The criticism

“That's all in the past. My grandfather also arrived with nothing.”

It is the most common criticism, and it starts from a true fact: many immigrants arrived poor and suffered.

Those who argue for looking at history answer with the documents. European immigrants had their fare paid by the government. Africans were barred by decree. And those who left slavery received no land, school or work.

For them, both stories of hard work are true. What changes is the starting point.

One question remains: if you had been in the government on May 14, 1888, what would you have done the next day?