Abstract This paper reviews Joyce D. Goodfriend's book, "Before the MeltingPot", and explains that the book highlights the fact that the story of American diversity and immigration did not begin in the 19th century but has its roots early on, before America even officially became 'America'. The paper discusses how Goodfriend's book is a potent reminder that America is a nation founded by immigrants and notes that the book pays particular attention to New York's Dutch population. The writer also notes what she believes to be one of the most interesting aspects of the book: Goodfriend's discussion of the importance of African-Americans in the development of the young New York City.
From the Paper "Goodfriend's analysis is a potent reminder of the fact that America is a nation founded by immigrants. Early New York City was made up of a heterogeneous blend of populations that came to the land's borders for different reasons. New York did not suddenly transform itself into a city divided into little Italy, of Eastern European Jewish and Chinese neighborhoods, rather it began as a blend of ethnicities, and even after the English government came to dominate its political life, the groups that had lived there before the English still kept their cultures alive. New York City had an unusually diverse ethnic makeup, with substantial numbers of Dutch, English, Scottish, Irish, French, German, and Jewish immigrants, as well as African-Americans who came as forced immigrants in the form of slaves."
Abstract Canada is internationally recognized as a culturally diverse nation that emphasizes the concept of ?The Mosaic?. No other country in the world encompasses inhabitants from so many different backgrounds who exhibit strong loyalty towards Canada, while still preserving their cultural heritage. This is contrasted to the American ideal of the "MeltingPot", which attempts to shape all of their citizens into a set mold. Canada's philosophy is believed to be more effective and respectful than that which is possessed by our American neighbours. The following discusses the advantages and disadvantages of both approaches, and analyzes the impact of the structures on each country's society.
From the Paper "Canada is world renown for being one of the most tolerant, welcoming, and democratic countries in the world - a dynamic mosaic of multiculturalism where people live and work together in harmony. Over the past 150 years, more than 14 million people have immigrated to Canada, with 16% of the 30 million citizens being first-generation immigrants. The Government of Canada is committed to a policy of diversity designed to preserve and enhance the multicultural heritage of Canadians, while striving to achieve equality in the economic, social, cultural and political aspects of Canada. In 1991, the Department of Multiculturalism and Citizenship conducted a survey, which revealed high levels of Canadian values and identity. Six out of ten interviewees portrayed a "deep emotional attachment to Canada" and 95% believe they can be proud of being a citizen and of their ancestry simultaneously. As a nation, Canada is continually becoming more diverse in its practices, which requires residents to expand their knowledge and appreciate other cultures."
Abstract The first part of the paper examines early studies regarding the concept of meltingpot and its effect on the early immigrants, particularly those from Europe. The second part then studies the experience of the new wave of immigrants who arrived since the 1960s, focusing on people from Asia. The last part of the paper then examines why the ?meltingpot? theory has failed to provide a uni-cultural America, in both instances.
From the Paper "In their seminal book Beyond the Melting Pot, Nathan Glazer and Daniel Patrick Moynihan posited that an "assimilating power of American society and culture operate(s) on immigrant groups"to make them?something they had not been.? This is the crux of the melting pot theory, where people of various ethnicities and cultures get swished together into the larger cauldron of American-ness. However, the authors themselves acknowledge that after decades of assimilation, ?the point of the melting pot is that it did not happen.? "
This paper discusses Wayson Choy's novel, "The Jade Peony" and how it reflects the racism in Canadian society rather than the multiculturalism the government tries to encourage.
900 words (approx. 3.6 pages), 2 sources, 2006, $ 35.95
Abstract Canada prides itself on being a tolerant, multicultural nation--a nation in which differences and diversity are seen as assets, not as problems. This image is in contrast to the American ideal, where the USA is seen as a giant meltingpot, in which diversity will be subsumed into a common American identity. However, how accurate is this image of Canada? This essay assesses how successful Canada has been at achieving an inclusive, non-discriminatory form of multiculturalism, which values diversity. The paper also uses Wayson Choy's novel, "The Jade Peony", about the Chinese experience in Vancouver, as a backdrop to the discussion.
From the Paper "In fact, Canada is a country in which there are complex layers of racism, reflecting the complexity of a society made up of so many different immigrant cultures. This can clearly be seen in Wayson Choy's The Jade Peony, a novel which reflects the Chinese experience in Vancouver. Canada is the only country in the world with an official policy of multiculturalism."
Abstract This paper examines the notion of multiculturalism in the United States. America has long been called "The MeltingPot" due to the fact that it is made up of a varied mix of races, cultures, and ethnicities. Therefore, a wide debate has begun over how to educate today's children. The paper presents different arguments, including teaching all children about all cultures, only their native culture, or only the present culture they live in. Pros and cons of these and several other possibilities are presented as well as compared. Methods of education are also discussed, such as how to go about teaching multiculturalism, and the benefits it offers teachers, students, parents, etc.
Abstract The following paper critically analyzes the concept of ?MeltingPot? which is a term that supposedly defines America as a land of the free and home to all cultures, races, and ancestries. The author makes reference to two journal articles which claim that "Americanness" is an idea that has always been linked with "Whiteness" and that "whiteness" can not exist, without something against which to define itself - "blackness".
From the paper:
?But in the 1960s and '70s, a more inclusive ideology was suggested -- "a stew" or "mixed salad" term was beginning to emerge as the American label. This term recognized that immigrants to America might maintain their distinct cultures, languages and traditions, their ethnicity or ancestry, while at the same time recognizing their ?Americanness.? (Chideya, 1999) While this term equally recognizes the presence of many different cultures, in my opinion, it doesn?t quite articulate the mixture and combing and cultures as it is in America.?
Tags: cultures, races, and ancestries assimilation ideology white black individual development
A discussion of the standard curriculum in American schools which does not address the needs of nor reflect the diversity of the vast majority of students.
Abstract This paper begins by describing to what extent America is a multicultural society and shows how this is clearly reflected in its student population. It then examines the standard American school curriculum and claims that even though America claims to be a meltingpot of society, it still needs to cater for the diverse ethnicities that live within its borders. The writer shows how this diversity is not reflected in the curriculum at all.
From the Paper "What exactly does multicultural education mean? What is the scope of such a broad topic? One definition states multicultural education is: ?The education philosophy and methodology aiming to replace a dominant cultural paradigm in the classroom with a multiplicity of views reflecting the students' cultural backgrounds.? James A. Banks writes: "Rather than excluding Western civilization from the curriculum, multiculturalists want a more truthful, complex, and diverse version of the West taught in the schools. They want the curriculum to describe the way in which African, Asian, and indigenous cultures have influenced and interacted with Western civilization." In its purest form, a multicultural education should account for and accommodate all the many peoples who have made America the great nation it is today."
Abstract This paper examines three works -"Blood Meridian" by C. McCarthy, "The Hunger Of Memory" by R. Rodriguez, and "Maus, vol. 1&2" by A. Spiegelmann. These authors all show that despite the idealistic notion that America is a cultural meltingpot, it is rather a battlefield of clashing ideas. The characters in each of these stories are examined for their experiences as immigrants and the hardships they entailed.
From the Paper "It does not take one long to realize the Maus is no ordinary kid's comic. The artwork may be in comic book style, but that is where the similarities end. Spiegelman reduces human social classes into three major categories. Some other minor categories exist, but there are three main ones, cats (the Nazis), mice (Jews), and pigs (the Poles). Reducing the three classes into animal forms accomplishes several things. First, the cats, mice, and pigs are small, they are miniature versions of the huge political powers that battled during World War II. He also used this to symbolize the attitudes that people have today about the survivors. Many listen to the stories and say that they did not happen at all, or pass it off as someone else in some other time. It occupies a small mouse-sized space in the minds of most people."
Examines the movies - Mira Nair's "Mississippi Masala", Spike Lee's "Do the Right Thing" and Brian De Palma's "Scarface" and how they each deal with the concept of American identity.
Abstract This paper shows how movies often deal with "American identity" and give audiences an opportunity to view the multi-faceted ethnicity of community-based ethics and interracial harmonies ? or lack thereof. America has become a meltingpot of cultures and beliefs that have had to fight off social stereotypes and fight against anglo-conformity. This paper shows how each of these directors have taken their audiences into the heart of ethnic racism in communities and the struggle some cultures face in order to survive against "Americanization" and the paradox of achieving their "American Dream".
From the Paper "Drawing on historical fact involving the North Miami refugee camps, including Freedom Town, and the social scene of the early 1980s, "Scarface" is a testimony to interracial struggles that continue today as well as the underworld element that still exists in the United States. This stereotype of "Chicano" drug cartels, "Pachuco" youths and gangs continues to plague many communities today, either through their attempts to co-exist with drug gangs, or through social ignorance."
Abstract This paper explores the economic and employment needs of the Hispanic immigrant population in the United States and examines whether this community receives equal rights and benefits as native and veteran American citizens. It looks at the rights especially of new immigrant Hispanic women workers and how they are very often abused and mis-treated in the job world. The paper provides many statistics and figures.
From the Paper "Hispanic women are treated poorly in America's workforce today. They are paid significantly less than others doing similar work. Indeed, a recent study indicated that Hispanic women make .52 cents for every dollar that White men make. (Bustamante, Pg 2) Even the most educated Hispanic women are not rewarded for their perseverance in education. The average income for a Hispanic woman with a college degree is less than the average for a White man with a high school degree. (Justification for Affirmative Action, Pg 1) In the eyes of corporate America, these women have two distinguishing factors which are held against them. The first is that they are Hispanic in origin and the second is that they are women. The combination of these two items make these individuals ripe for discrimination and prejudice in the workplace."
Abstract This paper relates Thomas Bell's late nineteenth century portrayal of life in Pittsburgh to the of a meltingpot, or gathering of immigrants of all shapes, sizes and cultures into one community. The late 19th century in Pittsburgh, much like anywhere in the U.S. during the time reflected an era of economic and social growth and change. This influx of people from so many different countries, with little skills and high hopes paved the way for low-paying labor. Thomas Bell's "Out of this Furnace" tells the story of three generations of Slovaks that moved to America, and the challenges they faced in the new land.
From the Paper "Djuro Kracha is a recent immigrant from Hungary in Bell's novel that desires more than anything to leave his native country and restart life in America. America became a melting pot because of immigrants such as Kracha. Many people flooded the U.S. during this time, from Hungary and other Eastern European countries, from Ireland, Mexico and China, all in the hopes of economic opportunity. Ethnically, socially and politically all of the people that came to live here were different. In Bell's novel, Djuro is the first member of his family to come to live in the U.S. Like many immigrants his initial struggles include working in a Steel Mill for terrible wages and long hours."
Tags: immigration, melting, pot, culture, labour, class, society
Abstract This is a paper on the topic of immigration and assimilation into the United States. The paper shows how Immigrants from the earliest times have accepted the culture, traditions and beliefs of the United States, yet they have managed to maintain their own identities and cultures as well.
Abstract This paper explains the nature of assimilation in American society. The author reviews ongoing patterns of immigration and assimilation.
From the Paper " Americans do share a common national identity at some level, but at the same time, different groups in American society have somewhat different perspectives on the degree to which they belong to the larger entity of America. America is often referred to as a melting pot, a reference that is meant to indicate the fact that so many different kinds of people have come here to join the larger American society. The virtue being promoted in this concept is the virtue of assimilation, and it was long felt that even if the first-generation immigrants were unable to assimilate fully because of linguistic or cultural differences that might emphasize their separate identity, their children would be fully assimilated and "Americanized." America is effectively a multicultural society which on the one hand benefits from an infusion of different beliefs, mores, and traits, while on the other hand suffering because many groups feel disaffected and inferior."
Abstract Doctorow's historical novel tells the story of a simpler time when families were stronger and defined a large and important part of American Victorian society. The paper discusses how the family in "Ragtime" is made up of misfits and dissidents, just as American society is made up of a wide variety of nationalities, outcasts, dissidents, and family units. The family in Doctorow's novel represents the meltingpot of American society, with all its good, evil, and misunderstandings.
From the Paper "Doctorow's work is set in 1902 in New Rochelle, New York. The family unit consists of Mother, Father, their little boy, and Mother's Younger Brother (and later the baby of washerwoman Sarah). The novel also follows the immigrant family of Mameh, Tateh, and their little girl. The lives of these two families, outrageous as it would have been at the time, slowly become intertwined, and they each experience some spectacular and dangerous times. The novel opens by introducing the New Rochelle family. It is clear they are well off, and they represent "normal" Victorian society of the day, but at the beginning of the 20th century, lives were in transition all around America, and that is what this family in transition represents. The family lives through some outlandish and quite amazing happenings, which all point to the changing Victorian mores in a society on the brink of war, the roaring 20s, and much more. As the two families become more blended together, Mother and Younger Brother become radicals, while Father goes off to the Arctic with Admiral Peary. Father represents many Americans, who could not come to terms with a changing world, and so, turn their back on it so their own, non-progressive lives will make any sense at all."
Tags: american, society, melting, pot, dream, family
This paper discusses the four most significant developments in American history from the colonial period through the Reconstruction era: The American Revolution, the Louisiana Purchase, the Civil War and the immigration from other countries.
Abstract This paper explains that the American Revolution secured America's freedom, and the Louisiana Purchase led to the great Westward Expansion and Lewis and Clark's expedition, giving enough room for the country to grow and to expand the economy with agriculture and natural resources found in the West. The author points out that the Civil War eventually ended slavery and was the catalyst for bringing the country back together after the South succeeded from the North. The paper relates that the fourth most important event of this period was the continued immigration of foreigners, which created the meltingpot culture of America.
From the Paper "The American Revolution showed that a young, vibrant people could take their destiny into their own hands, and indicated that the dictator type of monarchy was outmoded. The American Revolution helped the French create their own revolution, but more, it created a new and very different government "for the people, by the people." While that government has certainly altered throughout the years, the basic foundation is still there, and is still ruled predominately by the people, who enjoy freedoms that many in the world still do not. If the American Revolution had not occurred, then the American people might still be living under the rule of Great Britain, or we may have faced war with another imperialistic country bent on taking over the great promise that the country provides."
