The historical analysis of the era provides
some clues as to why cultural pluralism was the norm for the pre-World War I through the
Depression. The current literature in the social sciences indicates cultural pluralism is not an
unusual phenomenon in our time as well. Many of the reasons for maintaining ethnic or racial
identities during the early twentieth century are the same as today.
There
are two sides to explaining the notion of cultural pluralism. The first is from the perspective
of the ethnic or racial group choosing to wall itself mostly off from the majority society. The
second is how the majority of the community decides to assimilate other ethnic and racial
identities in the majority culture. The society in which ethnic and racial groups relocate must
choose to accept the new culture within the majority.
From the historical
record of the early twentieth century, the research of the period points to the desire by the
majority to place barriers and obstacles to maintain a high degree of separation. The evidence
to support this claim is the Johnson-Reed Act or the Immigration Act of 1924. The act limited
the number of immigrants to 165,000 per year and put limits on the countries where immigrants
would originate. As an example, Asian immigration, that was critical to the success and building
of the railroads and mining industries in the West, virtually ended. European immigrants
declined every year after passage of the Bill until the law was revised in 1965. This is just
one of several government actions that can be interpreted as reflecting the American sentiment
of immigration. In combination with other types of discrimination, it is not difficult to
understand why some immigrants felt unwelcome in the United States. The immigrants residing in
the United States may have interpreted this action as hostile and as a mechanism of protection,
chose to remain separated from the majority society.
By analyzing the
historical record (journals, letters, newspapers, ect.) from the ethnic or racial perspective,
cultural plurality was the result of maintaining their cultural heritage and simultaneously for
assimilating into American society. These two are by no means cross purposes. Put yourself in
the shoes of an immigrant. Very likely, you do not speak the language. Your religion, music, and
how you dress sets you apart from what you observe to be the norm in American society. Until you
learned some necessary skills such as the language and without assistance from someone already
established in the community, an immigrant was very likely not much better off than from the
country they immigrated. Many times immigrants were forced to leave their home countries because
of war, famine, political instability, or lack of opportunity. Immigrants, for the most part,
did not choose to leave. They immigrate to a new country as the only viable option they have if
they are to survive. The social research and historical research during the era indicate many
planned on returning to the home country when stability returned, and it was safe. It is not
difficult then to understand why immigrants gravitated to and chose to remain a distinct ethnic
or racial community.
The answer to the question is both the treatment at the
hands of some American citizens and the desire to retain their unique cultural heritage for
their return home.
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