Summary-+Who+Are+We?+Jordan,+Jenna,+and+Cassandra

Summary: //**Who Are We**//? By //Samuel P. Huntington// Part I: //The Issues of Identity//

Part I of the Huntington text tends to focus on the issues of identity. He begins by explaining the Crisis of National Identity. Before September 11, most Americans could have cared less about their National Identity, but after the tragic event, the salience of National Identity skyrocketed. Huntington mentions many concerns or possible outcomes that some predict could change America. One possibility is America could slowly become multi cultural and lose its culture. Also, he also explains and gives examples on why and how everyone has a unique identity. There are many different characteristics that make up an identity. Huntington takes the time to explain each of the qualities. The characteristics include; Ascriptive, Cultural, Territorial, Political, Economic, and Social. Our identity is always changing. The more experience one receives, or the more we communicate with people from different cultures, the more expanded our identity becomes. Huntington then takes the time to explain his view on the false dichotomy, which is between the civic and ethnic nationalism.

Part II: //American Identity//

As Part I tends to focus on the issues of identity, Part II focuses more on American Identity itself and the key elements that make up American identity. Over the years America’s commitment to religion has grown exponentially. Huntington explains and gives statistics that America is one of the most religious nations, with Christianity being the most popular. The “Creed” is just one element of American Identity. It is the social value system of America that most people tend to agree on. The Creed's central ideas include the essential dignity of the individual human being, the fundamental equality of all men, and of certain inalienable right to freedom, justice, and a fair opportunity. He then goes on to explain why the Civil War is what made America an official nation and that The Great Awakening was a time that helped lead America to independence. Also, the Americanization movement was a time in history where millions of people migrated to the United States. It was a time where many viewed the immigrants as a threat to the American ways of living.

Part III: //Challenges to American Identity//

Huntington opens up the beginning of Part III by talking about the idea of deconstructing America. According to the text, this view, “castigated the melting pot and tomato soup concepts of America that had prevailed earlier in the century and argued that American was instead a mosaic…of diverse peoples.” He also discusses the issue of assimilation and immigration in the United States. Huntington emphasizes that the age-old concept of “Americanization” is no longer what our society sees as the answer, but rather multiculturalism is finally seen as something that should be embraced. He also discusses the kind of immigrant known as an “ampersand.” Ampersands are immigrants who, “want to eat their cake and have it too.” Rather than totally embracing a new life here in America, they choose to keep the former identity, culture, and language of their birth country while still enjoying the freedom and opportunities that America provides. Huntington also points out the new trend in immigration: unprecedented numbers of Mexican and Latino immigrants are coming to the United States. A final point, which Huntington makes in this section, is that following the fall of the Soviet Union, America is having a difficulty defining itself. We have no clear “enemy” or “other” with which to compare ourselves.

Part IV: //Renewing the American Identity//

Huntington starts this section by discussing trends in American society. These include the disappearance of ethnicity as a source of identity for white Americans, the gradual blurring of racial distinction and slow fade of salience of racial identities, the growing influence of the Hispanic community, a more bilingual, bicultural America, and a gap between the salience of national identity for many elites and for the public. Huntington also states that the definition of “race” as previously defined in this country is changing and the possibility of bifurcation is increasing. He closes out Part IV by emphasizing that Americans cannot simply be defined by a political ideology: we are also defined by our Anglo-Protestant culture. Huntington finishes by saying that how we define ourselves in the years to come, in a cosmopolitan, imperial, or national way, will determine our future as a country.

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