The document discusses immigration policies and attitudes in the United States in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. It describes how immigrants initially blended cultures but also maintained aspects of their original cultures, creating hyphenated identities. However, nativism grew due to fears about immigrants competing for jobs and not assimilating. This led to the passage of laws restricting immigration such as the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 and National Origins Acts of the 1920s, which established discriminatory quotas.