Cult of ethnicity

THE CULT OF ETHNICITY
Many years ago immigrants in the United States were eager to accept the opportunity to start over, to begin anew to create their own future. Most of our recent immigrants are still eager to accept that opportunity. However, each new influx of immigration to the United States also triggers new social and political tensions that threaten to split apart many of these new ethnic groups from the descendants our earlier immigrants. At the root of these tensions lies the philosophical question of what it means to be an American, of what the so-called American dream truly means. In his “Cult of Ethnicity,” Arthur Schlesinger calls his readers’ attention to the current racial and cultural threats brought on by current ethnic demands “pressed too far.” At the same time he offers hope that that these threats can be handled wisely and fairly (Schlesinger, 2003).
Is it possible that the geographic location of America has helped to shield it from the growing proble...