Cultural Identity on American Society Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Cultural Identity on American Society - Essay Example â€Å"Like many Americans whose families came to this country from somewhere else, many children of Mexican immigrants struggle with their identity† (Casares). There are definitions of different races and ethnicities in terms of characteristics and features. This classification has resulted to differences amongst people, especially in the United States. Due to the fact that the identity of some people has been influenced by ethnicity and race, it has gone to the extent of influencing the way individuals perceive the environment and what they put as a priority in their lives. Sometimes, the identity of people is imposed to them due to the way other people look at and know them. Ethnic and racial identities are crucial areas of a person’s life or a group’s identity. In the United States, there are people who are legally defined as minorities due to their race and ethnic background. This is depicted in a highly critical way since it is prompted by the incompatible c ultural and social practices. As a result, it makes people be deeply immersed in their cultural traditions and beliefs encouraging a positive feeling of ethnic individuality. In addition, people filter ethnic identity by handling other people of dissimilar races and ethnicity negatively. Diversity of culture in the United States is on the rise. This has posed a greater concern of the future of the American Identity. Due to the influx of migrants, emergence of multi-ethnical generations that are rapidly increasing the threat on cultural practices determines the identity of America. The identity of the United States is truly significant in that it consolidates people having contradictory issues, opinions and ideologies to form one harmonized community. The harmony creates opportunities for the implementation of policies and other activities that are beneficial to the community. Oneness and preserved American Identity will make the citizens have a place which they belong to. They will feel accepted and accommodated by other people and the general culture at large. Relationships among the American citizens will be warm, their culture is adopted and the contradictory issues minimized. If this is achieved, then in the workplace people will work with energy and robustness while executing their roles and responsibilities in their areas of jurisdiction. This is what cultural identity can bring to the American society. The way the American people think and interpret democracy is greatly influenced by their cultural identity. This means that if the culture of American people is going to change, their identity will be changed too. As a result, democracy will be interfered with, and this might result to crime activities. For instance, people will misuse democracy at the expense of protecting their cultural beliefs, racial or ethnical people. For continuity and preservation of the present political institutions, cultural identity is the key factor.(Kaplan) If this is not th e case, then politically the American community will be destabilized due to disagreement emanating from ethnical and racial backgrounds. Consequently, development and progress of the economy of the American society will deteriorate. The schedule drawn for work and the spirit of work can be motivated by the cultural practices of the society. From history, America is industrious. This shows how their culture prompts them to be hard working people. Despite the fact that race is used wrongly, it does matter when used

American History Questions and Answers Assignment

American History Questions and Answers - Assignment Example Also the North, being rich in economic resources, was able to supply its armies with better equipment. The Union states owned most of the country’s industries including shipping, bank capital, railroad mileage, and taxable wealth. With bigger industries, the North does not need rely on foreign trade to provide materials for the war. It had its own commerce and industry to provide necessary supplies for its troops. Also, the North had a naval advantage to block the Southern ports so that it cannot receive their much needed supplies. Meanwhile, it cannot be said that the South had no reasons to believe that it is going to win the war. There are crucial advantages that the South had over the North such as its ‘home field advantage’, strong fighting spirit, more military leaders, and early war preparation. Since the civil war was fought with the North invading the South, soldiers from the Confederacy fought on a more familiar terrain that is close to home. Because of this, Southerners had strong fighting spirits being proficient in hunting, riding, and other skills necessary to fight within their territory. Also, the south had better military leaders since a higher proportion of Southerners had attended West Point and other military schools, became army officers, and fought in military operations. Adding to this, the South prepared for the war much earlier than the north which gave and this gave them an advantage when it comes to preparedness for the fight. 2. What were the Monitor and the Virginia? The USS Monitor were CSS Virginia the two famous ironclad warships which participated in the naval battle between the North and South. While the Union had a strong naval force, the confederate army was able to convert its steam frigate USS Merrimack into CSS Virginia as an ironclad rams that would sank one Union warship with its iron ram and 10 with its torpedoes. This sent panics in Washington that prompted them to build USS Monitor – a small er warship with two 11-inch guns with revolving turret. With its size, USS monitor presented a small target with an intense gun power with its revolving turret. Because of this, the naval war between the Monitor and Virginia was dubbed as the â€Å"battle of the ironclads†. It resulted to a draw with Virginia going home to Norfolk, unable to engage the battle again. 3. How did the South raise an army? What methods did they use to find men to fight? In 1862, the South instituted drafting by requiring three years of service for males who are 18 to 35 years old. Later however, the confederate decided to increase the draft age up to 45 in October 1862. Additionally, an overseer exemption was implemented for one white man who has 20 or more slaves on every plantation. According to the Twenty Negro Law, the purpose of this is to prevent slave uprising and to keep up the production. As such, many non-slaveholding farm families regarded the policy as discrimination towards them. As a result, the law provoked avoidance and widespread desertions in the Confederate army. Additionally, the South allowed substitution in its drafting policy, enabling drafted men to pay a commutation fee of $300 for exemption. Because of this, the policy was labeled as â€Å"rich man’s war, poor man’s fight† just like in the Northern States. 4. What was the Conscription Act of 1863? The Conscription Act of 1863 was signed by President Abraham Lincoln to require every male citizen and