Multiculturalism... Good or Bad?

The United States has always been a nation of immigrants, ever since the first immigrants arrived here in 1607. They encroached upon the territory of the Native Americans. Large groups of immigrants came from Great Britain, Germany, Ireland, Italy, and Poland. Also, large groups of Africans came unwillingly as slaves. As the United States annexed new territories, it also annexed new people: the French in Louisiana, the Hispanics in former Mexican territory and Puerto Rico, and the native people of Hawaii, Alaska, Guam, and American Samoa. Today, immigrants come here from all over the world in search of a better life. The majority of today's immigrants to the United States are Hispanics, with a large number of Asians as well. With them, they bring their cultures, languages, and customs. From the day they step foot on American soil, the process of transculturalism begins. For some, it is a slower process than for others. To a degree, we are a multicultural society that continually evolves with certain values at the core. We are a nation that values education, hard work, democracy, freedom of speech, the rule of law, and equal rights. The United States is a unique country that compares to no other. The culture here has been influenced by the various immigrant groups throughout the centuries.

The first article, Pithissippi Burning, talks about White Nationalism and the support for a White state composing the states of Washington, Oregon, and Idaho. Such an idea would probably never go very far; however, it does expose the xenophobia that exists among racist Whites. Weak-minded people can be led by influential people to feel that they are superior to others simply based on ethnicity. That is what happened during slavery and times of segregation here, the apartheid in South Africa, and the oppression of Jews in Nazi Germany. What begins as a feeling of superiority ends in the oppression of minorities. Here in the United States, we have overcome segregation; however, racism is still prevalent in today's society. The election of President Obama showed how some white people have progressed beyond racism while others have not. Around the time of his election, there was a rise in hate groups such as the KKK and the Neo Nazis. These people were furious that an African-American was elected president. These hate groups that claim that claim that Whites are superior are detrimental to progress in race relations. The article also claims that White America is coming to an end. If White America was an America where other races were oppressed, then perhaps it is best that it comes to an end. A more ideal America is one where race does not matter; where the color of skin does not determine success or failure.

In regards to the second article, Why Multiculturalism is Wrong, the system reflected upon is that of the Netherlands. The way multiculturalism was being done in the Netherlands was not the right way to do it. According to the article, people were expected to retain customs from their culture. The Netherlands government tried to preserve the culture of the immigrants there. I do not think that this is the right way to approach multiculturalism. The best way to approach multiculturalism is through tolerance and assimilation. Here in the United States, assimilation is not forced but expected. All of the immigrant students are sent to school and taught English. Outside of school, they may use their native language consistently. They also may have different values and customs than that of the average American. More than likely, there is a community of people of their nationality or ethnicity in the particular city where they reside. Here in the United States, multiculturalism is something tolerated, not imposed. When the government tries to control and impose multiculturalism, such as in the Netherlands, it does lead to problems because the immigrants are not encouraged to assimilate into society.

In the last article, The Challenge of Multiculturalism, the effect of multiculturalism on Social Studies classes is shown. The article claims that students are learning more and more about the historical contributions of minorities and less and less about those of European ancestry. Some school districts with high populations of African-Americans rejected a textbook from Houghton Mifflin despite the fact it that devoted many of its pages to contributions from minorities. My opinion on this is that the History taught in schools should be based on significant events in United States History. The fact about US History is that the major contributors up until the Civil Rights Movement were those of European ancestry. They occupied all of the positions of power in the government, army, and society. I believe that all students should learn the same thing in History class, regardless of whether or not the district has mostly Blacks or Whites. There cannot be an exclusively White, Black, Hispanic, Asian, or Native American History; however, contributions should be taught from each of the different ethnicities. Every student should know what life was like in the United States for those of all races. If they do not, they are only getting a narrow perspective of US History. Another thing mentioned in the article is whether or not students should be taught to be proud of the History of the US or not. I believe that students should make that judgment for themselves. Students should be taught the good with the bad. If the bad aspects of US History are not taught, history is doomed to repeat itself. The United States has a lot to be proud of: the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, Revolutionary War, the War of 1812, World Wars I and II, the Korean War, the Gulf War, the Civil Rights movement, and the fact that the United States is the most powerful country in the world. These should all be seen as sources of national pride. There are also certain shameful aspects of US History that also should be taught: slavery, segregation, the Trail of Tears, Chinese Exclusion, the treatment of Hispanics after annexation of Texas and other former Mexican states, and Japanese internment. We as a society must learn from these mistakes in order for them to not be repeated.

I have taught in three different schools. In the two schools that I taught at in Murfreesboro, I did not see any strong racial barriers; however, I did notice that at lunch I would see Whites with Whites, Blacks with Blacks, and Hispanics with Hispanics. In most cases, the small amount of Asians would gravitate towards the Whites. In the hallways, one would typically see the same thing. In the classroom, the barriers were lower. Students of all races interacted more with each other. In the school that I taught at in Nashville, I had a class in which half of the students were Hispanic and the other half were Black. The Hispanics mostly used Spanish in class, and did not interact much with the Blacks. Whenever there were interactions between the two groups, they were typically friendly. Some of the English-speaking Hispanics interacted more with the Blacks. Just as I had seen in other schools, students typically associated with their own race in the hallways and the cafeteria. I hope to see more integration between different races in the future. The good thing is that there is more integration between the races than there has ever been before.

To conclude, I believe that multiculturalism can be good if it is approached the right way. I consider the United States to be one of the most multicultural and most culturally tolerant nations in the world. We function as many cultures in one. Today, music produced by African-Americans is listened to by many Whites. Michael Jackson's death was mourned around the world. People of all ethnicities and nationalities listened to or knew of his music. An African-American is the President. A Vietnamese-American was elected to the House of Representatives in a largely Black district in Louisiana. In just about any town in the United States, you can find Mexican, Chinese, or Italian restaurants. Also, in more and more towns, you can find communities of Hispanic or Asian immigrants. For them, the process of transculturalism has begun. They are bringing cultural values from their countries here, while adapting to those of the United States. The best thing for this country is to respect different cultures and allow those cultures to contribute to the melting pot of the United States. We must continue to function as many cultures in one.