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Changing American Society: Immigration, Demographics, and Challenges in the 21st Century

Explore the impact of immigration on American society, changes in demographics, and key legislation like the Immigration Act of 1990 and the Immigration and Control Act of 1986. Discover the debates around bilingual education, illegal immigration, affirmative action, women's rights, and education policies in the 21st century. Learn about the demographic shift towards an older population and the challenges it poses to social security and Medicare systems. Dive into the economic crisis faced by the U.S. in 2008 due to risky lending practices, foreclosures, and unemployment issues.

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Changing American Society: Immigration, Demographics, and Challenges in the 21st Century

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  1. Objectives • Analyze the impact of immigration on American society. • Summarize the causes and effects of changing demographics.

  2. Terms and People • Immigration Act of 1990– a law that increased immigration quotas by 40 percent and eased most remaining restrictions on immigrants to the U.S. • bilingual education – schooling in which students are taught in their native language as well as in English • Immigration and Control Act of 1986 – legislation that granted resident status to illegal immigrants residing in the U.S. since 1982 and penalized employers who hired illegal immigrants

  3. Terms and People(continued) • affirmative action – a policy that gives special consideration to women and minorities to make up for past discrimination • Violence Against Women Act − a 1994 law that increased federal resources to apprehend and prosecute men guilty of violent acts against women • privatize − to transfer from governmental ownership or control to private interests

  4. How was American society changing at the beginning of the twenty-first century? As it entered the 21st century, American society looked different and faced different challenges than it had during the previous century. The nation looked for ways to preserve its heritage while adapting to rapid change.

  5. In the late 20th century, American immigration policy changed as limits were relaxed. Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986 penalized employers who hired illegal immigrants. The Immigration Act of 1990 increased quotas by 40% and eased most remaining restrictions on immigration. A new American citizen. One million new immigrants came to America. Immigrants are now 10% of the total population.

  6. The largest immigrant group in recent years are Latinos from Mexico and Central America. The second largest group of immigrants was Asian, the majority of whom settled in California.

  7. However, immigration had been a topic of longstanding debate. • One issue was bilingual education. Many people thought all immigrants should learn English. Another is critics claim immigrants steal jobs from Americans, while supporters claim immigrants do the jobs Americans don’t want. • Another was illegal immigration. The Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986 was designed to stop the flow of illegal immigrants.

  8. Latino neighborhoods appeared in most major American cities.

  9. Meanwhile, Americans moved in large numbers to the coasts and warmer regions of the country in the South and Southwest – The Sun Belt. At the same time, the structure of families changed. Divorce became more common and both parents often worked outside the home. Many more babies were born to single mothers.

  10. Affirmative action, introduced in the 1960s, remained hotly debated as a means to improve opportunities for minorities and women.

  11. African Americans and women made social and political gains. Legislation enforcing equal pay for equal work and punishment for sexual harassment was passed. The Violence Against Women Act passed in 1994 – increased resources to prosecute men guilty of violent acts against women.

  12. Education policy took center stage as the merits of standardized testing were debated. Some felt it was a good way to hold schools accountable. Others felt it wasn’t a good way to measure knowledge.

  13. Thanks to improved health care and technology Americans now live longer, and the elderly exert more political influence than they did just 100 years ago. The demographic shift to an older population has also strained the Social Security and Medicare systems. President Bush proposed privatizingSocial Security, but critics defeated the idea. Debate continues on how to resolve the problem. But no matter the challenge, Americans looked forward to the new millennium with optimism and strength.

  14. In 2008 the U.S. faced an economic recession and crisis. • Crisis stemmed by giving Americans expensive home loans to lower income borrowers – this was a risky practice by banks. • Economy took a downturn, and these people didn’t have money to make mortgage payments. • Foreclosures on property, stock market decline, higher unemployment all set in causing the worst financial crisis since Great Depression in U.S.

  15. Section Review QuickTake Quiz Know It, Show It Quiz

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