8 Ethnic and Racial Assimilation in the United States.docx

8 Ethnic and Racial Assimilation in the United States.docx

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8EthnicandRacialAssimilationintheUnitedStates

Chapter8EthnicandRacialAssimilationintheUnitedStates

Sointhiscontinent,theenergyofIrish,Germans,Swedes,PolesandalltheEuropeantribes,oftheAfricans,andofthePolynesians---willconstructanewrace,anewreligion,anewstate.

RalphWaldoEmerson

BeforeYouRead

1.Howdidpeoplefromsomanydifferentcountriescreatethe"Americanculture"intheUnitedStates?

2.WhatgrouphadthestrongestinfluenceonshapingthedominantAmericanculture?

3.WhydoyouthinksomegroupsmightassimilatetotheAmericanculturemorethanothers?

4.WhatdoyouknowaboutthehistoryofAfrican-AmericansintheUnitedStates?

MeltingPotorSaladBowl

ThepopulationoftheUnitedStatesincludesalargevarietyofethnicgroupscomingfrommanyraces,nationalities,andreligions.Theprocessbywhichthesemanygroupshavebeenmadeapartofacommonculturallifewithcommonlysharedvaluesiscalledassimilation.ScholarsdisagreeastotheextenttowhichassimilationhasoccurredintheUnitedStates.AswementionedinChapter1,somehavedescribedtheUnitedStatesasa"meltingpot"wherevariousracialandethnicgroupshavebeencombinedintooneculture.OthersareinclinedtoseetheUnitedStatesasa"saladbowl"wherethevariousgroupshaveremainedsomewhatdistinctanddifferentfromoneanother,creatingarichlydiversecountry.

Thetruthprobablyliessomewherebetweenthesetwoviews.Since1776,.anenormousamountofracialandethnicassimilationhastakenplaceintheUnitedStates,yetsomegroupscontinuetofeelastrongsenseofseparatenessfromthecultureasawhole.Manyofthesegroupsarereallybicultural.Thatis,theyconsiderthemselvesAmericans,buttheyalsowishtoretainthelanguageandtheculturaltraditionsoftheiroriginalculture.

PeopleofHispanicoriginwereontheNorthAmericancontinentbeforesettlersarrivedfromEuropeintheearly1600s.InFloridaandtheSouthwest,therewereSpanishandLatinAmericansettlementsestablishedcenturiesbeforethethirteencoloniesjoinedtogethertoformtheUnitedStatesinthelate1700s.Becauseoftheirlonghistoryandthecontinuedinfluxofnewcomersintotheestablishedcommunities,manyHispanics,orLatinos,havetakenaspecialprideinmaintainingtheirculturaltraditionsandtheuseoftheSpanishlanguage.

Generallyspeaking,overtheyearswhitesfromdifferentnationalandreligiousbackgroundshavebeengraduallyassimilatedintothelargerAmericanculture,withsomeexceptions.Forexample,AmericanJewsareonegroupofwhiteswhohavetraditionallyretainedastrongsenseofseparatenessfromthelargerculture.ThismaybearesultofthelonghistoryofpersecutionintheChristiancountriesinEurope,theweakerformsofdiscriminationandanti-JewishfeelingthatexistintheUnitedStates,andtheirownstrongfeelingofethnicpride.Yetalongwiththeirsenseofseparateness,AmericanJewshaveastrongsenseofbeingapartofthelargerAmericancultureinwhichtheyhaveachievedcompetitivesuccessinalmosteveryfield.

TheEstablishmentoftheDominantCulture

Thefirstcensusofthenewnation,conductedin1790,countedaboutfourmillionpeople,mostofwhomwerewhite.Ofthewhitecitizens,morethan8outof10tracedtheirancestrybacktoEngland.African-Americansmadeupasurprising20percentofthepopulation,anall-timehigh.Therewerecloseto700,000slavesandabout60,000"freeNegroes."OnlyafewNativeAmericanIndianswhopaidtaxeswereincludedinthecensuscount,butthetotalNativeAmericanpopulationwasprobablyaboutonemillion.

Itwasthewhitepopulationthathadthegreaternumbers,themoney,andthepoliticalpowerinthenewnation,andthereforethismajoritysoondefinedwhatthedominantculturewouldbe.AtthetimeoftheAmericanRevolution,thewhitepopulationwaslargelyEnglishinorigin,Protestant,andmiddleclass.SuchAmericansaresometimesreferredtoasWASPs（WhiteAnglo-SaxonProtestants）.Theircharacteristicsbecamethestandardforjudgingothergroups.Thosehavingadifferentreligion（suchastheIrishCatholics）,orthosespeakingadifferentlanguage（suchastheGermans,Dutch,andSwedes）,wereintheminorityandwouldbedisadvantagedunlesstheybecameassimilated.Inthelate1700s,thisassimilationoccurredwithoutgreatdifficulty.AccordingtohistoriansAllanNevinsandHenrySteeleCommager,"English,Irish,German,...Dutch,Swedish—mingledandintermarriedwithlittlethoughtofanydifference."

ThedominantAmericanculturethatgrewoutofthenation'searlyhistory,then,wasEnglish-speaking,WesternEuropean,Protestant,andmiddleclassincharacter.Itwasthisdominantculturethatestablishedwhatbecamethetraditionalvalues,describedbydeTocquevilleintheearly1830s.Immigrantswiththesecharacteristicswerewelcome,inpartbecauseAmericansbelievedthatthesenewcomerswouldprobablygivestrongsupporttothebasicvaluesofthedominantculturesuchasfreedom,equalityofopportunity,andthedesiretoworkhardforahighermaterialstandardofliving.

TheAssimilationofNon-ProtestantandNon-WesternEuropeans

Asisthecaseinmanycultures,thedegreetowhichaminoritygroupwasseenasdifferentfromthecharacteristicsofthedominantmajoritydeterminedtheextentofthatgroup'sacceptance.Althoughimmigrantswhowereliketheearliersettlerswereaccepted,thosewithsignificantlydifferentcharacteristicstendedtobeviewedasathreattotraditionalAmericanvaluesandwayoflife.

Thiswasparticularlytrueoftheimmigrantswhoarrivedbythemillionsduringthelate19thandearly20thcenturies.Mostofthemcamefrompoverty-strickennationsofsouthernandeasternEurope.TheyspokelanguagesotherthanEnglish,andlargenumbersofthemwereCatholicsorJews.

Americansatthetimewereveryfearfulofthisnewfloodofimmigrants.TheywereafraidthatthesepeopleweresoaccustomedtolivesofpovertyanddependencethattheywouldnotunderstandsuchtraditionalAmericanvaluesasfreedom,self-reliance,andcompetition.Thereweresomanynewimmigrantsthattheymightevenchangethebasicvaluesofthenationinundesirableways.

AmericanstriedtomeetwhattheysawasathreattotheirvaluesbyofferingEnglishinstructionforthenewimmigrantsandcitizenshipclassestoteachthembasicAmericanbeliefs.Theimmigrants,however,oftenfeltthattheirAmericanteachersdisapprovedofthetraditionsoftheirhomeland.Moreover,learningaboutAmericanvaluesgavethemlittlehelpinmeetingtheirmostimportantneedssuchasemployment,food,andaplacetolive.

Farmorehelpfultothenewimmigrantswerethe"politicalbosses"ofthelargercitiesofthenortheasternUnitedStates,wheremostoftheimmigrantsfirstarrived.Thosebossessawtomanyofthepracticalneedsoftheimmigrantsandweremoreacceptingofthedifferenthomelandtraditions.Inexchangefortheirhelp,thepoliticalbossesexpectedtheimmigrantstokeeptheminpowerbyvotingfortheminelections.

ManyAmericansstronglydisapprovedofthepoliticalbosses.Thiswaspartlybecausethebosseswerefrequentlycorrupt;thatis,theyoftenstolemoneyfromthecitygovernmentstheycontrolledandengagedinotherillegalpractices.PerhapsmoreimportanttodisapprovingAmericans,however,wasthefactthatthebossesseemedtobedestroyingsuchbasicAmericanvaluesasself-relianceandcompetition.

Thebosses,itseemed,wereteachingtheimmigrantstobedependentonthemratherthantorelyonthemselves.Moreover,thebosseswere"buying"thevotesoftheimmigrantsinordertogivethemselvesamonopolyofpoliticalpowerinmanylargercities.Thispracticedestroyedcompetitionforpoliticaloffice,whichAmericansviewedasanimportanttraditioninpoliticsjustasitwasinotherfacetsofAmericanlife.

Despitethesecriticisms,manyscholarsbelievethatthepoliticalbossesperformedanimportantfunctioninthelate19thandearly20thcenturies.TheyhelpedtoassimilatelargenumbersofnewimmigrantsintothelargerAmericanculturebyfindingthemjobsandhousing,inreturnfortheirpoliticalsupport.Laterthebossesalsohelpedthesonsanddaughtersoftheseimmigrantstofindemployment,butthesecondgenerationusuallyhadtheadvantageofgrowingupspeakingEnglish.

ThefactthattheUnitedStateshadarapidlyexpandingeconomyattheturnofthecenturymadeitpossibleforthesenewimmigrants,oftenwiththehelpofthebosses,tobettertheirstandardoflivingintheUnitedStates.Asaresultofthesenewopportunitiesandnewrewards,immigrantscametoacceptmostofthevaluesofthelargerAmericancultureandwereinturnacceptedbythegreatmajorityofAmericans.Forwhiteethnicgroups,therefore,itisgenerallytruethattheirfeelingofbeingapartofthelargerculture—thatis,American—isusuallystrongerthantheirfeelingofbelongingtoaseparateethnicgroup—Irish,Italian,andPolish,amongmanyothers.

TheAfrican-AmericanExperience

TheprocessofassimilationintheUnitedStateshasbeenmuchmoresuccessfulforwhiteethnicgroupsthanfornonwhiteethnicgroups.Ofthenonwhiteethnicgroups,AmericansofAfricandescenthavehadthegreatestdifficultyinbecomingassimilatedintothelargerculture.African-AmericanswerebroughttotheUnitedStatesagainsttheirwilltobesoldasslaves.ExceptfortheNativeAmericanIndiantribeswhoinhabitedtheUnitedStatesbeforethefirstwhitesettlersarrived,otherethnicgroupscametoAmericavoluntarily—mostasimmigrantswhowantedtobettertheirlivingconditions.

TheenslavementofAfrican-AmericansintheUnitedStateswasacompletecontradi