Abstract
The process that led to the formation of the United States is more of a salad bowl than a melting pot; ethnic communities were not softly absorbed to the umbrella of American culture, but they rather coexisted in their individual identities, like ingredients of salad on a plate. The struggle of the African American is pinned on his slavery and the fact that he was sold to America for labor. It has been very hard for the African American to get assimilated, and the situation is still dire today, as racism is still rife. The underrepresentation in the Congress has further alienated the minority groups, leading to the development of micro-cultures that range from being innovative to those which have high crime levels. The immigrants of Europe received favorable treatment for their closeness to the white people, and the demands that were put on them were easier to be met, compared to the situation of the African American and the Latinos.
Introduction
The United Stated of America has arguably the most diverse society in the world, mainly because the nation came up as an amalgamation of different states, and secondly because most of the people came to America as immigrants. The coexistence of the different ethnicities and races is thought as a middle point between a melting point and a salad bowl. That means most cultures mixed up forming a completely new culture, but there are many aspects of the individual cultures still, especially with the Latinos and Hispanics. The following paragraphs will offer a summary and response of chapter 8, Ethics and Racial Diversity in the United States. .
Summary
The rise of the whites as a dominant culture can be traced back to the 18th century when the first census was done. It revealed that there were 4 million people in the United States, though the fact that the whites controlled the census system and the resources might have skewed the results, or ignored the numbers of the black people who worked as slaves. Also, immigrants from Europe, especially the Jews and Catholics, flew to America during the religious struggles.
The acceptance of new communities depended on their closeness to the white population, either by language or culture. That explains the struggles of the Africa Americans, and the fact that they were sold as slaves to Americans against their will did not help issues. When slavery was abolished in 1860’s, challenges continued to follow the Africa Americans and later, even when the civil rights movement was led by Malcolm X and Martin Luther Jr, the question remained. Malcolm favored a complete separation of the white from the black people, rejecting the idea of assimilation. Even today, the black people are still under-represented in the congress and the senate.
Response
America does not depict an assimilation of cultures, but rather a kind of a forced submission to a set list of values and aspects of culture like language. The immigrants from Europe, who did not understand and speak English, were forcefully enrolled in English classes. The difference in the treatment of the immigrants (especially comparing white, Latino and African immigrants) was occasioned by a common distaste or a lack of a common factor between that ethnic group and the white Americans. Therefore, the process of making America a nation was not a naturalistic approach that gave different groups a choice to become American, but rather a multi-layered formula that forced these ethnic groups to adopt the ways of the white people while keeping their internal cultural practices within their circles (Perlmann).
The war between the North and South led to the freedom of slaves in the 1860’s, simply because the North thought that the idea of a free America could not be achieved if the Africa Americans were still enslaved on paper. Even today, the black American has not been assimilated into the American culture due to the constant discrimination they face. Instead, the African-American has remained a distinct individual from the rest of the Americans, due to the history of slavery and the individualistic struggle that is slowed by a lack of opportunities (Dawson).
Works Cited
Dawson, Gail. “Partial Inclusion and Biculturalism of African Americans.” Equal Opportunities International 25.6 (2006): 433–449. Web.
Perlmann, Joel. “The Romance of Assimilation: Studying the Demographic Outcomes of Ethnic Intermarriage in American History.” SSRN Electronic Journal (n.d.): n.pag. Web.
