Immigration Into American Culture Essay

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Immigration is a fundamental part of American culture that is aptly addressed by Warren Leher and Judith Sloan’s book, Crossing the Blvd. By describing why people immigrate to the US, defining the various forms of incorporation into American culture, and dissecting three amazing stories of people who have immigrated here, we can discover a relationship between an immigrant’s reasons for immigrating and the challenges they face when trying to incorporate themselves into our culture. There are numerous economic, social, and political reasons behind immigration to the United States. The most prominent reason for immigration is the desire for economic opportunity, the lure of better jobs and better land. Another possible reason for immigration is religious persecution; the freedom to practice whichever religion one chooses is a…show more content…
Political incorporation includes becoming a legal citizen and being involved in the political processes of the US. Economic incorporation is defined as becoming an integral member of the US economy through acquiring and maintaining a job. Social incorporation allows an immigrant to become a member of American society through learning social norms, creating lasting friendships with neighbors, and embracing American culture along with the culture of your home country. Social incorporation takes a long time and requires patience as well as acceptance of American cultural norms that may be contrary to the cultural influences an immigrant grew up with in their home country. For example, in America it is common to see women on the beach in nothing but a bikini, but in other cultures, such blatant display of one’s body would be severely frowned upon. Incorporation into American culture is an integral part of an immigrants attempt to feel at home in a new
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