Shaping Our Nation: How Surges of Migration Transformed America and Its Politics

Barone (Our First Revolution) reviews migration to the U.S. and its impact on American politics. In the 18th and 19th centuries, Scotch-Irish and English pioneers fanned across the continent in a “Yankeediaspora” and bestowed on it British laws, language, and religions. Barone catalogues the impact of European immigrants, from Italians to Slavs, Germans and Irish. In contrast to the rest of the nation after the Civil War, black and white Southerners remained relatively immobile and the region was populated mostly by native-born Americans. While Barone transcends clichéd Ellis Island narratives, his early chapters rehash textbook political history to a degree. The more impressive chapters deal with the post-1940 period, as Barone outlines black migration to the North and out-migration from Northern cities to the Sunbelt. The flow of Americans of all backgrounds to California, Florida, Texas, and other high-growth states added up to a national political game changer. Barone puts the best face possible on 50 years of substantial, mostly illegal Mexican immigration to the U.S. and explains why it happened. He reveals official cluelessness—or dishonesty—during the passage of the landmark immigration acts of 1964 and 1965. Barone’s sharp political instincts and ability to clearly explain demographic change make for a solid and lively account. 19 b&w maps. Agent: Glen Hartley, Writers’ Representatives. (Oct.)