American immigration policies have changed significantly over the past 200 years, but debates over more restrictive versus more open policies have recurring themes. By putting these debates in historical context, this book can help us understand the practical and ethical considerations that shape immigration policies today.

William Katerberg is a professor of history and director of the Mellema Program in Western American Studies at Calvin University. He earned his PhD from Queens University in Canada. He has published four books, edited Fides et Historia, the journal of the Conference on Faith and History, and co-edited a textbook series on the American West for Wiley. His research has included work on history of religion, religion and politics, the history of the American West, science fiction, and the relationship between religious beliefs and scholarship. Professor Katerberg's interest in immigration and national identities is personal as well as scholarly. His parents emigrated with their families from the Netherlands to Canada after World War II. One of his grandfathers helped recruit and settle immigrants. He grew up hearing stories about the war, leaving home, and adapting to a new country. And he saw his community, over three generations, assimilate to Canadian life and culture.