Americanization and Bilingual Education in a Pluralistic Society

Bilingual Education in a Pluralistic Society

Introduction

America is always seen as the 'land of opportunities'. A place where an individual can prosper and grow to one's content. It is made by various cultures, ethnicities coming together and living in a homogenous environment. If we look into the, the pilgrims came from countries their goal was America. Most of the immigrants came from Europe, Africa and Asia. The causes of the immigrants were many but the destination was one. The present day political, economic and social situation may seem in favor of the nation but it was not the same a century ago. There were brutal wars and cunning politics for transforming the migrants in their own religion and culture.

Discussion

Multiculturism

Multiculturism is the biggest trait of the land of America. It was very dominant at that time as well. Most of the people belonged to different background than each other. One of the governing organizations amongst the Americans was the Protestant Anglo-Americans. They had an upper hand in the running of America. They were a tightly-knit group with a keen grasp on their religion (Hungtinton, 2004). At first they were not in favor of the refugees because it endangered their protection of the pure blood and their strict religious rules as well. The Protestants kept a tight-lipped approach in this matter, but slowly began to realize the positive aspect of these settlements. They put their heads together and concluded that they would convert the new settlers to Christianity (Protestant sect) and to assimilate them in their own culture. This prospect is called the Americanization of the common people. The Americans had a fear of losing their language. The settlers were tried to convert to Christianity, some of them converted willingly while the others were forced to do so. The migrants were coerced into adapting the culture of America and forget about their own heritage and language (Weaver, 1998)

The 'Extra People'

The immigrants started coming in a flow because of the WWI that had left the people of the European countries in a bad state. They saw America as the place where all their problems will end. They came in hoards bringing their families and relatives with them (McDonald and Balgopal, 1998). The Natives of America were the people who were felt unwanted in their own land. They were the ones who welcomed Columbus with open arms but as people started settling in the New Found Land, they pushed the Natives into only a small part of America and took over the rest of the place. The Natives were unfortunate because they were squeezed into an even smaller place by the colonies made by the French, Spanish, Portuguese and others. Jews and Catholics were even in a smaller number but they quickly gained momentum and their numbers increased.The Melting PotThis term refers to America because the land filled up slowly by people belonging to varied backgrounds, the Americans already living there and the Native Americans. The native tribes were ...