How has the ethnic composition of the United States changed since the late 1960s and early 1970s? Incorporate into your answer the concepts of the melting pot and cultural pluralism

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

The rise of multiculturalism is discussed in the text on pages 93-94 and 96 . Up until the 1960s and 1970s, it was generally felt that immigrants should relinquish customs, views, and native languages and become incorporated into the customs, beliefs, and language of mainstream America. This phenomenon, known as the melting pot, was accomplished through the public school system. With the social unrest of the 1960s and 1970s, however, emerged the belief that cultural autonomy had a value of its own that superseded the value of a society that was homogeneous in language and custom. This emerging perspective gave rise to the notion of cultural pluralism, or cultural diversity, found in the United States today.
At the same time, because of changes in birthrates and immigration patterns, the ethnic composition of the United States is increasing. During the early part of this century, the populations of Latino/Latina, African American, and Asian Americans are expected to increase while the population of white Americans decreases, with the result that by the year 2025, white school-age children will comprise only slightly more than half the school-age population. The net result of this shift in ethnic composition and rise in cultural pluralism is that the United States, rather than being a melting pot, is increasingly becoming a study in ethnic diversity.