We always think of America as the great melting pot. The place where cultures from all over the world become one. But is this actually true? Have we really all melted into one inseparable amalgamation of a nation?
It definitely didn’t start out as this. Gerstle explains how immigrants used to come to America as an opportunity to make money. They brought their skills from their homeland and used the industrial revolution to their advantage, making money for their families back home. Back home being the key word. They never thought of America as a home, it was just a place to pass through to make money. America became the “land of seperated men.” Immigrants wanted to remain separate. They even made schools in their own languages so their children wouldn’t be influenced by the Americans.
It was only once people started coming to America with the intention of staying that the idea of “americanization” came about. People were naturalized, voted, and started identifying themselves as Americans. But still, there was the concept of the hyphenated American. America still could not be considered a “motherland.” However, the World Wars fueled the idea of patriotism and being proud of your country. Cultures began to find a middle ground betweeen their ancestry and America, inserting their traditions into the normal, American life. Slowly, people began assimilating.
Despite society being more accepting of social diversity, people are assimilating now faster than ever. By the third generation, almost no kids will speak the mother language. Intermarriage is happening in much higher rates. People are proud to be simply “American.”
But perhaps this isn’t what we should be striving for. Perhaps part of the beauty of America was the fierce passion people had for their ethnic backgrounds. Is there really one “American culture” we’ll have once all other cultures disappear?
Questions:
-What does American culture mean?
-How do the other groups you identify with affect your perception of America?
-Will America ever be completely assimilated?
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