Trans-national America
"The Melting Pot" by Randolph S. Bourne
"THE failure of the melting- pot, far from closing the great American democratic experiment, means that it has only just begun. Whatever American nationalism turns out to be, we see already that it will have a color richer and more exciting than our ideal has hitherto encompassed. In a world which has dreamed of internationalism, we find that we have all unawares been building up the first international nation. The voices which have cried for a tight and jealous nationalism of the European pattern are failing. From that ideal, however valiantly and disinterestedly it has been set for us, time and tendency have moved us further and further away. What we have achieved has been rather a cosmopolitan federation of national colonies, of foreign cultures, from whom the sting of devastating competition has been removed. America is already the world-federation in miniature, the continent where for the first time in history has been achieved that miracle of hope, the peaceful living side by side, with character substantially preserved, of the most heterogeneous peoples under the sun. Nowhere else has such contiguity been anything but the breeder of misery. Here, notwithstanding our tragic failures of adjustment, the outlines are already too clear not to give us a new vision and a new orientation of the American mind in the world." (pg1)
Randolph S. Bourne wrote this paragraph "the Melting Pot" within the article "Tran-National America", why I think he wrote this paragraph is because to me he sat back and studied what was happening within the United States in the early 1900s; off the heals of the "Race Riots" that happened between 1900 to 1910. He saw that the United States was changing from and all Anglo-Saxon majority. He sees the United States for what it was meant to be a land open to different people around the world. Unbeknownst to the American ideal the United States was becoming a country of the world, to me meaning having a good representation of every nation in the world. (pg2)
I chose this passage from Mr. Bourne because no one could had written it better of what was happening in the United States back in 1916 when he wrote it, but more so 100 year after In 2016. We see no truer words in this passage than now having President Obama, an African American finishing his 2nd term as the United States President, I don't think anyone in 1916 would had predicted that or a women as a viable candidate for the Presidency of the US, or a Hispanic in the Supreme Court represented by Justice Sonia Sotomayor, these are some example of different races in high offices, but if we see around us, take into account the big cities in this country, NYC, NY, Chicago, IL, Miami, FL or Houston, TX we see how truly diverse the communities are. We see how truly of a melting pot the United States has become with communities represented by different countries around the world and all getting along. I really like this passage, and that's why I love the United States where to me you come here with a dream and it's actually possible to achieve it with hard work and dedication. You cannot say that of another country.
pg-1 http://www.theatlantic.com/past/issues/16jul/bourne.htm
pg-2 http://ic.galegroup.com/ic/uhic/ReferenceDetailsPage/ReferenceDetailsWindow?query=&prodId=UHIC&displayGroupName=Reference&limiter=&disableHighlighting=true&displayGroups=&sortBy=&zid=&search_within_results=&action=2&catId=&activityType=&documentId=GALE%7CCX2831200309&source=Bookmark&u=mlin_s_martha&jsid=f26d4a420f49a00c775c39e87eecb4b1
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