Cultural Homogenization Essay

Parrillo’s primary argument is that cultural homogenization had begun to rise during and after the Revolutionary war when cultural differences were put aside in the fight for independence. Intermingling of ethnic groups during the war was a crucial first step in the development of true American common culture and political tradition. The following step, to building an American identity, was to leave behind the Old World political and cultural values. Once the New World was able to sever ties with the Old World, the new nation was able to develop a surge of national pride and success in areas such as art, language usage, and religious authority. The independent nation bonded and was able to shape into a unique community with some distinctively

Not only did the Louisiana Purchase double the United States in size, it also allowed for more ethnic blending in pursuit of new and unclaimed land. As a result of the westward expansion of the Northwest Territories (Ohio, Illionios, Michigan, etc.) white ethnic diversity was growing. In these areas only 30 percent of white settlers were English while 57 percent of settlers in 1790 were French. Basically, the new frontier made people work together by putting cultural differences aside to reach a common goal of settling the West, which ultimately resulted in a distinct American

Foreign language usage was well preserved in some subcultures, however due to America 's geographic isolation, every new generation was more prone to learning the host country 's language. Decline of diversity was also evident because of America 's newly three created anti-foreign laws. The Naturalization Act extended the residency requirement for citizenship, the Alien Act gave the president power to arrest and deport undesirable foreigners, and the Sedition Act prescribed fines and imprisonment for anyone criticizing the government (74). Even though the Alien and Sedition Acts dissolved after 2 years (violation of the First Amendment), they were clear signs that America was targeting foreigners by making it more difficult for them to become citizens. Shortly after the 1820 's, the United States experienced another wave of culturally distinct immigrants that continued to challenge America 's new identity. Nevertheless, the National Period was a unique time in which cultural homogeny grew at the sacrifice of some cultural