Writing Project One

                                                            National Identity
            A national identity is something that every person is born with. No matter where a person comes from, a national identity is something they have. Imagine that a family living in France decides to move to the United States of America for better job opportunities. When they arrive in America, they are told that they must forget their culture and learn another one. Should this family have to agree to this? No, any person immigrating to this country should be able to keep the culture they once came from, but they must at least know enough of the language to function in the new society they have chosen.
            Many people will say that if an immigrant comes to this country that they must leave their culture behind. Should this be the case? Should a person have to lose an identity that they have had their whole life? When a person comes to a new country for whatever reason, they should bring along their culture. One reason why is the United States of America from the beginning of its existence has been “a melting pot.” This means that many different people from many different cultures have come to the country and make up what the country is today.                                Many different cultures exist in America’s society. These varieties of identities that come from all over the world bring along with them a variety of foods that Americans now enjoy. Along with the new foods that they bring there are also new sports that are brought. One of the top cultural aspects that come along with a person is their religion. There are many different religions that are in the world and some are brought to this country. One example of a religion coming to America is Islam. There are approximately 2 million Muslims in America right now. This is a good example of how when immigrants come to this country they do not have to lose something that was a part of their culture: their religion.
            In an article by Elizabeth Martinez called Reinventing “America”: Call for a New National Identity, she talks about a person’s national identity. Martinez states that, “the concept of Manifest Destiny, with its assertion of racial superiority sustained by military power, has defined U.S. identity for 150 years.” This claim may or may not be true, but what is true is that Manifest Destiny does exist and Americans have for many years tried to conquer other races for land.
            In an article by James W. Loewen called Lies My Teacher Told Me, he talks about how history books are far wrong. Loewen states that high school textbooks do not give accurate information on historical and sociological aspects. One example that he gives is the truth about the first thanksgiving. Loewen talks about how when the question about who were the first settlers comes up most students will stay the pilgrims. Loewen says that this is not a correct answer because there were many other settlers that come before them. This just goes to show that people often assume that the first settlers were the white ones that came from England, but the ones of different races are often forgotten.      
            Imagine that a person has come to live in America. They pass all the tests to become a citizen and they are living in the country. Now what? Their life is going to be different then what it was in their native country. Most people that are in this situation have a hard time adjusting to all the new customs and daily life that comes with being an American. For these people it is not an easy task. One thing that might be the hardest of all is learning a new language. Learning a new language is always a hard thing to do, but to make it well off in a new country that part of the culture must be necessary. Communication can often times be difficult if a person does not speak English. Learning the country’s language is a must for adapting to the new country.
            When it comes to either resisting or accepting assimilation when accepting identity as an American an immigrant must decide what they want to do. They should choose to do both by adapting new characteristics of the culture and keeping part of their culture in their daily lives. It is important that the national identity from where they came from not be lost.