2 responses to history discussion post

I don’t know how to handle this History question and need guidance.

Your two reply posts to your classmates should be at least 5 well-crafted sentences long, and should have specific current/historical examples.

Response 1

The Jackson Turners is was mostly withe the form of making America into the west. when we moved to the west American Pioneers adopted to a world with out established systems or government. Fredrick seen that democracy and materialism systems came from the frontier experience. He also fought that since frontier was a place to of much opportunity and freedom., it caused conflict to go do down in America. “the melting pot ” is a assimilation model based in the presence of many different people.It can be seen as ingratiation into America and the new ability, culture and ideas of which immigrants bring with them.A possible example of this today are the variety of food culture within the American nation and how different cultures still practice their traditions while still considering themselves an American. When I look at how assimilation of people into our country is today, I can’t confidently say it’s one or the other. Today I believe we still follow both models as dependent of the immigrant. Examples of cultural pluralism today would be someone immigrating into our society, but they live within a community this has the same culture, i.e. china town. These people hold onto their traditions and beliefs to a point which they completely keep their cultural identity, yet they still consider themselves American and follow the dominant society to coexist within the country. The example for a melting pot model would be someone who completely accepts the dominant social group of Americas and embraces American ideals to the point which their beliefs and traditions merge with the dominant culture.



Response 2


The melting pot theory is used to describe societies that are formed by a lot of different cultures that eventually produce new social and cultural norms. It’s used to describe the assimilation of immigrants coming to the United States. There were people that came to America and changed their whole life when they arrived here. “Some changed their names to English equivalents: Piccolo became Little, Wahlgren became Green, and Schmidt became Smith… In these ways, distinctive ethnics identities adapted to urban and industrial America” (p. 534). Cultural pluralism states that individual ethnic groups can exist on their own terms within the larger society while retaining their heritage. People insist that different ethnic groups have enriched the American way of life as immigrants and native-born citizens have learned from one another. “Big-city life stirred images of an alarming diversity; “Chinatowns” in San Francisco and Los Angeles, Polish athletic clubs and German schutzenvereine… How could we become one, out of so many?” (p. 535). Fredrick Jackson Turner’s theory states that the frontier helped establish the American identity and break away from European influence. “Steady westward movement had placed Americans in ‘touch with the simplicity of primitive life,’ he explained, and helped renew the process of social development” (p. 560). I believe that the model of assimilation that best describes the early 20th century would be the “melting pot” theory because many Americans didn’t want a change from their lifestyle so others had to fit in. Cultural pluralism would describe America now as many people are now becoming more accepted for their differences in their way of life. There are still some that want to keep their normal lifestyle unchanged, but many accept the changes.