Jean,+Sarah,+Alex,+and+Shana+Summary+of+Who+Are+We?

=Summary of Who Are We? by Samuel P. Huntington=

by Alex Glenn
In part 1 of Huntington’s book, “Who Are We?” he proposes that America has an identity crisis. He thinks that all of the cultures that have blended to make the United States have made it difficult for Americans to have a true identity. Overtime this identity crisis could become increasingly worse. To open part 1, Huntington discusses September 11th and the effects it had and is still having on the American culture. After September 11th, Americans became consumed with patriotism and nationalism. American flags were hung in front of every house and on every corner. Is crisis the only thing that will bring the American people together? Huntington also poses many rhetorical questions for example, “ Is the United States, as some have argued, a universal nation based on values common to all humanity an in principle embracing all peoples?” Also discussed in this section, is THE false dichotomy. The false dichotomy is between civic and ethnic nationalism; the ethnical and cultural nature of America clash with one another. Overall, the first part of “Who Are We?” challenges Americans to define their identity. It raises questions and thoughts that should be considered.

by Sarah Macfadyen
Part Two of Huntington’s book focuses on the establishment of America as a nation both physically and mentally. Physically, the new land of America is settled by Europeans starting with those who come to America on the Mayflower, and is later determined to no longer be a colony of Britain but a country in it’s own right as a result of the American Revolution. Mentally, America is settled with the intention of many that it be a Christian country, and the Creed is later established to protect the rights of the inhabitants and promote these Protestant ideals.



Huntington explains that the first people to settle America were just that: settlers, not immigrants. This is a major distinction when discussing American heritage and identity, for settlers leave an community behind them while immigrants must conform, at least in part, to the patterns of the society that is already established. That being said, the settlers of America had much to do with America’s identity now, for no matter how many immigrants enter, the community established by the settlers has stayed—for the most part—intact. The identity of the settlers thus becomes highly important in the discussion of American identity. Huntington states: “America’s core culture has been and, at the moment, is still primarily the culture of the seventeenth- and eighteenth-century settlers who founded American society” (40). While this culture does remain intact, the constant stream of immigrants has had an effect upon it; no new culture has been established but the existing one has been changed. Huntington suggests that approximately half of the culture of America is a product of early settlement, and half is that of immigrants’ influence. This is demonstrated very clearly in an article by Charles Hirschman in which he explains the necessity of immigration throughout American history and the many positive impacts it has had on America. Immigration, he explains, has greatly contributed to the culture we enjoy today and should therefore not be thought of as a terrible thing. Hirschman states, “ Even the idea of what it means to be an American has evolved as each immigrant wave has broadened the outlook of all Americans. An awareness of this history can help to inform the contemporary debate over the significance of current and future immigration in other societies.” You can find a link to this article __ here. __

The last section of Part II of //Who Are We//? focuses on three aspects of American culture that define it the most: the Creed, Immigrants, and Religion. These three elements are inextricably connected, for each affects the other. The settlers established America as an Anglo-Protestant territory, and the American Revolution solidified its foundational values as liberty, freedom, and justice, but immigration has without a doubt affected these foundational beliefs and ideals. Many immigrants have come to America with different faiths, values, and cultures, and would quite possibly have divided the country of America were it not for the process of Americanization. On an individual level, this process can be quite sad as people replace old traditions with new, expressly American ones. However, on a national level, Americanization was essential to the preservation of the America of the settlers. Apart from ensuring the continuation of the values established by the founders of America, Americanization made immigration acceptable to those who were already citizens of America, allowing the country to grow in population. Many people fear multiculturalism resulting from immigration, but without this immigration, America would no longer be representative of the values of freedom, liberty and justice for which it once stood. For in allowing other beliefs to flourish, the essential values of the religion and Creed upon which the nation was established are upheld.

by Shana Crouch
In Part III of Huntington’s book, one thing he talks about is Deconstructionists, which are people who want America to have a lot of multiculturalism. Deconstructionists “promote programs to enhance the status and influence of subnational racial, ethnic, and cultural groups” (p. 141). They believe that Americanization is “un-American” (p141). Huntington also talks about four challenges to America’s national Identity. Some of the challenges to America’s national identity are the “popularity of multiculturalism and its preference for national identities; denationalization of segments of the elite in favor of globalization” (from quiz 4, question 2); and the lack of an acceptance of immigrates as a result of a lack of assimilation. One type of immigrant that Huntington talks about is ampersand immigrants. These are immigrants that are described as having two homes, two languages, and two citizenships. There have been debates in different countries over whether they should allow dual citizenship or not (p208). Huntington says “the biggest threat to the societal security of nations comes from immigration” (p181). Countries can choose to have “little or no immigration, immigration without assimilation or immigrations with assimilation” (181). Lastly, Huntington gives six different reasons for why he believes Mexican immigration is different from any other immigrant pattern in American history. The six reasons are contiguity, numbers, illegality, regional concentration, persistence, and historical presence.

by Jean Snyder
Part four of Huntington’s book, //Who Are We?,// focuses on renewing the American identity. He immediately starts with four trends in our society which are shaping and influencing the American identity. The first trend is the dissolving of ethnicity as a source of identity for white Americans. American citizens are describing themselves as the ethnicity of ancestors that lived thousands of years ago. Huntington pushes the fact that as we all have roots from different cultures, the mix is what makes us American. The second trend is the diminishing of racial distinctions and the fading of racial identity. Huntington acknowledges several causes for racial blending, the most significant being interracial marriage. Interracial families can associate with more than one race, which in turn strays them away from taking hold of one strong racial identity. Thirdly, the significant growth of Hispanic culture is nudging America toward a bicultural nation. The significant number of Hispanic immigrants coming to America is creating a second culture within the nation. This Hispanic culture may potentially turn America into a bilingual, bicultural nation. The last trend shaping the American identity is the separation of the importance of identity between America’s “elite,” and the American public. As the public is mostly concerned with society security, the “elite” are more focused on participation in the global economy. These trends influencing America has already affected the nation identity, and will continue to affect it well into the twenty-first century and beyond.

As Huntington moves on to discuss present day America, he recognizes three components of the nation. First, America is in an age of vulnerability. As many people are not finding comfort in the idea that everyone believes in the liberal democracy set in place by the American Creed, the national identity is suffering as people are looking elsewhere for a sense of contentment. Secondly, America is turning to religion. This happened, according to Huntington, because many Americans became concerned with the lack of values and morals in society as well as the lack of faith in secular ideologies. Lastly, the component of national identity within the global realm is observed. There are three paths for America, as Huntington writes. These paths for identity are cosmopolitan, imperial, and/or national. There is great controversy over which alternative is best for the future of America and which path will define the nation.

Home Title Page Next Section: Summary of Articles and Experiences
 * Links to Other Pages:**