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Hunter 1
Zachary Hunter
Professor Jun Zhao
English 102
13 September 2010
America’s Ethnic Relations
In his essay, Models of American Ethnic Relations: A Historical Perspective,
George M. Fredrickson discusses the the ethnic relations between races and religions
throughout American history. Ethnic hierarchy is the first model of social interactions
between different ethnic groups. The oldest model in American history is based on a
dominant group claiming rights not offered to other members of society. This elite group
deems themselves superior to those whom the rights are not offered. This system of
racial interaction greatly affected the Indians and Black because the starkest contrast
was whites over non-whites. Before World War II, this hierarchy was also based on
immigrants, mainly Irish, and Protestant over Catholics, but after, it was solely based on
color. The next, more harsh, model Fredrickson discusses is One-Way assimilation.
One-Way assimilation is the assumption that as a payment for equality and
participation in American society, minorities must conform to the American culture. This
was most evident in early settlement America during the western movement. Pioneers
would send Indian children off to boarding schools to teach them how to dress, talk, and
behave in American society. Slaves were also expected to conform totally into
American culture after being freed. Blacks and Indians didn’t approve of having to drop
all their own culture and formed movements like Black Power.
Hunter 2
Frederickson then breaks down the model Cultural Pluralism. This model is
opposite of One-Way Assimilation in that the dominant culture accepts and celebrates
the cultural differences of others. This model was constructed by intellectuals who
rejected the negative consequences of Americanizing immigrants. Instead, this model
was used to legitimize differences in culture and keep these differences.
Finally Frederickson describes the model of group seperatism. He describes this
as a minority group desiring complete autonomy and separation from the majority
group. A movement in the 1920’s urged blacks to emigrate out of America because
they had no future there. According to Frederickson, cultural pluralism has the most
promising future because it allows individual to retain their own ethnic identity.
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