Immigration to the United States was not a pleasant experience for many people, at least not initially. I can testify to this since me and my family experienced difficulties when we moved from Russia in 1994. My biggest predicament was the language barrier since I spoke Russian and did not know proper English. It was not easy to make friends in the new country and not knowing the language obviously added to this problem. My parents also found it difficult to get a job since the market wasn't very favorable to fresh immigrants. Americans did not prove to be a very hospitable nation as well. The conditions were not conducive to assimilation or acceptance and thus it took us few years before we could find some place for ourselves in the United States and become of a part of this multicultural society. In their book on immigration titled 'Natives and Strangers: A Multicultural History of Americans', authors Leonard Dinnerstein, Roger L. Nichols, David M. Reimers present a comprehensive history of immigrants in the US mainly focusing on the experiences of Asians and Latin American.

             People entering the United States came in two huge waves. The first wave came at the turn of the century as US became an economic heaven for many and political refuge for some. The second wave was seen in 1980-1990s when Asians and Latin Americans entered America in droves and became an integral part of its culture and society. The main reason for Asians and Latin Americans was economic poverty in their own countries. They were looking for greener pastures and America was the land of opportunities. Apart from economics, there were other reasons as well which resulted in millions of immigrants entering the US during the last one century. In the book "A Nation of Immigrants", John F. Kennedy wrote, "There were probably as many reasons for coming to America as there were people who came. It was a highly individual decision.