The Border Wall: Should it be built?

“Why in the world,” I wonder, “do the people in charge of America’s actions want to build a wall to block our neighbors to the south from entering the United States of America?” I realize that kind of thinking is commonplace among those who already have their fortunes made, but it’s beginning to worry me because the wall-building hysteria is spreading to common people who should know better.

Let me explain why I think as I do:

In late September of 2018, my wife, Barbara, asked me to take her to Yellowstone National Park as a way to celebrate her birthday. “I’ve never been to Yellowstone,”

Barbara explained, “but I’ve always wanted to see ‘Old Faithful.’ I hear it’s awesome.”

Deep down, I really didn’t want to go because I’ve been down in the dumps due to the approach of my 80th birthday. Nevertheless, I agreed and in mid-September we climbed into our 2009 Buick Lucerne and began our journey by angling up through Palisade and Imperial, Neb., then proceeding north to Nebraska’s Panhandle for a glimpse of the Scottsbluff National Monument.

From there, we drove over to Casper, Wyoming, before cutting up through Thermopolis on our way to Buffalo Bill’s chosen town: Cody, Wyoming.

The next morning, bright and early, we took off on what Teddy Roosevelt described as the most scenic drive in America. He portrayed with words — accurately in my opinion — the 50-mile trek from Cody to the east entrance of Yellowstone as breathtakingly beautiful. I’m being very specific about the route Barbara and I took because I want to remind those of you who have been to Wyoming exactly where we went and what we saw.

If you have been to Wyoming, I think you will agree with me that the scenery is beautiful in a wide open, panoramic kind of way. If you will give it some deep thought — I believe your eyes will be opened, as were mine — to a truth that not enough Americans are acknowledging in 2018, which, when you think about it, is only 242 years removed from our nation’s creation.

Finally, after that long preamble, I’m ready to present the revelation I have been leading up to. The realization which pierced into my consciousness as Barbara and I motored through Wyoming is embodied in the following proclamation:

“We are so wonderfully fortunate, as citizens of the United States of America, to live in a land which possesses an abundance of wide open spaces. Some big city folks may have forgotten about this because they are surrounded by teeming masses of people. In contrast, out here in America’s Heartland, we are blessed by the uplifting experience, every day, of witnessing the wonder of America’s Great Plains and of being close to another of the nation’s most awesome creations: the majestic Rocky Mountains.

Suddenly, amid this splendor, I realized the magnificence of the song lyrics which proclaim, “this land is our land,” and the accompanying rights of all Americans, which give me and my friends and neighbors as much right as anyone else — whether they live in mansions in the city suburbs or lean-tos on the edge of a country town — to speak our minds, expressing openly our ideas for uplifting our great nation.

Before proceeding to my grand conclusion, we need to be reminded of the most important reason of all that America should welcome immigrants to our great land. The biggest reason of all is that we need people. They strengthen us. That’s why visionaries through the ages have celebrated America’s pre-eminence as a “melting pot,” gathering convincing data throughout America’s existence to show the positive impact of population growth.

As a seven-year-old Missouri farm boy, I saw evidence of this for myself when the soldiers and sailors started returning home from World War II, with many of them — like my parent’s friend, Bill — returning with war brides they met in Germany, Japan and other war-time battle scenes. You know what happened ... you have either read about it or seen television documentaries showcasing it: America after World War II, buoyed by a huge influx of people, experienced one of the largest booms in world history. America prospered because of the infusion of energy, ideas and the glorious feeling of freedom which follows the horror of world war.

I might be naive, but I hope I’m not. I still have this feeling, deep down in my heart and soul, that America can be great again. But, in order to do so, I believe we need to welcome newcomers, as we have down throughout our existence as a nation, rather than turn them away as so selfishly and harshly suggested by a border wall.

Don’t try to tell me immigrants are pulling us down. They are not. In fact, they are doing the absolute opposite. They are, as they always have, lifting us up.

So, finally ... here it comes ... my humble, heart-felt conclusion:

As we drove through Wyoming, it dawned on me that, in some ways, the United States of America is not too much different today than it was in 1852 when my great-grandfather, Henry Peters, Sr., sailed with two of his brothers and several other relatives and friends from Skibbereen, Ireland, to New Orleans, La., in the then still young United States of America. Once there, my great grandfather boarded a steamboat which transported him to Saint Louis, where he reunited with his sweetheart, who was the daughter of a cobbler who had brought his family to the U.S.A. the year before.

After a short courtship in their newly adopted homeland, Henry and Anna were married. And, as a result of their love, my grandfather, Henry Peters, Jr.; my mother, Mary Anna Morris; and my brothers, Robert Udell, Ronald Wayne, Michael Wade and me, Lloyd Gene (Gene O.) Morris, are direct descendants.

So, you ask, how does all this apply to the border wall that many in America think our nation should build to block immigrants from South America from easily entering the United States of America.

In my mind, the message is loud and clear.

In 1852, when my great-grandfather came to America, the United States was composed of 31 states and four territories (Oregon, Utah, Minnesota and Washington). At that time, America’s population, counting the territories as well as the 31 states, was 23,191,876. To give perspective to that population total, the states and territories occupied a grand total of 2,940,042 square miles of space at the time.

In comparison, according to the U.S. Census Bureau’s calculations, the 2018 population of the now 50 United States is 327,480,836 and the total land mass of the area occupied by the 50 states, since the admission of Alaska and Hawaii in 1949 and 1950, is 3,537,438 square miles.

Yes, America is more crowded today than it was in 1852 when Henry Peters, Sr. arrived in the U.S. If you do the math, you will discover there were 7.9 persons per square mile living in the U.S. in 1850, compared to 92.58 persons per square mile in 2018.

While this is a large increase in population density, our nation still possesses a wonderful expanse of wide open spaces. To illustrate this, I invite you to compare our nation’s population density to that of India, China and Pakistan.

I bring all this up, because, contrary to popular belief, and to the nationwide campaign being waged on behalf of building the border wall, I sincerely believe — based on my eye witness tour of Wyoming — that America still has plenty of space to welcome “the huddled masses,” just as America did in 1852 when this great nation honored my great-grandfather with American citizenship.

Of course, there needs to be rules to govern immigration into all nations, including the United States of America. And, there has been legislation in effect in the U.S. since 1790 when the Naturalization Act was enacted during the administration of our first President, George Washington. That law specified that unindentured white males must be in the United States for two years before becoming citizens.

Through the years there have been many more immigration laws, with the most recent taking effect in 2017. Among the major pieces of immigration law is the Page Act, passed during President Ulysses S. Grant’s administration in 1875, which, for the first time, excluded classes of people from becoming American people. The classes banned by the Page Act were criminals, prostitutes and Chinese contract laborers.

Another major piece of immigration legislation was passed during the administration of President George W. Bush. Called the Immigration Act of 1990, the legislation placed a ceiling of 700,000 immigrants per year for three years, and a ceiling of 675,000 immigrants per year thereafter.

All things considered, I believe building a wall sends the wrong signal, shouting in a “bullying” way to our southern neighbors that they are NOT welcome to visit or reside in the United States of America. If very clear and fair immigration rules are in place, I hereby offer to be among the first to sign a petition which strongly encourages state and federal members of the legislative and executive branches of government to prohibit the building of a wall along our nation’s southern border.