English 223 - Legal Immigrants: Road to Success by Assimilation

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“My heart bleeds red, white and blue.” This quote from Lieutenant Colonel Monta of the United States Marine Corps shows the extreme love and pride he has for his country. This is a common saying in the Unites States, red, white and blue are the colors of the American flag. When someone says their heart bleeds red, white and blue it means that their love for America is so strong it is practical oozing out of them. Patriotism is the heart and soul of America. American culture is based off it, without patriotism the United States would not be as strong as it is today. America thrives on the love and support from its citizens, national pride is a very important feature of society. Americans have holidays specifically devoted to celebrating their nation and its citizens, Independence Day, Memorial Day, President’s Day, Labor Day, Veterans Day are just a few. On those days citizens celebrate the love and pride of their country, the right to be free, and the people who fought for that freedom. It is important that immigrants have pride for America just as the natives do. Certainly Americans do not expect for migrants to “bleed red, white, and blue” but they do want them to love America and all it offers them. For immigrants to be successful they must be proud to be an American and feel fortunate that they get to explore America’s opportunities just as citizens do.

“The people of plenty” is a phrase used to describe Americans and their desire for physical goods. America is labeled one of the most materialist countries in the world. Their need for physical possessions and money can consume them. Stated in Made in America by Claude S. Fischer, “People tend to overbuy, for one of a combination of the three reason: to imitate others, to satisfy uncontrollable desires, or to announce who they are” (Fischer 71). The materialistic way of American culture is often portrayed as a bad thing, but as Ronald Reagan advocated “with the American focus on personal success; goods provide both individual pleasure and a sign of achievement. Americans’ drive for wealth is not materialism; that is Americanism” (Fischer 86). Americans do not have the desire for physical goods, but the desire for success. The hard working nature of Americans and their drive for achievement pushes them to excel at whatever they set their mind to, whether that be their job, family, or hobbies. Immigrants should adopt the work ethic of Americans and their desire for success, because it will help them accomplish all their goals that they had when they settled in the United States. The American dream can only be obtained by working hard and striving for success.

In contrast, the salad bowl theory says that immigrants do not need to adopt American culture and values to fit into society. This sociological theory of immigration wants immigrants to keep their native culture and not change to conform into American culture. Sociologists believe that immigrants can be just as successful if they keep all their native values. This theory is completely opposite from the melting pot theory which was mention above and also cannot be backed up with statistical facts. According to “Assimilation Tomorrow” in 2013 there was a correlation between the increase of 20% in immigrants speaking English “well” or “very well” and a decrease of 10% in poverty. So as more immigrants learned to speak English and speak it well they were able to get better jobs and earn higher wages therefore the poverty level went down. Immigrants have a higher poverty/ near poverty rate than natives do by almost 20% (Center for Immigrant Studies). If this number continues to go down eventually the immigrants and natives will have the same rates bring immigrants closer to integrating in with American citizens. This article states “not only will “tomorrow’s Americans” (assimilated immigrants) integrate into society, they will be successful”.

The flow of immigrants into the United States has been on a steady incline since the 1940’s and shows no sign of decreasing. Generations of immigrants have been assimilating into American culture since Ellis Island. Language, patriotism and the desire for success are the three main aspects of America culture that fuel society. Language is such a large part of our culture it is spoken everywhere you go whether it’s the east coast, west coast, or the mid-west. Immigrants must learn English to survive and succeed in the United States. Immigrants also must take pride in America, because it is now their new home and it is providing them with individual protection and endless opportunities. Lastly, migrants must have the drive for success and the strong work ethic America was built off of. It would benefit new legal immigrants to assimilate into American culture to help aid in their success in the United States. Being successful for immigrants means having financial security, feeling integrated and connected to American natives, and moving toward their American dream.

Work Cited

Branigin, Willliam. "Immigrants Shunning the Idea of Assimilation." Washington Post. The Washington Post, 25 Nov. 1998. Web. 11 Nov. 2014.

Crossman, Ashley. "Melting Pot." About the Melting Pot. About Education. Web. 11 Nov. 2014. http://sociology.about.com/od/M_Index/g/Melting-Pot.htm

Cepeda, Esther. "Cepeda: Stats Show Immigrants Are Assimilating into U.S. Life."Lubbock Online. N.p., 25 Nov. 2013. Web. 10 Dec. 2014.

Fischer, Claude. "Goods." Made in American. Chicago: Univeristy of Chicago, 2010. 8-85. Print.

Gerber, David A. "The Dialogue of Ethnicity and Assmilation." American Immigration: A Very Short Introduction. Oxford: Oxford UP, 2011. 102-124. Print.

Gordon, Milton Myron. "The Nature of Assimilation." Assimilation in American Life: The Role of Race, Religion, and National Origins. New York: Oxford UP, 1964. Print.

"Holidays Observed." Holidays Observed. Web. 13 Nov. 2014.

"Immigration Essay: Patriotism." Telephone interview. 21 Nov. 2014.

"Immigrants in the United States: A Profile of America's Foreign-Born Population." Center for Immigration Studies. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 Dec. 2014.

Jacoby, Tamar. Reinventing the Melting Pot: The New Immigrants and What It Means to Be American. New York: Basic, 2004. Print.

Kelley, Carol E. Accidental Immigrants and the Search for Home: Women, Cultural Identity, and Community. Philadelphia: