Cultural Assimilation Quotes
See {590863} for a similar sentiment.
Most of us are surprised that such an enlightened leader as Franklin could have such a strong anti-immigrant bias. Franklin was a strong supporter of immigration as the economic characteristic of America at the time was a plethora of land and a dearth of labor. But Franklin was a cultural chauvinist of the first order.
Most people are very surprised that the great Benjamin Franklin was so narrow-minded at one point in his life. The German immigration almost halted during the Seven Years War, and the influx of Germans to Pennsylvania did not resume at the same rate.
Andrew Macdonald
What he meant by “crosses” was cross breeding or what we would call inter-racial breeding. He was under the scientifically false assumption held by many racists that interracial breeding deteriorates the progeny. Actually, without diversity, species are subject to genetic problems which is why we have prohibitions on marrying siblings and other close relatives. He was also historically inaccurate in the Arabs and the other Semitic people of the Middle East were inbred with less intermarriage than most European whites.
This was quite shocking to most Italians where Jews had been very assimilated for years and anti-Semitism was not as embedded in society as in Germany.
This absurd statement was made in the midst of the huge Black protests against the Apartheid regime. It was very similar to what the Southern racist, segregationist politicians of the American South used to say about the Southern Negroes who in their view were only unhappy when the “communist outsiders” talk to the them and incite them.