Hyphenated Americans
The Divide of the United: Racial and Cultural Categorization in America
Sara Ciesiun
June 17, 2013
ENG122: English Composition II
Instructor Megan Ross
Introduction
During the development of the United States, there were specific ideas of what the country would represent. As laws and systems began changing in the country, things that should have naturally evolved did not. Overtime, America has become a country that is made up of people from different cultures and backgrounds. Properly accounting for the ethnicity of each individual would represent the uniqueness of the United States to the rest of the world and bring it closer together as a country. Until there is uniformity in the characterization of the citizens of America, equality cannot ever be truly attainable. Solutions to this problem are out there, but putting them into effect seems to be taking a back seat to issues that are deemed more essential. When defining race, having broad categories such as “white” or “other,” and then requiring others to be labeled so much more specifically, creates a perilous divide between citizens. Hyphenating only some races and then generally grouping others together is unfair for everyone.
America has long been confused on how to go about defining the racial groups that make it up because “the history of race and ethnicity has been fraught with tension, rivalry, and conflict.” (Steinberg. pg 6) Due to the country’s past issues with slavery and immigration, the manner in which certain races or cultures are referred to in the United States has been a very sticky subject, and the rules on how to do so are extremely distorted. The main goals our founders wanted to accomplish were liberty, equality, and democracy. In a letter written by George Washing that was sent to the governors of the 13 states, he expressed that he wanted the nation’s citizens to “entertain a brotherly affection and love for one another and for their fellow citizens of the United States at
Sara Ciesiun
June 17, 2013
ENG122: English Composition II
Instructor Megan Ross
Introduction
During the development of the United States, there were specific ideas of what the country would represent. As laws and systems began changing in the country, things that should have naturally evolved did not. Overtime, America has become a country that is made up of people from different cultures and backgrounds. Properly accounting for the ethnicity of each individual would represent the uniqueness of the United States to the rest of the world and bring it closer together as a country. Until there is uniformity in the characterization of the citizens of America, equality cannot ever be truly attainable. Solutions to this problem are out there, but putting them into effect seems to be taking a back seat to issues that are deemed more essential. When defining race, having broad categories such as “white” or “other,” and then requiring others to be labeled so much more specifically, creates a perilous divide between citizens. Hyphenating only some races and then generally grouping others together is unfair for everyone.
America has long been confused on how to go about defining the racial groups that make it up because “the history of race and ethnicity has been fraught with tension, rivalry, and conflict.” (Steinberg. pg 6) Due to the country’s past issues with slavery and immigration, the manner in which certain races or cultures are referred to in the United States has been a very sticky subject, and the rules on how to do so are extremely distorted. The main goals our founders wanted to accomplish were liberty, equality, and democracy. In a letter written by George Washing that was sent to the governors of the 13 states, he expressed that he wanted the nation’s citizens to “entertain a brotherly affection and love for one another and for their fellow citizens of the United States at
References: Steinberg, Stephen. The Ethnic Myth: Race, Ethnicity and Class in America. January 16, 2001. Boston, MA: Beacon Press. LaHaye, Tim. Faith of Our Founding Fathers. 1994. Green Forest, AR: Master Books. Fearon, James D Rodriguez, Nelson. White Reign: Deploying Whiteness in America. 1998. New York, NY: St. Martin’s Press. Foster, Nikki. April 7, 2013. Why are Native Americans Called Indians? www.wiseGEEK.com. Retrieved from: http://www.wisegeek.org/why-are-native-americans-called-indians.htm Smutz, Kat Ramesh, Divya. March 10, 2013. The Hyphenated American. www.thedp.com. Retrieved from: http://www.thedp.com/article/2013/03/divya-ramesh-the-hyphenated-american Hammond, Fred Millet, Joyce. 2000. Understanding American Culture. www.culturesavvy.com. Retrieved from: http://www.culturalsavvy.com/understanding_american_culture_2.htm Spencer, Margaret Beale Spickard, Paul. 2012. The Illogic of American Racial Categories. www.pbs.org. Retrieved from: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/jefferson/mixed/spickard.html