not be reproduced in any form without permission in writing from the publisher. For further information contact University Press of New England, Hanover, NH 03755.
Excerpts from “Incident” by Countee Cullen Copyright estate of Ida M. Cullen, reprinted by permission of GAR Associates, Inc., Agents.
Printed in the United States of America
∞
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Fuchs, Lawrence H.
The American kaleidoscope : race, ethnicity, and the civic culture Lawrence H. Fuchs.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references (p. ).
ISBN: 978-0-8195-6250-0
1. United States—Ethnic relations. 2. United States—Race relations. I. Title.
E184.AIF83 1990
305.8′00973—dc20 89–21481
CIP
5 4 3 2
To my immigrant grandparents, Pearl and Philip, Nettie and Norbert, who discovered the United States, and to my grandchildren—Satya, Simon, Jazmin, Megan, Molly, Brian, and Abigail—who I hope will work to make it an ever more humane nation.
From the first appearance of man on earth down to very recent times, the words “stranger,” “enemy,” were quite or almost synonymous … To correct the evils, great and small, which spring from want of sympathy and from positive enmity among strangers, as nations or as individuals, is one of the highest functions of civilization.
—ABRAHAM LINCOLN
Contents
ONE. THE CIVIC CULTURE AND VOLUNTARY PLURALISM / 1
1. “True Americanism”: The Foundations of the Civic Culture / 7
Three Ideas About Immigrants and Membership: Massachusetts, Virginia, and Pennsylvania / 7
Can Immigrants Learn New Republican Principles? / 12
The Pennsylvania Approach Prevails: Equal Rights Regardless of Religion or Nationality / 16
The Ethnic-Americanization of the Germans / 19
Economic Self-Interest and Patriotism / 23
The Civil Religion Sanctifies the Civic Culture / 30
2. “Reinforcements to Republicanism”: Irish Catholic Response to the Civic Culture / 35
Guarding the Civic Culture: What to Do About Catholic Immigration / 37
The Irish Response: Americanization Through Politics / 42
The Civic Culture and the Irish / 49
3. More Slovenian and More American: How the Hyphen Unites / 54
Immigration from Southern and Eastern Europe / 55
Guarding the Gates: A Racial View of American Identity / 56
Efforts to Americanize the Newcomers / 61
Italians and Jews Claim Their American Identity / 67
Strengthening the Civic Culture Through Voluntary Pluralism / 69
TWO. OUTSIDE THE CIVIC CULTURE: THE COERCIVE PLURALISMS / 77
4. “Go Back to the Country from Whence You Came”: Predatory Pluralism and the Native American Response / 80
5. “This Fourth of July Is Yours”: African-Americans and Caste Pluralism / 87
The Early Agreement to Exclude Blacks from Participation in the Republic / 87
The Changing Nature of Caste After Emancipation / 94
The Depression: Tightening the Boundaries of Caste / 100
Black Political Action Before the Second World War / 105
6. “I Go Sad and Heavy Hearted”: Sojourner Pluralism for Asians and Mexicans / 110
Keeping Asian Sojourners in Their Place / 112
Mexican Sojourners: Turning the Spigot On and Off / 118
The Big Bracero Program / 122
7. “The Road of Hope”: Asians and Mexicans Find Cracks in the System / 128
Cracks in the System: The Chinese / 128
Cracks in the System: The Japanese / 131
Cracks in the System: The Mexicans / 134
Opportunities for Blacks and Asians and Mexicans Compared / 137
Ethnic Stratification: When Sojourners and Blacks Met / 145
