What is Cultural Assimilation? Cultural assimilation is defined as interpenetration and fusion of ethnic minorities into the dominant culture. In other cases, cultural assimilation perhaps that immigrants and members of ethnic group are expected to come to resemble the majority groups in terms of norms, values, and behaviors. Cultural assimilation is where majority group does not tolerated different ethnic or racial identities In general; cultural assimilation adopts the cultural norms and values of the dominant group such as learning the language of the most country or acquiring citizenship.
Therefore, immigrants discard their own traditions and beliefs and embrace the culture an identity of their new country. Cultural assimilation is basically a process by which a society of people is observed into a majority of people. During this process, the minority group often loses its cultural traditions language, foods, and even its major characteristics. Hence, cultural assimilation is when you blend or assimilate into the surrounding culture. It is when you adopt a culture as part of your own.
As culture being adapted to your own society, a world of assimilation involves. “American sociologists Niton Gordon have found out that there are three models of assimilation in the United States: Anglo conformity, melting pot and minority group has to accept the norms and values of superior groups. Melting pot describes as a society in which different ethnic groups from a new cultural play by Isarael Zangwill, which became a hit on Broadway in 1908. Finally, cultural pluralism described as a metaphor to the salad bowl ethnic and immigrant group retain to their own cultural identity. However, the plurality of religious traditions and cultures has come to characterize every part if the world today. “Pluralism is not diversity alone, but the energetic engagement diversity” (Eck 1) Today, religious diversity is a given, but pluralism is not a giver, it is an achievement. However, if there is any cultural amalgamation that people are driving for, it is a human culture of brotherhood, of beauty in difference, and of mutual understanding, acceptance and respect.
The results of melting pot are American citizens who become part of the history of people’s nation who bring their own individuals talents and culture to melt into this honorable and lovable society. “We are Asian American, Europe American, and African American. We are all Americans under the red, white, and blur flag.” (Parello 51) However, the transformation of immigrants has accomplished so many obstacles people faced to become unity and one. The immigrants of today come not from Europe but overwhelmingly from the sill developing of our world.
Certain groups are more prone to cultural assimilation, while others communities remain largely unassimilated. But despite the yearning of culture and languages, they desire and encouraged today to assimilate immigrants the melting to still holds a tremendous power on the national imagination the promise that all immigrants can be transformed into Americans, a new alloy forged in a crucible of democracy, freedom and civic responsibility. Although the ethnic stew and melting pot proves integrated evidence to establish the act of United States, nevertheless, the American dream would only accomplish under a tossed salad approach of assimilation.
The melting pot theory promotes unity among immigrants. Ascending of people become to stand together in unity, formal, and one whereas the cultural assimilation. An overhaul of American tradition is the movement that opposes acknowledging English as the United States common, founding language and establishing it as the one official language of the nation. An August 2012, Rasmussen survey found that 83 percent of likely voters felt that teaching immigrants English should be a higher priority rather than encouraging immigrants to retain their native culture. Perhaps that, all immigrants of pursuing the American Dream and that learning English enables them to improve their skills and earning power. Just like earlier immigrants, they have a responsibility to learn our nation’s languages and assimilate.
The melting pot theory allows immigrants to pay allegiance to America. Also, by and large the melting pot concept is based on realization of the need for a common language, subscription to a common set of broad, and allegiance to a common nation the United States of America. “With the exception of slavery, the melting pot concept worked well to assimilate immigrants into the mainstream of American society.” (Goetsch 2013) Immigrants from all over the world saw assimilation as the first step toward realizing the American dream. Assimilation has been a major issue for the United States because of the diversity of early settlers and the subsequent large immigration waves.
However, immigrants used to insist that their children learn to speak English and adopt American values. Later on, the federal government provides social, education, employment, health care and human services to most immigrants; immigrants can become US citizens through the naturalization process. However, the federal government has no culture. Later on, the result of the melting pot are American citizens who become part of the history of our nation, who become the defenders of our freedom and who bring their own individual talents and culture to melt into this great society.
The melting pot theory encourages intermarriage of ethnicities. Whereas multiculturalism equates with the respect shown the varied cultures and ethnic groups which have built the United States and which continue today to continue to its richness and diversity. Immigrants were expected to downplay their own particular ethnic heritage, traditions, and replace them with new American traditions and values. As the number of immigrants from Southern Eastern bloc European countries increased white Anglo Saxon Protestants began to feel that their values and lifestyle were threatened. As a result, immigration laws were changed since White Anglo Saxon Protestants, known as WASPS. Furthermore, assimilation as a goal is something that is almost unachievable by ethnic minorities, give the way race perceived in the United States for no matter what their economic or educational system, they cannot escape their skin color.
On the statue of liberty it reads “Give me your tired, you’re poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free….” The constitution of the United States starts with the words “We the People” Notice that, this is what our country is all about. The great land of ours has been attracting people from all over the world since its independence to the end of the Revolutionary war, the key to let people come together as we stand. It came to its land to live and to make better life for people. “We the people” are from Asia, Europe, South America, and from every corner of the world, we must become one, one nation above all. People have come and are still coming to this great country to become an America. (Victor 35) “This privilege of becoming a citizen should not be taken lightly. Becoming a citizen gives us the right to life, liberty, and pursuit of happiness this being our declaration of independence.
As the American society and culture gets its rich color and flavor its diversity, on the other hand, people are all American, but they come from different ethnic groups racial, religious, beliefs and customs. People were indeed of being unity. According to social historians, demographers and others studying the trends, will severely test the premise of the fabled melting pot, the idea, so central to national identity, that this country can transform people of every color and background into “One America.” More and more over again, the United States assimilate to become unity and one.
