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Imigration

In the 1800’s and the early 1900’s, some people named America “the melting pot”. Thousands and thousands of immigrants from around the world were coming into the United States in hope of a better life. Most people imagined that all these different cultures were being poured into a giant pot called America, heated to a low boil and molded into one kind of person. If one steps back and thinks about this theory, it is not entirely true. In fact, it is not really true at all. If one takes a closer look at America today, one sees millions of people labeled Americans but not by how they act, what religions they practice and what kind of food they eat but where they are born. Many recent US immigrants try to keep their individual ethnic identity because it is a helpful tool in learning about their ancestors. At the same time they also understand that learning some aspects of American culture is very vital.

Nowadays, even within gateway cities that give the outward appearance of being multicultural. When describing the ethnic diversity of a bellwether mega city such as Los Angeles, many residents speak of the great mosaic of many people. Anna Quindlen, in her essay “Making the Mosaic”, states that all Americans are part of

Independently of the origin, all immigrants in order to succeed in America have to assimilate. It is very difficult to get a job or to operate a business without knowing American language and traditions. Without knowing the language the immigrants will not even pass the first job interview, or in case of business they will not be able to communicate with their customers, which will cause the drop in business. Language is the key issue for assimilating, and self-interest impels most foreign-born to learn American language quickly. Although when the immigrants come here hardly speaking any English, most recognize that learning English is the key to their economic success. A study of Southeastern Asian refugees in Houston found that fluent speakers earned almost three time as much money as those who only spoke a few words. If the immigrants are not aware of the Christmas tradition of exchanging gifts, they could end up in very uncomfortable situation during an office Christmas party. Knowing American tradition can help the immigrants to fell comfortable in a new country. While assimilating, the immigrants do adopt American cultural value, but most of them still believe that they should keep their cultural background as well. Even though keeping their own culture is very important to most of the immigrants, many of them do exempt from the trend. According to Linda Chavez “ even groups with strong traditions or religious prohibitions” seem to allow intermarriage. In her essay “What to Do about Immigration” Chavez states that fifty percent of American Jews marry non-Jews. The marriage with non-Jews does not prevent Jewish people from carrying on with their own ethnic identity.