Assimilation of Cultures throughout Americas’ History Telling about the many stories about immigration and all its changes would take forever. Instead of this, let’s look at the places and stories of immigrants from mid 17th century to the present and compare the changes, the types of cultures, and how these cultures were accepted in the USA throughout the years. The first question that comes to mind from of immigration: Why did people want to come to the United States? From the mid 17th century it was mostly by word of mouth and through letters. Later it became important for the shipping companies who transported the immigrants, they made the most money through advertisement in newspapers and using leaflets. The word from the people that made it to the United States was that it was a way to a new beginning in life, the opportunities were great, land was cheap and there were jobs. The streets were lined with gold. So many jobs, they could not fill them fast enough. This attracted people by the thousands. Before Ellis Island was built in the late 19th century, the states handled immigration. One had to have a sponsor to enter the United States. They could do this rather easily and without much cost. The laws weren’t stiff and most people at that time were people of money who traveled back and forth from Europe to the United States many times, bringing relatives back with them. Every time a person made the trip, the word was spread about the wonderful opportunities and freedoms in the United States. This would lead to the largest migration to America. Over twenty million people entered America over a six-decade period of time. Then came the building of Ellis Island after the government of The United States decided to take full authority of immigration. The trip from Europe to America and the stay at Ellis Island is what is so amazing to our history, the standard became higher. Oh, but not those of a lot of money, they went to the front of the line. A start of cultures colliding was taking place. Castle Garden was the predecessor of Ellis Island, it became the first formal receiving area anywhere in the United States. After the great building of Ellis Island in 1892, the first passenger that went through was a 15-year-old girl named Annie Morre and her two brothers on January 1st 1892. Many more followed after her and her brothers immigrated first. A fire that burnt the building down, plus a depression in America slowed down the intake of immigrants until 1900, when a new building was erected. This is when they started to take on new passengers from many countries. Ellis Island accepted immigrants from 1892 until 1942, and then became a detention station for aliens and deportees. It is a long list of cultures and people that came to Ellis Island, which consisted of The Poles, Hungarians, Czech Republic and Austrians, France, Germany, Switzerland, Luxembourg, Belgum, The Netherlands and Denmark, Sweden, Norway and Finland, Italy, Greece Spain and Portugal, England, Scotland and Ireland. The cultural exchange had started. Assimilation would be the best word to use, these people had no choice like those that came before, once they arrived, they were forced to accept the fact that they were being met and had to go through the process of immigration at Ellis Island, then later as they set up homes in the city of New York, Cultures were forced to work together, at the end of the day each returned home to their respective neighborhoods. Some opposition to immigration is racism, a resistance to change, and a discomfort with having people around who don’t speak the same language or have similar customs. They had to pass through immigration. This was not an easy task. Some families got through when maybe a part of the families couldn’t, due to diseases that were not acceptable for entry and in the worse cases they were sent back to the country they came from. Ellis Island became known as the island of tears, opportunities fell short of the expectations the immigrants had, streets paved in gold etc. Ellis Island and Immigration split up family’s, kept others in isolation for months before entry and forced many that came to America seeking opportunity to only be treated like lice infected maggots that brought there hopes to tears. If the immigrants’ papers were in order and they were in reasonably good health, the inspection process would last only three to five hours. Inspections took place in the registry room (or Great Hall). A few of this taking place from the balcony of the Great Hall would have truly been seeing history in motion. This is where doctors would examine immigrants, a name that was given to this was, “six second physicals”. Once through the troublesome Great Hall, some people had relatives or friends waiting for them, to take them to the areas of the large city of New York. Where the neighborhoods were divided by cultures. To say the least this group of assimilated cultures, these in divided neighborhoods, they had to be together and help as best they could, look after the well being of each other during and after their long journeys either taken by steamship or sailing ship. Many or most were uneducated people and had to depend on guidance and leadership from the more educated people that made the long journeys with them. Once through the troublesome Great Hall. Some people had relatives or friends waiting for them, to take them to the areas of the large city of New York. Where the neighborhoods were divided by cultures. As time went on the people would have to find work and obtain their own rents. This is the time where the different cultures would have to work together and break down the barriers of language and work ethics. They had no choice but to learn the American language, being English, this was just a small part of the beginning of the cultural mix. . It was difficult: people even today show their struggles of acceptance by using insulting words to describe each culture, such as, Polish-Pollock, Italian-Dego, Jewish-Kike, Spanish-Spic and German-Kraut. When later generations listened to their native languages at home, the younger generations were expected to speak English in return, assimilation to the “American” culture beginning. To be viewed as an “American” rather than an immigrant. This cultural melting pot of people that went through the gates of Ellis Island, Assimilation or not, learned through time. We do our business with people of other backgrounds without question today. It is only the few narrow-minded people that still hold on to the old cultural bias. What is missed is the Assimilation of a culture that did not want to come to the land of opportunity. That would be “the slaves’” brought to this country against their will. They were taken from their land of hope and opportunity. The system of slavery was so entrenched in the daily routines on American soil that it had to be dealt with as a national issue. Lengthy debates, political compromises, moral dilemmas, slave rebellions, and a nation divided against it suddenly had to face the issue of enslaved Africans existing on American soil. America condoned the “peculiar institution” of slavery from 1619 up until the passage of the 13thAmendment to the Constitution, on January 31, 1865, which abolished “slavery and involuntary servitude.” What do we call that? ”Reverse Assimilation”. I think not. We call that one of the most disgraceful things this country played part in. People were forced from their homeland and were brought against their will to the Southern port of, Jamestown VA. of the United States and sold t as a commodity. To make this so regurgitating, it was our forefathers’ of the Constitution that Quotes, “We hold to these truths to be self –evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that they among these are Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness” (The Declaration of Independence, In Congress, July 4, 1976, beginning of 2nd Paragraph) This was signed and written by the forefathers of this country. Yet, each and every one of them was an owner of slaves in one form or another! Today we still stand by these words with all our hearts. What were our forefathers thinking? Will we ever find an acceptable answer…NO.? This stands as close to a travesty of our government as any story you may hear of genocide and the Holocaust of the Jewish people in this century. And the people that followed, generations after generations for centuries, the African American is an oppressed people up to the minute this paper was written and they still will be for decades to come. Was this assimilation of cultures? It makes a person think, that in 2010 an African American person still has to fight this battle. What kind of America are we? Today we have a new set of immigration laws that Latin Americans can neither afford nor wish to go through due to fear of not making it in the United States and being sent back home. They wanted the same thing the European’s wanted last century. They are seeking opportunity and good homes and jobs for their families just as most Americans count on without question each morning they wake up. This great country of ours will have a dilemma of large proportions. Spanish speaking people are coming either way. We have to face this, and find a way to accept this. One finds it no different then the 20 million Europeans who had the opportunity over one hundred years ago. The Latin Americans deserve an effort by the government and its people to make it possible. After all, we are the land of opportunity. We just tend to be frightened of change, when we could find ways to make this immigration a great and profitable thing for this country and the Latin immigrants coming into it. These are all different stages of “cultural assimilation”; we will move on, we will accept this new immigration that faces this nation. We have done it in the past. We have never perfected it. It seems time and its’ positive progression will see this through, and not look at it through a closed mind. In conclusion, if you are not white and come from a European decent, you will have to live through the closed minded bias from the white skinned culture. If you have a skin color other than that, the odds of assimilating as the Europeans did in the 18th, 19th and 20th century is just not going to happen. Sure, America has come a long way, and just as sure, America has a long way to go. There is no easy answer. America is the only country in the world that has had to go through assimilating with so many cultures, while remaining World Leaders in nearly all aspects of the World. Written by John F Ross University of Queensland
Posted on: Sat, 20 Jul 2013 15:16:38 +0000