For decades, the United States has been identified as a very socially complicated country. Sometimes, it is remarkably violent irrespective of the fact that it is overtly religious. The United States is extremely dedicated to freedom.
Moreover, it is recognized for having an extremely anti- democratic society until the mid- twentieth century. United States’ national identity is faced with endless complexities. This paper is aimed at discussing a contradictory aspect of United States national identity, elaborating its existence, and the way in which US can solve it.
Racism and Ethnicity
Racism is a huge national tragedy globally. One of the oldest things, globally, is tribes’ mutual antipathy. It is also important to note that the planet’s history is notorious for mixing people (Citrin, Cara and Brian 88). Mass migrations lead to mass antagonisms. When people from different regions come together, a key instinctive human reaction is fear for each other.
In the United States, there are people from various ethnic origins. These people speak different tongues and religions, but have converged at a similar geographical locality and are ruled by a similar political sovereignty.
Unless such people have been brought together by a similar purpose that unites them, they are likely to be drawn apart as a result of tribal hostilities. In the United States, racial and ethnic conflict has taken the place of ideologies’ conflict.
For instance, the Anglo- Americans took over the politics and culture in American for a long time. This was not what everybody wished for. However, irrespective of how terribly the nonwhite Americans were treated, they had a dire desire to contribute in coming up with a national identity. As 3rd class members, they contributed in giving America a novel identity, which was characterized by new flavor and form (Bellah 4).
The Europeans in the United States wanted to think of themselves as Americans, and forget about the awful past they had experienced. By having the desire to be Americans, their goal was being assimilated, delivered, and escape from hostilities.
To them, America was a nation that was willing to be transformed, forget about yesterday, and come up with an exceptional national character. This character was founded on similar shared occurrences and political ideals.
Reasons why there is Racism and Ethnicity in US
The end of the Cold War marked the termination of ideological conflicts. However, it was not the end of history. It was a form of hatred which after ending, paved way for another kind of hatred. A close analysis of the ideological repression in many parts of Europe gives evidence of ethnic antagonisms (Huntington 7).
These antagonisms have deep roots in memory and experience. By the concept of 3rd world countries lacking ideological competition, limitations from superpowers are removed on group and countrywide confrontations. At the end of ideological conflict period, humanity finds itself in another extremely grave era of ethnic and national hostility.
Not only the end of the Cold War that can be said to have resulted to racism and ethnicity in the United States, several other factors are responsible for leading to mass migrations in various national frontiers.
This consequently led to mixing people on a large scale basis (Schlesinger 285). The mass migration has been as a result of development of quicker transport and communication means, the termination of contemporary social structures, and presence of poverty and need.
Reconciliation
It is worth noting that the struggle to unite the nation is not a burden for the minorities alone. Integration and assimilation have to be experienced from both sides. Inhabitants in America should be ready to welcome and receive new comers. The United States possesses an extremely brilliant strategy for solving the inherent multiethnic societys’ divisibility.
The United States aims at coming up with a national identity that is brand- novel. It will be postulated by people who terminate their old loyalties and come together to initiate novel lives. Through this way, they have been successful in getting rid of ethnic differences (Schuck 82).
Through the new identity, America focuses on preserving old cultures, and forging a novel American culture. Since the Revolution time, American prides in a solid national creed. The powerful national identity sense is accountable for the success in bringing the various ethnicities and races together.
In essence, racism was an evil that resulted to great failures in American. It brought about differences in ideals and is still a grave disease that ought to be eliminated at all costs. The new identity should also be strengthened through other means. For instance, there is a need to strengthen public education since it enhances jubilation, strength, protection, and perpetuates ethnic identities and originalities.
Works Cited
Bellah, Robert. “Civil Religion in America.” Journal of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences 96.1 (1967): 1-21. Print.
Citrin, Jack, Cara Wong, and Brian Duff. “The meaning of American national identity.” Social identity, intergroup conflict, and conflict reduction (2001): 71-100.
Huntington, Samuel. Who Are We?: The Challenges to America’s National Identity. New York: Simon & Schuster, 2005. Print.
Schlesinger, Arthur. “The Disuniting of America.” The World & 1 36 (1992): 279- 295. Print.
Schuck, Peter. Understanding America: The Anatomy of an Exceptional Nation. London: Public Affairs, 2009. Print.