There was a time when we the U.S. had completely unrestricted immigration, when anybody could come to these shores and the motto on the Statue of Liberty had some real meaning. This was a country of hope and of promise for immigrants and their children, and as many as a million immigrants a year came in 1906 and '07 and '08. By 1914, roughly a third of the population was foreign-born or the immediate descendants of foreign-born...The fact that year after year hundreds of thousands of people left the countries of Europe to come to this country was persuasive evidence that they were coming to improve their lot, not to worsen it.

Summary

The quote highlights a time in the U.S. when immigration was unrestricted, and the Statue of Liberty's message of hope held true. During this period, around a million immigrants arrived annually from 1906 to 1908, and by 1914, a significant portion of the population was foreign-born or descended from immigrants. The continuous influx of immigrants from Europe demonstrated that they sought to improve their lives by coming to America rather than exacerbate their situations. This quote sheds light on the historically positive perspective towards immigration and the belief that immigrants sought opportunity and a better future in the U.S.

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