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Assimilation in America

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Essay title: Assimilation in America

Assimilation In America

Exactly how would you define an "American" now a days? There really isn't a specific way to actually do that, times have changed, and so has the variety of people in the United States. Going from one based religion to thousands; from English to Spanish, French, German, Italian, etc., and from having a narrow point of view to a diverse perspective in many eyes. The assimilation of different cultures has impacted and benefited America in a positive way; it has made our economy, labor, and standard of living stronger. The immigrant populations have become more and more Americanized, despite being considered "alien". The process of assimilation continues to work among Hispanics and Asians today.America's unique social compact of assimilation has permitted immigrants and their descendants to hold on to their ethnic traditions even as they acquired an American identity. They move quickly into residences, jobs, and lifestyles that provide very little opportunity with fellow migrants, yet they continue to see themselves as a distinctive community within modern American society. "I find myself now the bearer of a strange new status: white, by acclamation. Thus it is that I have been described as an honorable white, by other whites, and as a banana, by other Asians." said Eric Liu an Asian American. Even though immigrants don't have the same opportunities as American citizens they still manage to adapt to the American lifestyle. The ethnic identity of immigrants is transmitted to the next generation, therefore creating an American with a different set of roots. Due to the immigrant population of the United States that's growing larger and more diverse, the nation must rededicate itself to its historic mission of assimilating immigrants of all ethnic backgrounds. When people talk about the benefits of immigration to the United States, most of them talk about economics and with good reason. Most serious scholars believe that immigrant labor increases our productivity and raises our standard of living. Immigrants have put their part in making America the strongest and most wealthy country in the planet. Unskilled laborers are the work force in the United States and most of them are immigrants. Filling every day work in the market that you can possibly think of. Who could possibly find a lift in Washington if it weren't for African and Latin American taxi drivers? Perhaps most important, immigrants maintain a population base in cities that would otherwise collapse. New York City lost a great amount of residents during the 70s, but more than thousands immigrants rushed in to replace them. Immigrants everywhere are assimilating rapidly

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