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Topic:
U.S. Racial and Ethics Political
Essay Instructions:
You may choose from the following paper topics for your research paper.
1. Huntington argues that Latinos do not feel a sense of loyalty to the United States or a sense of national identity with this country. Given the survey evidence, is he right or wrong in his assertions? How should we think about the current state of assimilation of immigrants given your findings?
2. Frymer argues that African-Americans are a “captured group” in American politics. In this survey, is it the case that the vast majority of African-Americans identify as Democrats? Additionally, is there any evidence that they are alienated from the country (less patriotic, for example) or less likely to participate? Would we expect a captured group to be alienated and less likely to participate?
3. Does good citizenship mean different things to different racial groups? Support your description and explanation using the survey data. What are some possible consequences of these similarities or differences?
4. Does having a strong national identity or a strong sense of loyalty to the United States affect how much individuals participate in politics? Are there systematic differences in the relationships between national identity and political participation for different racial groups? Use the survey data to support your answer.
The paper should be 8-10 pages long (double-spaced.) No outside research is required; readings from the class syllabus should suffice. However, it is fine to include other readings if you so desire. (Please include a references section, even if you only refer to readings from the class syllabus.)
If you refer to a table, please include it in an appendix to your paper. Tables and references do not count toward the page length.
Essay Sample Content Preview:
Student’s Name
Lecturer’s Name
Unit
Due Date
U.S. Racial and Ethics Political
Loyalty is one of the primary demands that a country puts on the citizens. Lack of loyalty or patriotism can result in disobedience that threatens the foundation and reputation. From this view, immigration often presents a problem for receiving country because it has to teach loyalty to fresh migrants. Sometimes, national authorities question the immigrants' loyalty, particularly during international crises when inter-country relations become suspicious. So long as migration exists, loyalty will continue to be a controversial issue. In the United States, political disloyalty led to a revolution that founded the nation (Kozak 2). Since then, America always encourages its citizens and immigrants to be patriotic.
It was hard for immigrants who sought political asylum to respect the U.S. laws (Kozak 3). Immigrants began to remain loyal, especially those who decided to stay in the U.S. For those who moved to the country for economic reasons, acquiring new loyalty was more complex if they needed to return to their native country someday. Since the U.S. became independent, some native-born populations have raised concerns about the absence of political loyalty of new immigrants (Kozak 4). These concerns led to the emergence of the Nativist movement, which continues today with the various extent of political salient.
Nativists' goal was to limit immigration to the U.S., citing disloyalty as one of the key reasons. Racism played a significant part in the restriction, but Americans raised loyalty issues as well. The nature of settlement, incomprehensible language, and divergent cultural norms of the migrants stimulated disloyalty (Kozak 5). Generally, loyalty concerns related to immigration surfaced in the U.S. for two major reasons. Firstly, the high immigration rate from different political and cultural backgrounds influenced Nativists to portray the migrants as a threat to the established institutional and political order (Kozak 13). Secondly, newcomers from Latin America and other countries hostile to the U.S. subjectively preferred their home countries, leading to their potential disloyalty (Kozak 13).
Regardless of these fears, numerous immigration waves demonstrated obedience due to the strong political system. In fact, the political system's ability to assimilate immigrants attracted many Latinos and other migrants to the U.S. However, loyalty claims still remain a major issue. This paper addresses Huntington's argument that Latinos do not feel a sense of loyalty to the U.S. or a sense of national identity with this country. The paper further develops thoughts about the current state of assimilation of immigrants based on the present findings.
Latino Immigrants and American Loyalty/Identity
In the U.S., the Latino population is the fastest-growing population, accounting for approximately 18% of the U.S. population (Pew Research Center). Despite the increase, Latinos do not feel a sense of loyalty to the U.S. or a sense of identity with this country due to various reasons. One of the reasons is racism. A survey by Torres et al. (363) shows that Latinos move to the U.S. searching for opportunities. However, this group faces various challenges, including language barriers, acculturative stress, separation from families, substandard living conditions, and unfair work situations. Racism is the main factor behind these challenges. According to Torres et al. (364), the current U.S. economic situation, sensationalist media, and perceptions of undocumented immigrants overflowing the workforce have increased negative sentiments towards Latinos. Pew Research Center reported that around 23% of Americans admitted that today's society racially discriminates against Latinos (Torres et al. 364). In that survey, about 32% of Latinos stated that within the past five years, at least a close family member or friend had experienced discrimination in school or the workplace (Torres et al. 364).
Housing and residential settings, the legal system, and the education system provide a better understanding of how racial discrimination silently makes Latinos remain disloyal to the U.S. or lack a sense of national identity with this country. For instance, concerning housing ownership and services in the U.S., there is evidence of racial discrimination in the housing sector. Torres et al. (364) noted that the risk of experiencing housing discrimination is high in Latinos due to their ethnicity and immigration status. The federal government has established some anti-illegal immigration ordinances in some communities to restrict Latinos from settling in the area, including penalties for landlords renting property to undocumented immigrants (Torres et al. 364). To avoid the penalties, landlords are likely to resort to shortcuts like discriminating based on surname, accent, appearance, and other ethnic markers. Therefore, these ordinances subject all Latinos to racial discrimination in the housing sector regardless of their documentation status.
Another area of discrimination is in the education system. For instance, a study by Torres et al. (365) reported that one participant witnessed teachers discouraging bilingualism because two languages can create problems and delays in learning. However, the authors argued that offering strictly English-only classrooms and rejecting bilingualism can disadvantage students. When handled correctly, bilingualism and diversity cannot create learning problems but can improve the learning experience (Torres et al. 365). Latinos also face discrimination in the education system in the form of stereotypes and expectations from the teachers. Studies have shown that teachers perceive Latinos and other minority groups as less intelligent compared to Native Americans. This perception decreases Latino students' self-efficacy and learning ability and reduces their loyalty and a sense of national identity with the U.S.
Regarding the legal system, Torres et al. (365) noted that Latinos had faced underrepresentation in the government and the legal system. Due to underrepresentation, the issues and the needs of the Latino population are likely to go unsupported in laws and policies. The predominantly majority groups are the people who hold influential positions in the legal system (Torres et al. 364). They are less likely to acknowledge the prevalent forms of discrimination that affect minority groups. Underrepresentation and ignoring the challenges Latinos face enable the legal system to tolerate discrimination. Due to this problem, Latinos feel that they are not part of the United States and cannot be loyal to this country unless they come up with a fair presentation in legal and political sectors.
A Centro Journal, Why Americans fear Hispanics in the U.S., written by de Geraldo Rivera and reviewed by Howard Jordan, further gives an account of Latino immigrants and American loyalty. Rivera designates numerous chapters to Latino patriotism. In the Chapter "Proud to be an American," he shares his love for America and Puerto Rico. In 1937, Rivera's father emigrated from Puerto Rico, where he met his mother, a Jewish woman from Jersey City (Rivera 263). Rivera criticizes his father, who focused on assimilating to the American culture after serving in the Second World War.
In his theme of Latino Loyalty to America, Rivera blasts the attitu...
Lecturer’s Name
Unit
Due Date
U.S. Racial and Ethics Political
Loyalty is one of the primary demands that a country puts on the citizens. Lack of loyalty or patriotism can result in disobedience that threatens the foundation and reputation. From this view, immigration often presents a problem for receiving country because it has to teach loyalty to fresh migrants. Sometimes, national authorities question the immigrants' loyalty, particularly during international crises when inter-country relations become suspicious. So long as migration exists, loyalty will continue to be a controversial issue. In the United States, political disloyalty led to a revolution that founded the nation (Kozak 2). Since then, America always encourages its citizens and immigrants to be patriotic.
It was hard for immigrants who sought political asylum to respect the U.S. laws (Kozak 3). Immigrants began to remain loyal, especially those who decided to stay in the U.S. For those who moved to the country for economic reasons, acquiring new loyalty was more complex if they needed to return to their native country someday. Since the U.S. became independent, some native-born populations have raised concerns about the absence of political loyalty of new immigrants (Kozak 4). These concerns led to the emergence of the Nativist movement, which continues today with the various extent of political salient.
Nativists' goal was to limit immigration to the U.S., citing disloyalty as one of the key reasons. Racism played a significant part in the restriction, but Americans raised loyalty issues as well. The nature of settlement, incomprehensible language, and divergent cultural norms of the migrants stimulated disloyalty (Kozak 5). Generally, loyalty concerns related to immigration surfaced in the U.S. for two major reasons. Firstly, the high immigration rate from different political and cultural backgrounds influenced Nativists to portray the migrants as a threat to the established institutional and political order (Kozak 13). Secondly, newcomers from Latin America and other countries hostile to the U.S. subjectively preferred their home countries, leading to their potential disloyalty (Kozak 13).
Regardless of these fears, numerous immigration waves demonstrated obedience due to the strong political system. In fact, the political system's ability to assimilate immigrants attracted many Latinos and other migrants to the U.S. However, loyalty claims still remain a major issue. This paper addresses Huntington's argument that Latinos do not feel a sense of loyalty to the U.S. or a sense of national identity with this country. The paper further develops thoughts about the current state of assimilation of immigrants based on the present findings.
Latino Immigrants and American Loyalty/Identity
In the U.S., the Latino population is the fastest-growing population, accounting for approximately 18% of the U.S. population (Pew Research Center). Despite the increase, Latinos do not feel a sense of loyalty to the U.S. or a sense of identity with this country due to various reasons. One of the reasons is racism. A survey by Torres et al. (363) shows that Latinos move to the U.S. searching for opportunities. However, this group faces various challenges, including language barriers, acculturative stress, separation from families, substandard living conditions, and unfair work situations. Racism is the main factor behind these challenges. According to Torres et al. (364), the current U.S. economic situation, sensationalist media, and perceptions of undocumented immigrants overflowing the workforce have increased negative sentiments towards Latinos. Pew Research Center reported that around 23% of Americans admitted that today's society racially discriminates against Latinos (Torres et al. 364). In that survey, about 32% of Latinos stated that within the past five years, at least a close family member or friend had experienced discrimination in school or the workplace (Torres et al. 364).
Housing and residential settings, the legal system, and the education system provide a better understanding of how racial discrimination silently makes Latinos remain disloyal to the U.S. or lack a sense of national identity with this country. For instance, concerning housing ownership and services in the U.S., there is evidence of racial discrimination in the housing sector. Torres et al. (364) noted that the risk of experiencing housing discrimination is high in Latinos due to their ethnicity and immigration status. The federal government has established some anti-illegal immigration ordinances in some communities to restrict Latinos from settling in the area, including penalties for landlords renting property to undocumented immigrants (Torres et al. 364). To avoid the penalties, landlords are likely to resort to shortcuts like discriminating based on surname, accent, appearance, and other ethnic markers. Therefore, these ordinances subject all Latinos to racial discrimination in the housing sector regardless of their documentation status.
Another area of discrimination is in the education system. For instance, a study by Torres et al. (365) reported that one participant witnessed teachers discouraging bilingualism because two languages can create problems and delays in learning. However, the authors argued that offering strictly English-only classrooms and rejecting bilingualism can disadvantage students. When handled correctly, bilingualism and diversity cannot create learning problems but can improve the learning experience (Torres et al. 365). Latinos also face discrimination in the education system in the form of stereotypes and expectations from the teachers. Studies have shown that teachers perceive Latinos and other minority groups as less intelligent compared to Native Americans. This perception decreases Latino students' self-efficacy and learning ability and reduces their loyalty and a sense of national identity with the U.S.
Regarding the legal system, Torres et al. (365) noted that Latinos had faced underrepresentation in the government and the legal system. Due to underrepresentation, the issues and the needs of the Latino population are likely to go unsupported in laws and policies. The predominantly majority groups are the people who hold influential positions in the legal system (Torres et al. 364). They are less likely to acknowledge the prevalent forms of discrimination that affect minority groups. Underrepresentation and ignoring the challenges Latinos face enable the legal system to tolerate discrimination. Due to this problem, Latinos feel that they are not part of the United States and cannot be loyal to this country unless they come up with a fair presentation in legal and political sectors.
A Centro Journal, Why Americans fear Hispanics in the U.S., written by de Geraldo Rivera and reviewed by Howard Jordan, further gives an account of Latino immigrants and American loyalty. Rivera designates numerous chapters to Latino patriotism. In the Chapter "Proud to be an American," he shares his love for America and Puerto Rico. In 1937, Rivera's father emigrated from Puerto Rico, where he met his mother, a Jewish woman from Jersey City (Rivera 263). Rivera criticizes his father, who focused on assimilating to the American culture after serving in the Second World War.
In his theme of Latino Loyalty to America, Rivera blasts the attitu...
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