An Open Letter to Borders
Dear Borders,
You are quite popular.
In fact, President Trump founded his entire campaign upon “building a wall” and "making Mexico pay for it." The GOP is intent on recalling programs like DACA that protect the people who were brought into the United States as children. And, in the 2016 election, immigration was a key issue, and one of the contributors to the severe division in our country.
Although immigrants built America, we have become adamant to keep them out. How did we go from Ellis Island to building a wall? Why did our borders become so militarized? Why is the word itself so contentious?
This semester, I’m taking a class called “Introduction to American Studies,” and we discussed this concept in class on Wednesday. Until our conversation, I had never really thought about the origin of the word, nor had I considered its profoundness throughout history.
For my generation, borders have always been troublesome. They've been equated with illegal immigration, drug cartels, and deadly wars. Although I am pro-immigration, these stereotypes about borders have always existed in the back of my mind. It's not surprising that these ideas are what many Americans associate with borders today. Movies and TV shows, such as Jenji Kohan's Weeds, prolong these misguided beliefs about borders.
In this letter, I'd like to explain the evolution of the word and evaluate why it has become such a contentious issue. Saddle up, because we're starting in the Wild West.
From a historical perspective, the word "border" hardly existed for Americans. Previously, I've discussed Manifest Destiny and its influence on today's American culture. To refresh your memory, Manifest Destiny was a phrase coined in 1845. It's a philosophy taught in every middle school U.S. History class, and for decades it has provided justification for American westward expansionism. Essentially, Manifest Destiny gave white Americans permission to move west, claim land, and banish any and all inhabitants of the region. Manifest Destiny is the explanation for Lewis and Clark's expedition, the Spanish-American War, the Mexican-American War, Native American confrontations, and the American Civil War. Today, we wouldn't have territories like California, Colorado, New Mexico, Alaska, Puerto Rico, Guam, Arizona, Oregon, Washington State, and more without Manifest Destiny.
Alright, Cameron, thanks for the history lesson, but what does this have to do with borders?
That's the thing. Where were the borders? If Americans were so easily able to claim land in the West, a border didn't exist. Today, if Donald Trump was to march into Vancouver and say "this is ours now," his statement would hardly be accepted by the international community. Sure, Thomas Jefferson did purchase the Louisiana territories, so technically we owned the land... even though there were people living there already.
Back then, "border" equated to "frontier." And the word frontier has a much different connotation than border. A frontier is pushable, it's expandable, it (supposedly) belongs to no one. It is a place for exploration, a place of mystery, a total thrill. "Go West, young man" was a phrase used in the 19th century. The Western Frontier was an abstract place of limitless possibility. Even in that middle school class, the unit about Manifest Destiny is called "Exploring the Western Frontier" or "America's New Frontier."
This period in the 19th Century in a World History class would be classified as the early stages of Imperialism. During the time of Imperialism, anything that wasn't a first world country was up for grabs: Cuba, Vietnam, Korea, India, and all of Africa.
Borders were merely a suggestion.
Strong military powers like Great Britain, Germany, the United States, and France could take over whatever land they wanted. Just like with westward expansion in the U.S., everything become a pushable frontier.
So what changed? Why are we so protective of our borders today?
One culprit: The Cold War.
The Cold War lasted for decades, and has had a tremendous impact on America and the world. Most notably, it entirely re-imagined the manner in which we think about borders.
One of the most dangerous things that the Cold War did (aside from, you know, the threat of nuclear extinction) is that it simplified an increasingly complex world. Democracy vs. Communism. First World vs. Third World. Freedom vs. Tyranny.
Us vs. Them.
And as a result of this, borders took on a new meaning. We had to guard them with everything we had. They developed a certain sacredness. Borders drew the line between "the good guys" and "the bad guys." Don't believe me? Look at any conflict that happened in the second half of the 20th century.
The Korean War. North = Communism. South = Democracy.
The Vietnam War. North = Communism. South = Democracy.
East Germany = Communism. West Germany = Democracy.
Each of these contentious parts of the globe were rigidly divided into North and South, or East and West. Borders became symbolic. They physically embodied the notion of the Cold War: Us vs. Them. Winston Churchill even nicknamed the Berlin Wall "the Iron Curtain." In the period in which these confrontations existed, the border between East and West Germany became a symbol.
This is what really blew my mind in class on Wednesday. All this time, I thought that Trump wanted to build a wall because he really thought that would put an end to illegal immigration (who knows, he probably does think that because planes don't exist, apparently). In actuality, a wall would serve as a physical symbol of Us vs. Them. It would represent our perceived superiority over Mexico. It would prolong notions of American exceptionalism. It would create a threatening barrier that others would be afraid to cross.
Like in the Cold War era, it will dangerously simplify our world.
We don't live in the 19th century anymore. Categorizing countries into only two options is not okay. Borders are more than lines on a map. They represent history, culture, diversity, globalization, and interdependency. To build a wall is to be ignorant of everything that a border means.
If you're anti-immigration, I'm not asking you to change your mind. I am asking you to really think about what a wall would mean. How DARE we build a wall that cuts Mexico off from the territory that WE stole from them? How DARE we ignore the rich history behind the Mexican-American border? How DARE we diminish the symbolism of our borders by slapping up a wall and eliminating the culture that surrounds it?
One of the reasons I started this blog was to inform people of the history behind the issues that exist in our world. So often do people make wild claims without understanding the origin of the problem.
Borders, I hope that you become better understood. I support your existence. You make our world easier to understand. You help to give us an identity.
At the same time, I hope that you do not limit people. I hope that you do not become representative of automatic denial.
I hope that, maybe, we can find a balance.
Yours Truly,
P.S. If you'd like to learn more about border patrol, John Oliver did a segment about it. It's much more corrupt than you would think. I've added the link below.
https://youtu.be/NnW5EjwtE2U