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Introduction
Cultural pluralism is accepting everyones right to economic and political opportunity and the right of every ethnic group to maintain its own identity (Olson 155). This term is used to refer to minor cultural groups in a big society maintain their cultural unique entities and the large society accepting some of the minor communities values and practices. United States is one of the states where cultural pluralism was well expressed due to the different immigrant cultural groups trying to maintain some of their ethnic and economic practices. The experiences that different racial and ethnic groups have gone through are a clear reflection of cultural pluralism in United States since 1890s to present. Some of the groups that are found in United States include Latinos, Russians, Asians, and Arabic speaking immigrants, African Americans, New Europeans and Native Americans among others. Cultural pluralism has resulted to the acceptance of an ideal American society where every ethnic groups rights and values are respected (Jon 245).
Thesis Statement
Most of the immigrants who came to Unites States had one mission in life; to better their lives. However they were faced with many challenges starting with discrimination and hence had hard time of being assimilated to the American culture a condition that made most of the groups to struggle hard to maintain their culture. Most of the minority groups in America faced tough challenges resulting to some of the groups dissolving their ethnic and cultural groups and adopting the American life styles. However, most of the minority groups were able to maintain and fight for their cultural and ethnic values and rights especially up to the beginning of World War 2 (Olson 165). The Unites States foundation of respecting all human rights also played key role in making pluralism the reality if life in United States despite the many challenges that most of the cultural and ethnic groups had to go through before their rights were recognized. Even after some of the eth ethnic groups being Americanized, they were able to survive as invisible ethnic groups since their rights were recognized and respected.
However after this the groups were struggling to be assimilated to the US resulting to the fading of cultural pluralism due to the racial and ethnic discrimination that had been ignited by the wars and the great depression effects. The post-1965 immigrants rekindle the cultural pluralism aspect again in the United States hence making pluralism a reality of life in the United States rather than assimilation. Some of the factors that resulted to the ignition of cultural pluralism after World War 2 are that most of the people who had participated in the WW2 had been enlightened about their civil rights and equality and were no willing to settle for second class citizenship. Several movements emerged such as the Nazi movements and the formation of Negro and Non Negro movements whose key aim was to ensure the rights of the different ethnic groups were respected instead of falsing them to be assimilated in the American culture.
Cultural Pluralism
Most of the immigrants who moved to United States where going to seek for employment. The first groups to come to United States were the Italians and Russian Jews. In addition to unemployment, another factor that resulted to Italian and Russian Jews emigration to US was the fast population growth rates experienced in their native homeland. To be able to Americanize these groups of immigrants and other groups that came up later, the Americans made it mandatory for all children under the age of 16 to attend school. This policy applied up to the 21st century since Americans believed its the only way they can Americanize the immigrants. Due to the introduction of the mandatory school attendance for all children under the age of 16, the Italians had to abandon some of their cultural practices and develop mutual aid societies to provide aid when there was need. Some of the Italians in some regions such as the east coats tried to maintain regional ties but the increasing number if immigrants arriving made it hard for the to maintain the ties. In addition the tainted images to due their association with crimes and their idea to maintain regional ties the Italians began to be discriminated especially in the 1920s. To cover up this bad accusations, they invented the Italian-American culture were they italized some of the English words a process that gradually made them to leave their Italian culture. Despite the fact that they tried to be assimilated to the American way of life, it is still evident that the assimilation was not compete but partial and that despite the efforts of the Americans to make this ethic group Americanized, they managed to fight for their ethnic rights to be respected and hence maintained pluralism.
Another group of immigrants that worked hard to maintain their cultural and ethnic values was the Jewish immigrants. One of their cultural values they wanted to retain was about their religion. They also wanted to maintain their history since they did not come from a common homeland. Their efforts to maintain their history resulted to the reflection of their fabulous ethnic diversity which included German Jews, Russian Jews and east European Jews (Ronald 172). However maintaining their ethnic diversity and religious beliefs was not an easy task as the Jews were terrorized and falsed to move from their villages. The Jews immigrants maintained their own economic identity of being business oriented which is still evident up to date. Despite the fact that the Jews assimilated some of the American culture, I still believe they hold into their cultural practices and only tried to change to avoid being mistreated by the Americans. After United States accepted the respecting of all ethnic groups rights through the implementation of civil rights for the minorities in American courts, the Jews were able to continue exercising their religious and ethnic rights a phenomenon that has contributed to economic pluralism becoming a reality of life in the United States.
During WW 1, the American were determined to make sure all ethnic groups were destroyed especially the majority German. This war affected different aspects of domestic life and resulted to rise of racism, ethnic attacks and escalated the fight for civil rights. To be successful in their ethnic attacks, the Americans ordered that all newspapers written in foreign languages such as Germany be taken to bureaucracy in Washington D.C for approval. In most cases by the time the news articles were approved, its contents were no longer news. Due to these restrictions, most of the newspapers written in Germany disappeared and most of the Germans tried hard to be assimilated to the American culture by changing their names, towns and their products name into English name. This resulted to the Germans fading to invisible ethnic groups. The discrimination and racism issues also resulted to the emergence of the Nazi Germanys a movement that was fighting for the rights of the Germans. This movement successfully managed to make the United States Government to respect the Germans ethnic values, political and economic rights hence maintaining pluralism a reality in United States despite the Americans efforts to ensure the minors are assimilated to their culture.
Several factors influenced the immigrants in American to leave their culture and be assimilated as Americans. Some of the factors that influenced them were the use of mass radios as media for showing the immigrants how its important to be Americanized so as to enjoy life with the happy white. In addition, Coney Island gave the immigrants an opportunity to be Americanized and leave their cultural practices. Hence in the 1920s there was great tensions for most of the immigrants on whether they should stay separate or accepted to be assimilated in to the American culture. Several activists played key role in awakening the cultures of different immigrants such as African American culture, Mexican American culture and the Japanese American culture. The activists showed the immigrants the need to be proud of their culture and to fight for their rights rather than accepting to be assimilated ion the American culture.
During the depression period in the 1930s there were mixed feeling towards cultural pluralism. Some of the American supported the presence of cultural pluralism while others were against it. However up to the end f the World War 1, and the depression period, the cultural pluralism still survived in America despite their efforts to Americanize the minority (Lesley 152).
The World War 2 was used by most of the immigrants as a stepping stone for fighting against racism at home and abroad. Its during this period that the African American immigrants demanded for fair employment practices least they match against the American a request that was granted. Cultural pluralism can be associated with the experiences different ethnic groups went through during this period. For ethnic groups that supported Americans during the war, they were fairly treated compared to immigrants of ethic groups that the Americans viewed as their enemies. Some of the immigrants during this era had to go through much discrimination and torture by the Americans as a way of proving their allegiance to the Americans especially the Japanese American immigrants.
After much struggle for the fight of each cultural rights on political, economic and the right to sustain cultural identity started to be achieved rather than the immigrants being falsed to be Americanized or assimilated to the American cultures.
Conclusion
The acceptance of an ideal American society where each ethnic group is given the rights to exercise its political and economical rights and the respecting each cultural difference has not been achieved easily (Jon 245). The different ethical cultural groups had to device mechanisms of maintaining their ethnic values and ensuring their political, economic and ethnic rights are respected; the key aspect of cultural pluralism. Some aspects such as racism and discrimination negatively affected the cultural pluralism in America resulting to some groups abandoning their cultural and political rights and embracing those of Americans. However since the post WW2, most of the ethnic groups in America have been trying hard to maintain their cultural pluralism and only be partially assimilated to the American culture.
Cultural pluralism could not be achieve in a non democratic society hence the reason why most of the ethnic groups in America had to go against their will and be assimilated to the Americans one as a way of showing loyalty. However as democratic aspects continue to be felt in the united states, most of the immigrants and the Americans started to respect the ethnic rights of the immigrants, cultural pluralism is fully turning out to be the order of the life in the united states especially since post 1965 immigrants arrival. The fact that American has been founded due to recognition of human rights has made cultural pluralism the reality of life in United States. It can hence be concluded that Pluralism reflects the experiences of racism and ethnic groups in the United States.
Work Cited
Jon, Gjerde (ed.), Major Problems in American Immigration and Ethnic History. Boston: Houghton Mifflin. 1998. 475 pages
Lesley, Kawaguchi. History 10 Reader. Santa Monica: College Press. 1990. 124-174 pages.
Olson, James, S. The Ethnic Dimension in American History, Third Edition. New York: St. martins 1977. 359 pages
Ronald, Takaki. A Larger Memory: A History of Our Diversity, with Voices. Little Brown and Co. 1998. 371 pages
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