E Pluribus Unum Research Paper

For many decades the history of the United States and immigration has always been a very talked about topic of debate. Many Americans did not like the collision that immigrants would have upon the native-born American people, while others welcomed the flow of people as adding to America’s multiculturalism of difference. According to Immigration: Good or Bad for America (2016), a large amount of immigrants try to enter the U.S. borders without proper documentation, in this manner being labeled as illegal immigrants. In addition, the United States unusual position as a nation of immigrants is being questioned by

The United States has been a host to a wide diaspora of people. Immigrants have had to transition from their familiar land to a new-fashioned foreign land that they must consider home. They bring with them the essence of their initial homeland such as customs, traditions and beliefs that inadvertently change the dynamics of culture within the United States. As a result the United States is an extremely culturally diverse nation. The continual changes or accretions that Americans encounter have always been a controversial topic depending on the experiences of individuals and communities that have immigrant populations. This essay will critically explore

It is expected that ultimately there will be a loss of ethnic distinctiveness for immigrants in the U.S., meaning the lack of attachment to the country of origin. (Golash-Boza, 2006) It is argued that all ethnic distinctiveness will no longer exist by the seventh or eighth generations. Before exploring the influence of foreign born vs. U.S. born parents on their children’s cultural assimilation; the different theories of assimilation will be explored. The idea of Assimilation came about in the early 20th century. (Golash-Boza, 2006) Assimilation is surrounded by two theories, the first that all immigrants will assimilate sooner or later and that the generational status of the individual is one of the main factors in determining the

Immigrating to America is a process in which many people all across the world entrust as their one way ticket to a better life. Whether they do so legally or illegally, coming to the United States ensures better opportunities, economically, politically, and so on, to people who would have otherwise been worse off in their countries of origin. Even so, the common understanding of being “better off” can be considered a misconstrued concept when it comes to living in the states. Many families that choose to immigrate to the U.S. fail to realize the cultural hardships that newcomers tend to face once on American soil. Anything from racial discrimination or bias at work, in neighborhoods, at school, etc., can all be challenges that people encounter when making a move to the U.S. Such challenges are described by Richard Rodriquez in his autobiography Hunger of Memory. In this passage, he explains how cultural differences between Mexican and American ways of life have shaped him into the person that he is today. He also chooses to highlights the problems that he faces growing up in a predominately white neighborhood, while attending a predominantly white institution. Much of his writing consists of the cultural differences and pressures he feels to assimilate to Western culture and how this process, in turn, changes him into the person that some may find to be unethical, but nonetheless, someone he is proud of.

When the thirteen colonies signed the Declaration of Independence in 1776 and became the United States of America, an international spotlight was drawn widely onto the new country. Because of this, many people from various regions of the world attempted to migrate to the United States. However, it is evident that in the early years of the new nation, it tended to exhibit xenophobic tendencies towards many nations surrounding it; this is made manifest in the 1894 political cartoon “Miss Columbia’s Schoolhouse” (Document 1). By the near turn of the century, thousands of inhabitants of various nations had migrated to the United States in a hope to escape the poor conditions of their home countries and to find opportunity in the United States. Unfortunately for the migrants, the Americans did not appreciate their presence despite the visions of the founding fathers’ hopes of the United States being a ‘melting pot’ as some would call it. In the political cartoon, Miss Columbia’s Schoolhouse is precisely this, a veritable melting pot of various cultures, but it has turned out to be far from what it was expected to be. Every individual except for Miss Columbia is seen as being indigent, barbaric, and uncivilized. Miss Columbia herself, seen as a strong embodiment of American values of freedom and democracy, is considerably larger when compared to the “others” surrounding her. It is evident through this visual appeal that American perceptions of others were that outsiders were in

In the United States, the cliché of a nation of immigrants is often invoked. Indeed, very few Americans can trace their ancestry to what is now the United States, and the origins of its immigrants have changed many times in American history. Despite the identity of an immigrant nation, changes in the origins of immigrants have often been met with resistance. What began with white, western European settlers fleeing religious persecution morphed into a multicultural nation as immigrants from countries across the globe came to the U.S. in increasing numbers. Like the colonial immigrants before them, these new immigrants sailed to the Americas to gain freedom, flee poverty and

“We are nation of immigrants. Some came here willingly, some unwillingly. Nonetheless, we are immigrants, or the descendants of immigrants, one, and all. Even the natives came from somewhere else, originally. All of the people who come to this country come for freedom, or for some product of that extraordinary, illusory condition. That is what we offer here—freedom and opportunity in a land of relative plenty.” (Middletown Journal 2005)

Immigrants’ refusal to appreciate a fused culture promotes division. Mukherjee questions the idea of immigrants losing their culture for American ideals: “Parents express rage or despair at their U.S.-born children's forgetting of, or indifference to, some aspects of Indian culture,” to that Mukherjee asks, “Is it so terrible that our children are discovering or are inventing homelands for themselves?” (Mukherjee, 1997, para. 28). Many immigrants experience anger when their children no longer hold the ideals of their home country. This tension produced within the household hinders the unity within a resident country’s culture and encourages division within families. Using herself as an example, Mukherjee provides another instance of anger directed at her from her own subculture: “They direct their rage at me because, by becoming a U.S.

The United States of America is and always will be a haven of diversity in this world. From the opening of Ellis Island, with many immigrants yearning for shelter, to the modern-day process of becoming a citizen, people of countless origins, cultures, and nationalities have flocked to America, creating the greatest melting pot of diversity on the planet. However, one key origin of this peaceful coexistence can often be overlooked. Rather than from immigration, the unique mindset that America is a land of differences was born not long after the first settlers stepped off their vessels in the Chesapeake Bay and Plymouth Harbor. The people from these two ships established two colonies so vastly different from each

Throughout history many ethnic cliques have experienced abuse and distrust from our American society. The people in America seem to be less understanding, and less willing to accept cultures different from their own, at least years ago. Groups such as the Indians, the African Americans, and the Immigrants, fall deeply into this category. The situations and struggles they have gone through are greatly explained in Ronald Takaki’s novel, “A Different Mirror, A History of a Multicultural America.” Although they have experienced a lot, particular financial and social configuration have changed, helping change our perspective of each civilization, for better or even worse.

Along with its economic classes, American is known for its freedom, its liberty, and the melting pot of ethnicity. This ethnic diversity comes form the immigrant population in the country. However this perfect country is a major falsehood. These untrue ideals of harmony, freedom, success, and equality are deceptive and do not show the struggles that immigrants face when coming to this class dominated country. The immigrants of today do not come from just Europe, but overwhelmingly from Asia and Latin America. “They are driving a demographic shift so rapid that within the lifetimes of today 's teenagers, no one ethnic group – including whites of European descent – will comprise a majority of the nation 's population’ (Colombo, Cullen, Lisle). These immigrants challenge the social myth that everyone has an equal chance in life. They

Why does the issue of immigration divide American opinions when the United States is a country built by immigrants? The online encyclopedia http://en.wikipedia.org defines immigration to the United States as "the permanent movement of foreigners to the United States." This online encyclopedia also states that immigration to the United States has been a major source of population growth and cultural change throughout American history." In order to establish an objective and well thought out the viewpoint on this very sensitive subject, I thought it would be best to discuss as many different viewpoints as possible. However, my research indicates that seems like everyone in the United States and abroad has his or her own stance. So I will

Most Americans place their pride in being apart of a country where a man can start at the bottom and work his way to the top. We also stress the fact that we are “all created equal” with “certain unalienable rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness.” (Jefferson 45) During the early 1900s white Americans picked and chose who they saw fit to live in America and become an American. “Those that separate the desirable from the undesirable citizen or neighbor are individual rather than race.”

In the texts “Legal Alien”, “Two Ways to Belong in America”, and “Every Day Use” a person’s culture is shown to affect the way they view others and the world until they have social interactions with a different culture. In “Two Ways to Belong in America,” a personal essay by Baharti Mukherjee, there are two Indian sisters, Baharti and Mira, their culture guides their choices before the come to America. Once they intermingle with American culture the choices they make become their own. “Like well-raised sisters we never said what was really on our minds…” (Mukherjee 90).

Immigration is a controversial topic that has impacted our society for decades perplexed by policies media coverage, perceptions based on one’s own lack of knowledge, personal experiences and a host of other factors that influence how our society views immigrants and immigration policies. The United States is a diverse population of people and filled with experiences that come from various walks of life that contribute to enhancing our social culture, economic development, and cultural acceptance.