioning politics, which is a typical example of technology affecting population migration and political development.

The midwest and northeast of the United States have a typical temperate continental climate with long and cold winters. Some southern states (especially those near the Gulf of Mexico) have a subtropical climate with long and hot summers. So many northerners are willing to spend the winter in the south, but they don't want to live in the south. However, the invention of air conditioning changed this seasonal migration pattern, because the artificial cool breeze kept the summer heat out of the window, making the south livable all year round, and more and more northern residents began to move to the sunny south permanently.

Household window air conditioners 195 1 entered the American market. By 1955, 1 of every 22 households had installed air conditioners, while 1 of every 10 households in the south had installed air conditioners. According to statistics, 1960 was 12.4%, and 1980 had reached 55%. Among the southern states, Florida has the highest temperature all year round. Its air-conditioning penetration rate reached 18.3% in 1960, and surged to 84% 20 years later, ranking first among southern States.

The population migration caused by air conditioning and the corresponding political effects are most obvious in Florida. With sunshine and beaches in winter and cool rooms in summer, Florida has become one of the most popular destinations for northerners to move to the south. Research shows that as early as 1950, 27. 1% of Florida residents were born in other states outside the south, much higher than other 10 states in the south. By 1990, the proportion has climbed to 50. 1%, that is, one of the two people was born outside the south.

However, not everyone wants to move to Florida. According to the statistics of the Florida government, according to the age classification, the fastest population growth in Florida is the elderly over 65 years old, from 550,000 in 1960 to more than 3.2 million in 20 10. For most people, 65 means retirement, so they have more freedom of movement, and sunshine, beaches and air conditioning make Florida the first choice destination for the elderly (especially those who used to live in the cold areas in the north) to move south.

Generally speaking, the elderly are conservative in thought, so the direct consequence of so many elderly people moving to Florida is that voters in this state are conservative in thought and support the party in the election. Another feature of the elderly is that their voting rate is higher than that of young people. Finally, according to the American electoral system, the more people a state has, the more representatives it has. The more deputies there are, the greater the number of electoral college (the total number of electoral college is equal to the total number of deputies and senators in the federal parliament of each state, and the number of senators in each state is fixed at two). At present, Florida has 29 electoral votes, which is the same as new york, while California has only 55 votes and Texas has 38 votes. Under the combined effect of the above factors, Florida has become a key state that the party and the party pay special attention to. One of the most crucial factors for Trump to win the 20 16 general election is that he won 29 electoral votes in Florida.