The immigrant story is one we have all heard before. These stories show how individuals can come to America with nothing and end up giving their families everything they could imagine. It is hard work but that is the American Dream. But what does this dream really mean for immigrants and their families? Does the hard work of immigrants pay off? A lot of research says there are many social and economic changes between generations of immigrants. Education levels, income, cultural identity all change over time after immigration.
Education is a large change between generations of immigrants. The level of education changes depends on the country of education. Take Mexico as an example. Immigrants …show more content…
from Mexico make up the greatest number of immigrants into the United States in 2013. Mexico’s education system is similar to ours, but they do not require anything after 9th grade. (insert citation) Schools are available in many urban areas, but can be expensive. Naturally there is can be a difference in education levels. If an immigrant did not receive a high school education, their children, the second generation, not only have access but it is required.
Families tend to show a lot of support for their children in school. Often times this includes education on all levels, whether it is high school or a higher. A recent interview conducted by the NPR with a woman whose mother worked in a clothing factory shows this the best. "… her mother didn't even know what Stuyvesant was, but she knew from the other moms in the garment factory — I need to get my kid into this school."(Immigrant Study) This shows the level of dedication that many parents have in their children, and their education. Parents leaving their home countries to get their children a better education. This support continues long after people have immigrated over as this quote from the same interview shows: "Every time there is a student who maxes out on the SAT, their picture is prominently placed on the front page in the Chinese newspapers” (Immigrant Study). Family support is a major factor in success. If the parents and community support something, the chances of success are much higher. Community support is very helpful with the assimilation process.
Many immigrants like to live in communities with similar back grounds, so they can support each other. This helps the families live somewhere completely different but feel safer. In these communities the language spoken among members tends to be their native language. This puts their children in a very unique situation. Their parents fluently speak the language of their home land may tend to speak this language at home and in their communities. Out in public everything is in English, it is spoken at schools, work, and among friends. This sets them up to be multilingual. But as mentioned earlier the majority of first generation foreign born immigrants learn English. This reduces the need for their children to speak their parent’s native language. It is easier for them to just learn English since this is what is used most in life. As time progresses more multilingual people appear, but fewer people speak their homelands native language. By the time the third generation comes around very few speak only their homelands native language. Fewer also are bilingual (Yearbook of Immigration Statistics). It seems that being bilingual, is a product of necessity. When it becomes less necessary it is loss. Assimilation renders languages, that are not English, less
helpful. The second generation if immigrants speak our language, and tend to seem very American, but how do they see themselves? Acculturation and self-identity is a question on the minds of many natural born citizens where many immigrants migrate to. Self-identity, like many other things, change through time. Fewer second generation immigrants self-identify as the country of origin for their parents (Yearbook of Immigration Statistics). Natural born citizens also view second generations immigrants as more American. This is due to many factors all of which depend on the fact that second generation immigrants have been accustomed to what is considered American. They have always been in our schools, our society. Unlike first generation immigrants who can be seen as ‘outsiders’ because they have not always been here. Not everything is better when someone immigrates. Often times families are separated from each other. The immediate family leaves, leaving behind extended family. This creates a familial gap. Grandchildren loose connection with their relatives. This loss of relatives means there tends to be a loss in identity and history. Without someone to teach about past traditions that knowledge is lost. On top of that once the grandchildren come and stay in America many don’t see a need to know all those ‘old traditions’. They lose their cultural identity, and the world risks losing some amazing cultures, and practices. The life of first generation immigrants seems to be more like a stranger in a strange land. Working to get a better life for themselves and their families. Learning a new language, adapting to a new culture, finding new jobs. Second generation immigrant life is more akin to living in two worlds. At home is like the home land. Similar cultural ideas, the same language, the same foods. Out in society they experience American society and culture. They can live quite happily in either place. They are viewed as both fully American but also as immigrant. As each subsequent generation passes the people get more and more American, and can start to lose their ancestral heritage. This can be seen by almost anyone living in America today. Unless your ancestry is completely Native American at some point your family was a migrant family. Now we are completely ‘American’. This completely assimilation can be viewed as a good thing as well as a negative. That is up to each individual. What we can say is that being American is less about where you came from, but more about what you do when you get here.