On Thursday, MSNBC host Joy Reid said on “The ReidOut” that immigrants built and continue to run America, whether we like it or not.
Discussing commentary on the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapse, Mr. Reed said, “These grotesque accusations are part of a rightward shift in America, and a big part of our problems are Republicans robbing us to steal jobs.” “It’s being laid at the feet of the people that Republicans say have invaded this country,” he said. And money from real Americans. What they fail to acknowledge is that foreign workers have supported the American economy for generations. Millions of African men and women were kidnapped and transported to this country, forced to become America’s most skilled workers, sold for their property, planted and picked cotton, harvested from rice and other crops, etc. They were bred like cattle to perform a single task: cultivation, herding, and building cathedrals. The grand mansions and iconic buildings that define America. ”
She goes on to say that “profits from cotton alone had propelled the United States into one of the world’s largest economies by the 19th century, and the most prosperous region in South America until the Civil War.” Along with them came 15,000 forgotten Chinese immigrants who helped build America’s transcontinental railroad west in the late 1800s.”
She goes on to say, “In the East, it was about 10,000 Irish immigrants who helped build the eastern section of the railroad. Irish immigrants also helped build America’s major canals like the Erie Canal. Because there were few locals working for the low wages that the newly arrived Irish did.”
“Whether we like it or not, immigrants built America and continue to run it,” Reed concluded.
Follow Pam Key on Twitter @pamkeyNEN
