8 Ethnic and Racial Assimilation in the United States文档格式.docx

8 Ethnic and Racial Assimilation in the United States文档格式.docx

《8 Ethnic and Racial Assimilation in the United States文档格式.docx》由会员分享，可在线阅读，更多相关《8 Ethnic and Racial Assimilation in the United States文档格式.docx（12页珍藏版）》请在冰豆网上搜索。

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