Humanities Information

The American Melting Pot Myth


Most myths have some element of truth in them. The 'melting pot' that media of all sorts (which includes our propaganda in law and education) tell us became America, is another of the half-truths or superficial observations which deserves a little study if we are to accept the deeper potential meaning in it. John Hope Franklin of Duke University is a respected Black scholar who says some powerful words after pointing out the kind of thing that media managers or manipulators galore have said about the open-minded American with no reason to bring prejudices to this new and exciting land of opportunity. I would point out that it was not so new and historians like himself have participated in a cover-up but let us see what this man has to say about the 'melting pot'.

People do not generally like to find out that they have 'bastards' in their family tree and the woodpiles of America created a lot of 'bastards'. My father used to tell us about the Virginia legislature and legislation proposed that would make anyone with any black blood not able to sit and participate in it. This was the early 1950s not the 1850s. One legislator did the research that most Americans will not even do about their own family. He did not get more than half way through exposing every member of the legislature for their mulatto blood when the others were all in an uproar and clamoring that he must b silenced.

"This was one of the earliest expressions of the notion that the process of Americanization involved the creation of an entirely new mode of life that would replace the ethnic backgrounds of those who were a part of the process. It contained some imprecisions and inaccuracies that would, in time, became {become?} a part of the lore or myth of the vaunted melting pot and would grossly misrepresent the crucial factor of ethnicity in American life. It ignored the tenacity with which the Pennsylvania Dutch held onto their language, religion, and way of life. It over-looked the way in which the Swedes of New Jersey remained Swedes and the manner in which the French Huguenots of New York and Charleston held onto their own past as though it was the source of all light and life. It described a process that in a distant day would gag at the notion that Irish Catholics could be assimilated on the broad lap of Alma Mater or that Asians could be seated on the basis of equality at the table of the Great American Feast." (8)

Needless to say he also addresses the matter of black emancipation and those who were 'already in the country' though I do not think he was referring to the blacks who were here long before Columbus. In fact there was no race that had not been coming to America since before the time of Christ. Genetics is indeed a powerful tool used in court to free innocent victims of our justice system but so far our history is still allowing lies to victimize our cultural perspectives or myths. It is important that we act as if there is no race except the human race.

Author of Diverse Druids, Columnist for The ES Press Magazine, Guest writer for World-Mysteries.com


MORE RESOURCES:

Dr. Christina Slade, professor and dean of humanities at Macquarie ...
PRLog.Org (press release), Romania - 11 hours ago
PRLog (Press Release) – Oct 15, 2008 – Dr. Christina Slade is a professor and dean of humanities at Macquarie University, an Australian public university ...


Guam Humanities Council Schedules Directing Workshop With Munoz
Pacific News Center - 45 minutes ago
The Guam Humanities Council is presenting the class, which while open to the public, is limited to 30 participants. A news release says the workshop will ...


Media Advisory/SSHRC: Canada's Top Researchers to be Recognized
MarketWatch - 10 hours ago
OTTAWA, ONTARIO, Oct 15, 2008 (MARKET WIRE via COMTEX) -- Canada's top researchers in the humanities and social sciences will be recognized at Sagacitas-the ...


Region celebrating State Humanities Month
Catskill Daily Mail, NY - 20 hours ago
By Andrew Amelinckx HUDSON VALLEY — October is New York State Humanities month and two local organizations — the Hudson Area Association Library and the ...


Annual Symposium of RSC: The Academies of Arts, Humanities and ...
Market Wire (press release) - Oct 14, 2008
OTTAWA, ONTARIO--(Marketwire - Oct. 14, 2008) - RSC: The Academies of Arts, Humanities and Sciences of Canada, in cooperation with the Social Sciences and ...


America Through Pictures
Douglas Daily Dispatch, AZ - 11 hours ago
Picturing America is the newest initiative of the “We The People” program from the National Endowment of the Humanities. The program was launched in 2002 ...
Picturing America Program awarded to Ft. Thomas schools Arizona Silver Belt
all 2 news articles


Students should take advantage of local arts and humanities
Kansas State Collegian, KS - Oct 13, 2008
October is National Arts and Humanities Month, and the City of Manhattan is taking notice. At tonight’s city council meeting, council members will present ...


IT'S MILLER TIME | Art historians celebrate appt.
Yale Daily News, CT - 17 hours ago
“The core values at Yale have always been closely linked to humanities and to the arts.” Miller, for her part, has said one priority of her deanship will be ...
IT'S MILLER TIME | Univ. scientists betray concerns Yale Daily News
Levin looks to the East Yale Daily News
all 3 news articles


Japan aid for researchers
Gulf Daily News, Bahrain - 2 hours ago
Scholars, researchers (except undergraduate and graduate students), journalists and government officials researching humanities or social sciences, ...


Go back to class: MTSU lifts Peck Hall evacuation order
The Tennessean, TN - 5 hours ago
The hall has English, history and other humanities classrooms and offices. The incident comes on the heels of a threat against the university Thursday that ...

Humanities - Google News

home | site map
© 2006