The United States has Changed from a Melting Pot to a Vast Culture with Varying Racial Backgrounds
The United States, created by blending or melting many cultures together into one common man, known as an American. Modern communication and transportation accelerate mass migrations from one continent . . . to the United States (Schlesinger 21). Ethnic and racial diversity was bound to happen in the American society. As immigration began to explode, . . . a cult of ethnicity erupted both between non-Anglo whites and among nonwhite minorities. (22).
Until recently, the only country who has made a multiethnic society work, was the United States. Hector St. John de Crevecoeur said, in America individuals of all nations are melted into a new race of men. Is this still true? The creation of the U.S. was not to preserve old cultures but to forge a new,
American culture." (Schlesinger 22).
In the 20th century, the melting pot is not working, and the whole idea is under attack (Evans 76). The United States has changed from a melting pot to a vast culture with varying backgrounds. In years before, America was a collection of Chinese, Germans, Italians, Scots, Croats, etc., all craving freedom. Today, even the simple concept of an English-speaking nation is fading off the continent. In the old days, immigrants were taught in English in the public schools. (76). In America today, children are taught in German, Italian, Polish, and 108 other languages. Most of these schools are funded by 139 million federal dollars.
Until recently, emigrants in the United States longed for admittance in society's mainstream. Now these groups demand separation from society, to be able to preserve and conserve their customs and lang...
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...l. (Schlesinger 3). A positive approach would have Americans stop seeing themselves as members of primarily one ethnic group, gaining their total identity from that group. White or black, Hispanic or Asian, they must envision themselves simply as Americans.
Bibliography:
Brookhiser, Richard. The Melting Pot is Still Simmering. Time,
1 March 1993, p. 72.
Chavez, Linda, and Cohn-Bendit, Daniel. Multicultural Society: Mosaic or Melting Pot? World Link, March/April 1992, pp. 60-64.
Evans, Harold. Melting Pot or Salad Bowl? U.S. News & World Report, 31 March 1986, p. 76.
Henry III, William A. The Politics of Separation. Time, Fall 1993, pp. 73-75.
Morganthau, Tom. America: Still a melting Pot? Newsweek,
9 August 1993, pp 16-23.
Schlesinger, Arthur. The Cult of Ethnicity, Good and Bad. Time, Date of issue, pp. 21-23.
Perhaps, the “Melting Pot” myth gained strength during the Industrial Revolution. With millions of immigrants entering the United States, culture was changing within the United States. Americans set a high standard for there society and everyone wanted to be accepted. There was a social requirement to live in a civil society creating together the “American Dream,” which leads to prosperity. Many immigrants moving to the United States brought with them various traditions of their culture and after moving, they repressed such beliefs and forged ahead with a new way of “American Thinking.” The rituals and traditions of such societies should have brought diversity to this nation’s culture however, these ways would soon become a part of the past. The “Melting Pot” myth heavily influences American society and people believe that everyone no matter what skin color or religious belief is created equal. This belief of the American Way of life is idyllic to say the least. Unfortunately, this myth has been thwarted due to a high level of racial supremacy within the nations past and even present. There are two particular events in national history, which will forever hinder equality: slavery of African Americans and Japanese internment camps during World War II in America. These substantial events shape our society and are only the tip of the iceberg when it
Following the 1890’s, the world began to undergo the first stages of globalization. Countries and peoples, who, until now, were barely connected, now found themselves neighbors in a planet vastly resembling a global village. Despite the idealized image of camaraderie and brotherhood this may seem to suggest, the reality was only discrimination and distrust. Immigration to new lands became a far more difficult affair, as emigrants from different nations came to be viewed as increasingly foreign. In the white-dominated society of the United States during the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the only way to truly count oneself as American was to become “white”. For this reason, the idea of race, a socially constructed issue with no real physical basis, has become one of the most defining factors which shape immigration and assimilation in the United States.
Immigrants leave their countries in search for a better life and improvement of their situation. There is no singular reason for immigration; motivations range from better economic prospects to political safety. As of late, the number of immigrants living in the United States is an estimated 11 million. Those who immigrate are expected to contribute to the United States culturally, politically, and economically. Yet, full assimilation becomes difficult to achieve when the immigrant is made into “the other” by the country of reception.
In the last few years’ multiculturalism has become one of the most relevant and important principals of policymaking throughout the world. Many of todays’ governments incorporate multicultural policies in order to protect the rights of minorities. In the past many people viewed America as the melting pot of the world, a place where new immigrants would assimilate into society leaving behind their ethnic roots. There are many individuals who believe that multiculturalism has changed the political and social landscape in America. The popular belief is that the rise of multiculturalism has led to the disappearance of assimilation in America. In “The Melting Pot: Myth or Reality”, Richard Alba argues that although multiculturalism is on the rise
More focus into the ethnic groups is just another racial grouping on a different perspective. The increased competition for ethnic identity among ethnic groups is posing as a rediscovery of racial groups, in which ethnic groups are termed as majority or minority groups. However, the shift to ethnic group has shaped some characteristics of individuals that were previously coined in social differentiation according to race. One of the noticeable individual features that have been shaped is the aspect of mutual and collective interests, in which every member strives to protect common interests of the group e.g. human rights. I believe that racial and ethnic groups are things that will continue to exist from our past historical experiences. We can together wipe out the problem of discrimination and injustices based on ethnicity and racial differences, if we all strive towards cherishing social consciousness for one another as a one human race and freeing ourselves from the trappings of our racial and ethnic
American families are becoming more diverse every day. The merging ethnic diversity in our country is becoming more apparent daily as we see different people of different cultures becoming involved with each other. America is a melting pot. The influx of immigrants and with their varied cultural backgrounds was essential in molding America’s identity. The United States became a refuge for all those suffering persecution for political or personal beliefs. America has become a shelter for a wide variety of faiths and beliefs.
Multiculturalism is not a new phenomenon in the world. With the emergence of neoliberalism and the development of new technology followed by globalization, free trade between nations has accelerated the immigration process around the world, making a multicultural society inevitable in modern life. The United States of America is one of the world’s largest multicultural societies in which black African, white European, and Asian people live together, and all of them originally migrated to the region with different goals, cultures and religions. Historically, there is evidence of conflict between different groups within multicultural societies, but the emergence of the liberal system has produced more equality between all members of society regardless of their culture, religion and identity, thus minimizing conflict between new arrivals and the host population. With regard to the causes and consequences of the multicultural system and the extent to which it threatens or encourages the social unity of society, politicians, sociologists and economists have introduced a variety of opinions and arguments. This essay examines these different arguments about whether the system of multiculturalism works in practice and has the ability to mobilize all groups and cultures to rally around a specific system or merely separates them. It will also examine the possible consequences should social cohesion be threatened by multiculturalism.
As a nation of immigrants, the US population was characterized by multiplicity. For many years in history, the United States was likened to a “melting pot.” It meant that as immigrants from different regions and cultures came to live in the United States, their old ways of life melt away, and they became part of the American culture. The United States was thus compared to a big pot of soup that had bits of flavor from each different culture. In 2015, American immigrants currently comprise 13.3 percent of the nation 's total population, reaching the highest level in the nation in few decades, like Mexico, China or India. They brought with them their own language and cultures. Most of them were very keen to become Americans, and leave the old
...which has caused the changes in American culture in two centuries. It can be approached from many different views. Instead of America being a nation, we can redefine it as a multicultural society; or the lasting establishment of positive action for immigrants based on their race; or immigrant are seen as the big promoter of the America culture because they get into intermarriage relationship that expand their culture mix with American culture as the population increase. The Immigrant has been blamed of deterioration in education and environmental standards in areas dominated by Hispanics. At the turn of the century a wave of new immigrants Jews and Italians were believed to be too different to assimilate into American cultural life. Today the same fears are raised about immigrants’ from Asia and Latin America, as their counterparts were in previous historical time.
The United States is commonly known as a melting pot of nations, in which people from around the world have immigrated to form a homogeneous yet varied culture. Although we come from different ethnic groups, we are usually bound together through our common English language. This becomes an issue, however, when immigrants are not familiar with English and the American culture, and instead attempt to keep their own heritage alive. They are often torn between identities through language, the one they speak at home, which they are familiar with, and the one they must adhere to in public. Many others question identity due to how people view them and the vernacular that portrays them. This often leads to struggle and conflict on both sides, dealing with different cultures as well as how people react when assimilation occurs. Because of this, living in the United States often requires us to completely accept only one identity, even though hints of the other may spill over at times.
The proof that America has always been a melting pot is proven by its own history. Many American children learn in their
Most of the Americans hold to the principle of directness in which individuals are expected to communicate since it is the best way to be heard. Directness is important because it fosters the development in the American society (Connelly, 72). Identification of individuals based on their races does not embrace the principle of directness as they want their grievances addressed based on their races.
English- Only education makes emergent bilinguals feel stressed and unsuitable for education. By forcing students to be in a classroom where their first language is not spoken and have the added pressure of learning content, it is a recipe for failure for emergent bilinguals. Educators should view their classroom as a safe-haven where are different cultures can come to learn. By using english-only education, educators are taking that sense of diversity away from the classroom and implementing monolingualism. One of the reasons there is a lack of diversity awareness in schools is because of the schemes put in place by policy-makers. The United States has lacked in policies that truly enforce diversity in schools. Ovando explains the hypocrisy by stating, “Despite the alleged U.S. libertarian linguistic tradition, assimilationist and pluralist policies have each prevailed, often as surrogates for racist, classist, and religious prejudices.” Ovando 2003 p 2) Our nation needs to take a step away from the idea that our country is a melting pot. The term melting pot has a negative connotation because it refers to assimilating into one. By using English-only education, it is stripping away the cultural identity students and families in every school. Our nation should not want every child or every person to be exactly the same and to fit into the melting pot. Education should be the first
America, a country built on immigration dating back to the early 1600s Mayflower voyage, continues to thrive as a melting pot full of various cultures and ethnicities. In the past, many immigrants came to America due to the offered freedoms and equality, yet today, many naturalized citizens suffer with injustices, including with educational practices. The use of bilingual education, which teaches students in both English and their native language, has become a controversial topic. In 1968, the Bilingual Education Act, which recognized and offered education to students who were lacking English, was passed, yet the topic still seems questionable to some. Bilingual education provides a variety of beneficial attributes to help foreigners by improving their lives as native speakers, with education benefits, health benefits, and future opportunities.
America is a country founded on the qualities of many cultures from around the world. As people of this great nation, we have grown up experiencing a variety of languages and cultures. These varieties of languages and cultures founded, built, and fortified this nation. In this “melting pot” called the United States of America, one language has unified the communication of our country, and that is American English, our country’s primary language. As the United States has continued economic expansion, it continues to remain the destination for majority of the worlds' immigrants. Many people come to the United States seeking political and religious freedoms, while others come for better job opportunities, increased wages, and improved living conditions. With this steady growth of immigration, comes an increase in the diversity of languages, other than that of American English. This discrepancy in language differences has created somewhat of a controversy among the unity of our national, governmental, and educational systems. This controversy adversely affects every state in America, “currently, thirty-one states have declared English as their official Language” (U.S. English, Inc.). Figure 1 is a representation of the states shown in blue that have declared English as their official language. With the majority of the United States declaring English as their “official” language, as an American, I believe there should be a unifying, language standard for all to communicate; I too, believe the United States should declare English as the official, national language.