美利坚民族的形成是人类历史上极富特色的一章。在近数百年里，5000多万移民越洋过海，从世界各地涌入美国。这些操持不同语言、信奉不同宗教、携带不同习俗、身显不同肤色的移民及其后裔构成了我们现在所说的“美国人”。从这个意义上讲，美国这个天下汇聚、四方杂处的国家是一个世纪上最典型的移民国。时至今日，美国仍在继续接纳来自世界各个角落的移民，其数量超过世纪上任何其他国家。
除了最早跨越白令海峡来到美洲大陆的印第安人之外，早期定居北美大陆的欧洲人主要来自西欧和北欧，其中绝大多数人是基督教新教徒。从19世纪下半期起，尤其是19世纪80年代起至20世纪20年代，移居美国的欧洲人主要来自南欧和东欧，其中大多数人为基督教天主教徒。20世纪60年代至今，赴美移民主要来自亚洲和拉丁美洲，其中亚洲人的宗教比较复杂多样，如佛教、禅宗教、印度教和基督教等，而来自拉美的人中天主教徒居多。不同时期移居美国的人群不仅构成了美国历史上的数次移民浪潮，而且为美国多元宗教和多元文化奠定了基础。
大规模移民的发生一般必须具备两个基本条件，即社会学家所说的“拉力”和“推力”。所谓“拉力”，是指移民目的地国对移民的吸引力，即通过这些吸引力把移民“拉”到该国去。所谓“推力”，是指移民输出国的排斥力，即由于这些排斥力的作用，移民们被“推”出家园，远走他乡。“推力”有多方面的因素构成，如宗教迫害、政治压迫、经济危机、自然灾害和家人团聚等。“拉力”也有多方面的因素构成，如宗教容忍、政治自由、经济繁荣、生活水平高和个人发展机会多等。从相当程度上讲，“推力”和“拉力”为人们理解和解读世界各地移民更热衷于移居美国（而不是其他国家）提供了颇具说服力的解释。
在这个移民国度里，一些民族和族裔群体能较快地融入进美国主流社会，顺利地完成了所谓的同化过程。他们失去了或者有意识地放弃了自己民族的特性、习俗、信仰、传统，甚至语言，完全“美国化”了。这种“美国化”过程常被比作“大熔炉”，喻指异族文化习俗被美国文化“熔化”了。另外一些民族和族裔的移民，国籍已入美国，接受的教育也是正宗的美国式教育，但他们仍保留着自己民族或族裔的特性，不能或者不愿意被“美国化”。这种现象常被比作“色拉拼盘”，喻指各个民族或族裔群体在美国共同相处，各自保持着自己的文化传统和宗教信仰。还有人把美国比作“披萨饼”，认为它比“大熔炉”和“色拉拼盘”更合适、更贴切。这是因为，“披萨饼”里的不同成分清晰鲜明、一目了然，但整个饼的独特味道和风味来自于每个成分的组合。正是它们浑然一体之组合，使得“披萨饼”在确保整体的前提下，为各个组成因子保留各自的特性。
根据美国2010年人口统计局发布的数据，美国目前全国人口约为3.087亿，其中白人占79.96%，黑人12.85%，亚裔人4.43%，印第安人及阿拉斯加原著居民0.97%，其余的为0.18%。需要说明的是，这个人口百分比分布不包括讲西班牙语的拉裔美国人（Hispanics），因为他/她们可能是白人，可能是黑人，也可能是黑白混血或者是其他人种。按一般估计，美国现在的拉裔美国人（Hispanics）约占全美人口总数的15.1%。
学习要点（Learning Objectives）
（1） Understand theUnited Statesas a nation of immigrants.
（2） Know the push and pull factors in the process of immigration.
（3） Be familiar with the characteristics of American populationcomposition.
中心问题（Project）
Why has theUnited Statesremained so receptiveto immigrants from around the world throughout its history?
生词与词组（New Words and Expressions）
take in 接受、接纳
heterogeneous 多种多样的、异质的
by the same token 同样地、而且
ancestry 世系、血统
Puerto Rican 波多黎各
Dominican Republic 多米尼加共和国
hail from 来自
persecution 迫害
access to 进入…机会、享有机会
in a nutshell 概括地说
scanty 缺乏的、不足的
let alone 更别提
in the hope of 怀着….希望
freedom of assembly 集会自由
aspiration 强烈的愿望、志向
refugee 难民、避难者
descendent 后裔、后代
illusion 幻觉、幻想
dissenter 持异议者、不顺从国教的教徒
witch-hunt 政治迫害
conversely 反过来说
assimilate 同化
phenomenon 现象
ingredients 组成部分、构成要素
melting pot 大熔炉
salad bowl 色拉拼盘
正文（Text）
ANation of Immigrants
TheUnited Stateshas often been called“a nation of immigrants”. There are basically two good reasons for this.Firstly, the country was settled, built, and developed by generations ofimmigrants and their children. Secondly, even today, theUnited Statescontinues to take inmore immigrants than any other country in the world. For this and many otherreasons,Americais among the most heterogeneous societies in the world. Many different culturaltraditions, ethnic customs, national origins, racial groups and religiousbeliefs make up what we call “Americans”. According to the most recent datareleased by the U.S. Census Bureau in 2010, 79.96% of the U.S. citizens claimthemselves to be Whites, 12.85% Blacks, 4.43% Asians, 0.97% Asian Amerindiansand Alaska Natives, 0.18% Native Hawaiians and other Pacific Islanders, and1.61% two or more races. It should be noted, however, that a separate listingfor Hispanics is not included because the US Census Bureau considers Hispanicsto mean persons of Spanish/Hispanic/Latino origin, including those of Mexican,Cuban, Puerto Rican, Dominican Republic, Spanish, and Central or South Americanorigin living in the US who may be of any racial or ethnic group (white, black,Asian, etc.). It is estimated about 15.1% of the totalUSpopulation is Hispanic.
However, it would be very misleading to viewAmericasimply as a collection ofdifferent immigrant groups and ethnic or religious loyalties. Though tens ofmillions of Americans proudly acknowledge their ethnic roots, they are, infact, more American than they are Irish, Jewish, German, or Cuban. Indeed, whatthey have in common is more significant than what makes them, as Americans,different from one another. However, it should be pointed out that although thevariety of ethnic identities, immigration experiences, and cultural choiceshave gone into making Americans, it is very difficult to describe what is theaverage American. The average American may be White, but not all Americans areWhite. Similarly, most Americans are Christians, butAmericacannot be called “aChristian country.” By the same token, majority of Americans might claimEuropean ancestry, but such a description does not define Americans in general.Much to our surprise, theUnited Statesis one of the few countries that hasno “official” language. Of course, English is the common language by use inAmerica,but it is not the national language by law.
Immigrants came to theU.S.from different countries and at a different time, but over time immigrationpatterns have changed with regard to the origin of emigration country. Thesechanging patterns do affect, and have affected, whatAmericais today and how Americansview the rest of the world. From the early settlement of North Americancolonies to the late 19th century, most of immigrants hailed fromNorthern and Western Europe, of whom majority were Protestants. Beginning fromthe end of the Civil War, but particularly starting from 1880, to the 1920s,large numbers of new immigrants came from Southern and Eastern Europe, amongwhom majority were Catholic. But over the past half a century, the largestshare of immigrants has come from Latin America and Asia.While most of them arrive in theUnited Statesas legal immigrants, there are also quite asignificant number of illegal immigrants. All these changes suggest that theso-called European heritage ofAmericais undergoing a major change as more and more people from Latin America and Asia enter American society. As a consequence, not onlyis American society becoming more multicultural, but the American view of theworld is more likely to be towards the south and west.
In Search of the AmericanDream
Why did people from around the world emigrate to theU.S.?And, why do they still go there? A good way to approach these two questions isto look at the “push” and “pull” factors. By “push”, it means the forces that “push”people to leave their own countries. They include, but not limited to, wars,revolutions, periods of starvation, persecutions, religious intolerance, and,in short, any number of disasters which led people to believe there was no hopeto stay where they were. By contrast, “pull” refers to the forces that “pull” peopleout of their own motherland and to the country they adopt as their new nation.Such forces include, among other things, political and religious freedom, economicopportunity, access to quality education, and a better life. In a nutshell, the“pull” factor can probably find its expression in the phrase---the AmericanDream. Only when the two factors combine to work together will immigration takeplace, for they are the two sides of the same coin.
Take the Chineseimmigrants of the mid-19th century for example. At that time, in additionto local wars and natural disasters, land was scarce and opportunity was scantyinChina.On the other hand,Americaseemed to offer abundant opportunity for personal improvement and economicbetterment, let alone its attractive “Gold Rush”. Thus, “pushed” by themiserable life back at home and “pulled” by the opportunityAmericaoffered, tens of thousands of Chinesewent to theUnited Statesin search of a better life. Similarly, between 1846 and 1851, more than amillion Irish emigrated toAmericain order to escape starvation and disease in Ireland In the 1870s, a wave ofrefugees left the political turmoil of Eastern and Southern Europe to seekfreedom and a future inAmerica.At other times, when the “pull” force weakens, as during the Great Depression orduring World War II, for example, smaller numbers of immigrants went to theUnited States.Since the 1960s, more and more people have fled the poverty and wars in Asiaand Latin America in the hope of making a better living in theUnited States.
What then is theAmerican Dream? While different people have different interpretations about it,the term “dream” can be defined as the hopes and ideals of a people, appliedextensively to the American experience, and suggesting an ongoing, activecreation, and a sense of new possibility and fresh hope. It could mean a decentjob with good pay; it could also mean ownership of a car and a house.Additionally, it can mean freedom of speech, freedom of assembly, and freedomof religion. All of such dreams imply a sense of optimism, and a sense ofaspiration. To be sure, other countries have their own success stories andtheir own dreams as well. What makes theAmerican Dream unique is the coming together in one place of so many separatedreams: the search for liberty, the discovery of one’s own potential, and theexploration of new possibilities for happiness.
Of course, notall immigrants and their descendents realize their dream. Indeed, quiteoftentimes, dreams turn into mere illusions or even nightmares. And, thenightmare of the corruption of ideals and failure of hopes reveals a differentAmerica, anAmericanot so bright as portrayed inU.S.history books. For instance, dissenters and other groups perceived asun-American have faced repression of every kind throughoutU.S.history, from the colonialQuakers to the Joseph McCarthy Communist witch-hunt of the 1950s. Indeed,immigrants often found barriers to opportunity: Irishmen seeking jobs saw signsreading “No Irish Need Apply,” the West Coast had anti-Chinese riots in the1870s, and the settler on the frontier, looking for the New Eden of his dreams,found, instead, only hardship and poverty. In short, at no time inU.S.history have the dream and ideal excluded illusion and nightmare, andconversely, at no time have the nightmare and illusion conquered the ideal andthe dream. These two aspects of American life have always run hand in hand.
The National Character
Of all the manydifferent nationalities and ethnic groups which have gone into the making ofAmerica,some have quickly assimilated. They have largely lost or intentionally given upmany of those specific markers which would make them much different from theirneighbors. This process of assimilation, or “Americanization”, hascharacterized the immigrant experience inU.S.history. Many American-bornChinese (ABC), for example, are often compared to banana, meaning they lookyellow outside but remain “white” inside. In other words, they have theappearance of Chinese, but in terms of values and lifestyle, they are very muchlike white Americans. In theUnited States,such a phenomenon is called the “melting pot,” suggesting thatAmericais “one out of many.”
However, manyother people, while becoming American in other ways, have managed to maintain alarge measure of their ethnic identities. They either refuse to be “melted”into the “pot,” or live far beyond the “melting pot.” Take the Jewish peoplefor example. While they are well positioned in American educational, financial,and scientific institutions, culturally speaking, they maintain their ownreligion, observe their own traditions, keep their own family values, and live theirown way of life. In many ways, the Chinese, the Japanese, and other AsianAmericans have done very much the same as Jews have in maintaining their ethnicidentities. Such a phenomenon in theUnited Statesis often likened to a “salad bowl” as a way ofinterpreting American national character, meaning that rather than being “oneout of many”,Americais better understood as “one and many.”
Perhaps, abetter metaphor for American society than either the “melting port,” or the “saladbowl” is that of a “pizza,” which has become, by the way, the single mostpopular food inAmerica,among the young people in particular. Anyone who has tasted the pizza knowsthat the different ingredients in a pizza are quite apparent and give the wholeits particular favor, and yet all are fused together into something larger.Like the symbol of “salad bowl,” the metaphor of “pizza” also implies thatAmerican society is composed of multi-ethnic groups with different culturalbackgrounds. But unlike the metaphor of “salad bowl”, which merely indicatesthat all the ingredients in the bowl are mixed together with all the piecesseparate from one another, the metaphor of “pizza” suggests that all theingredients in the “pizza” are glued to one another, forming an inseparableentity. In this sense, in terms of characterization ofAmericaas a multicultural society,“pizza” is probably a better metaphor.
Still anotherfactor to consider in describing “the American” is that the face of the nationis constantly, and often very rapidly, changing. As mentioned in the early partof this chapter, Hispanics, Blacks, Asians, and other ethnic minorities, whenput together, represent over 32% ofU.S.population. It is projectedthat by the mid-21st century, ethnic minorities will outnumber thewhite population and become majority, while majority will be reduced tominority status. Indeed, in a number of cities in theUnited States, Hispanics or Blacksnow represent the majority of citizens. In this context, the classicalquestion---“What is theAmerica,this new man?”---cannot be answered simply or conclusively. At best, one maysay that an American is someone who meets the legal requirements of citizenshipand who considers himself/herself to be an American. Of course, any person bornon American soil automatically has the right to American citizenship.
Based on thediscussion provided above, it can be argued that the older categories ofnationality brought from the Old World---race, language, religion, and parents’ancestry---have become relatively less important to the meaning of being anAmerican. They can still be used to describe an American, but not to defineone.
注释\解释（Notes and Explanations）
Protestant----A member of the Christian church that separated from the RomanCatholic Church in the 16th century. The term Protestant was not initially applied tothe Reformers, but later was used to describe all groups protesting RomanCatholic orthodoxy. Since that time, the term Protestant has been used in manydifferent senses, often as a general term merely to signify Christians whobelong to neither the Roman Catholic nor EasternOrthodoxy or Oriental churches.
Catholic----A member of the Roman Catholic Church, the largest Christiancommunion. However, many other Christians use the term “Catholic” to refer morebroadly to the whole Christian Church or to all believers in Jesus Christ. Regardlessof denominational affiliation.
The Gold Rush----It refers to the Gold Rush of 1848-1955 in California,which captured the popular imagination in theUnited Statesand around the world.It led directly to the settlement of Californian by Americans and the rapidentry of that state into the Union in 1850.Additionally, it stimulated worldwide interest in prospecting for gold, and ledto the new rushes inAustralia,South Africa,WalesandScotland.
The Great Depression-----It was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decadeproceeding World War II, beginning with the sudden collapse of US stock marketon October 29, 1929, and then spreading around the world shortly afterwards. Itwas the longest, most widespread, and deepest depression of the 20thcentury.
Quakers---Also known as Friends, Quakers are members of the ReligiousSociety of Friends, or Friends’ Church---an international family of diverseChristian religious organizations that focus on the priesthood of allbelievers. The Quakers movement began in mid-17th centuryEnglandwhen traveling preachers broke away from the Church of England and set out tocovert others to what they believed were the practices of the early church.They emphasize a personal, direct experience of Christ, acquired through bothdirect experience and through reading the Bible..
JosephMcCarthy---(November 14, 1908---May 2, 1957) was anAmerican politician who served as a Republican U.S. Senator from the state of Wisconsin from 1947until his death in 1957. Beginning in 1950, McCarthy became the most visiblepublic face of a period in which Cold War tensions fueled fears of widespreadCommunist subversion. He was noted for making claims that there were largenumbers of Communists in theU.S.federal government and elsewhere. Ultimately, his tactics and inability tosubstantiate his claims led him to be censured by the U.S. Senate.
TheOld World----It refers to Africa, Asia and Europe,used in the context of, and contrast with, the “New World,” i.e., theAmericas.
