The very concept of religion implies having a set of values and some degree of a moral code amongst its followers. The Anglo-Protestant religion and the cultural values that came along with it played a significant role in the unity and progression of the early United States; as time went on, however, the dilution of the importance of religion in society has actually served to the advantage of the immensely progressive nation. At the onset of the United States, Anglo-Protestant religious activity helped unite citizens across state lines under common beliefs and values. While this was beneficial at first, diversity is an important element of any progressive society and the dilution of the Anglo-Protestant stereotype has allowed for new, more enlightened thinking to spread throughout the United States.
History has shown that having religious aspects in a society is not intrinsically a bad thing. In many cases, the idea of religion keeps people in line and has the ability to build tightknit communities that are able to work towards common goals. This type of structure can be traced to even ancient civilizations like Egypt, where thousands of people came together to contract religious monuments and improve their civilizations. Religion in the early United States was no different. The common belief in one God and the same belief system united people across state lines. Before the United States came to be and mere colonies existed on the east coast of North America, the Great Awakening was “the first time…the colonies [were brought] together in a common social, emotional, and religious experience” (Huntington 109). Further, the Anglo-Protestant cultural values also promoted hard work and self-made success. This so-called “Protestant work ethic” became ubiquitous throughout the United States. This mentality undoubtedly contributed to the early success of the United States. By uniting an entire people under one well-defined belief system, the Protestant religion was arguably the most powerful and influential force in early America.
While common ideals, values, and beliefs can be advantageous, they also pose issues towards forward thinking and can serve as barriers to progress. The future of America is not one stereotypical, “American man,” but rather a “conglomeration of peoples with different cultures” (Huntington 128). There is no longer a place in America for one centralized type of American man. The United States today is a place where diversity is welcomed, to an extent, and the population is made up of a vastly diversified group of people. If the United States had remained in the past and not shed its Anglo-Protestant identity, it would be failing to maintain its very founding principle of being a nation of immigrants. Keeping the Anglo-Protestant mindset would not fit with the current form of American thinking, where society in general is more agnostic and less committed to serving a higher power. Forcing this type of thinking onto its citizens would restrain freedoms in American society and ultimately harm evolution of the nation. This is not to say that the idea of “Americanizing” immigrants should disappear completely, but rather that it should instead refer to concepts that bring people closer in today’s world, like the ability to communicate in a common language or at the very least interact with each other in a positive and constructive fashion (Huntington 131). America is no longer a nation with any one single mindset or mentality, but rather a diverse place where people of different cultural, religious, social backgrounds come together to proudly live in harmony under one flag.
12 replies on “Short Essay #2”
I agree with Michael’s assertion that diversity is an important element of progressive society, however when responding to this prompt I think it is necessary to consider the present attempts to keep immigrants out of the United States. While I hope that America will become the place that Michael claims it is now, the government, specifically President Trump, seems to be attempting to restrain freedom in American society and bring it back to the all Anglo-Protestant life. Additionally, I think it is also important to recognize that although it is widely accepted that we are a nation of immigrants, we are really a nation of settlers. The Anglo-Americans did not come here and assimilate to a pre existing society, instead they created their own. However, I think that Michael’s point that the Anglo-Protestant core of American society can act as a barrier for forward thinking in certain ways is extremely valid, and his organization and argument was incredibly clear.
I agree with many of the sentiments of your paper, and I think you did a good job sewing Huntington’s information and position throughout the parts of your argument.
You do a good job explaining why the ubiquitous Anglo-American ideals of the colonial and founding era would not be a good thing to have today because of their limiting effect. I think it would be interesting for you to, after explaining how we are moving away from these values and characteristics, talk about some different ways they are still at the core of our national identity. One suggestion I have is that Americans still seem to share the commitment to political liberalism that was written directly into our national creed. Perhaps there are other ways we still embody these fundamentally religious principles as well.
I agree with the notion that having a shared identity and similar beliefs and values can significantly help a society form and become strong, and I also agree that America needs to shape into a place where there is no singular identity in order to function. As the country has become so much more diverse and larger having a unified strong idea of what an American is can actually hurt the country rather than help it. Thus, I agree with the idea that America is a diverse unique place that can no longer abide by a single idea of the typical American.
I felt as though your viewpoints on the idea that common ideals, values, and beliefs could be advantageous and that they could also pose issues towards forward thinking and can serve as barriers to progress was quite interesting. I felt as though the ‘meshing together’ of these opposite beliefs did a good job in balancing your essay, especially in the final paragraph. The ideologies behind Americanizing immigrants should still be firm, but as you stated, they should also refer to concepts that bring people closer in today’s world.
Your perspective on the concept of religion is very interesting and the way you wrote this short essay as a social scientist is very unique and I like it. I like how you stood with one viewpoint throughout your first and second paragraph, and then opposed it in the beginning of the third and wrapped it all back together towards the end. I liked how you began very vague and broad and brought the idea together more as the essay was driven. But to criticize, maybe you should mention how religion is not so much the same and not as focused on as it was during the time of the Anglo-Protestant culture. During their time, it was all they migrated for, but now, theres other factors that are included in today’s society that I think are worth noting. Overall, very interesting essay and I enjoyed reading it.
I agree with your position on the prompt that the core Anglo-Protestant values has diluted due to diversity and allowed for more progressive thinking. Your beginning paragraph is strong and your argument is clear. It sets up an interesting essay that you want to read more about. Your quote about the “conglomeration of peoples with different cultures” is a great representation of what America is right now (Huntington 128). You don’t state that the Anglo-Protestant was a bad thing of America, you acknowledge it as being significant to America’s rich history. I think you have a great understanding of time and where America is at as a country. Do you think America needs to have religion involved in the lives of the citizens? What if America becomes too diverse and identity is lost? Do you think that there’s such a thing of being too diverse that the core values of America disappear? Anyway, you present a strong argument and I like your writing analysis; one that I can relate to.
Thanks for your comment: I’ll try and answer your questions briefly. Personally, I do not think religion has to play a role at all in the lives of American citizens. It is difficult, however, to simply do away with the prospect of religion because of the way in which America was founded, centered on the Anglo-Protestant belief system. It is possible for America to become “too diverse” but not if that diversity is simply based off race, religious beliefs, or cultural background. America can become “too diverse” if people lose sight of the fact that they are apart of something bigger. Many people propagate their own ideas and goals above those of a common group, which is fine but only to an extent. But so long as the people of America remain educated on the history of the United States and recall the sacrifices made by others so they can live in the land of the free, over-diversification should never be an issue.
I find that you make great points regarding how diversity in the United States is embraced as you state that “the United States today is a place where diversity is welcomed, to an extent, and the population is made up of a vastly diversified group of people.” But as you state, “to an extent,” I find that It would be helpful to further explain why it is not fair to claim that diversity is always welcomed. Discussion of current immigration policies would be a beneficial example to further expand on why your statement is true. yes the United States is made up of a “vastly diversified group of people,” but how does this continue to be true in today’s society?
Although I previously made a comment on this essay, I would like to reiterate some of the suggestions I made today during class. Like I said earlier, I think it would be beneficial to acknowledge the current politics and the ways in which certain prominent figures in America are attempting to preserve the Anglo-Protestant culture today. For example, it is thought by many people that President Trump is attempting to control diversity rather than let it thrive in the ways you allude to in your essay. I think that recognizing this will only make your argument stronger because you will be apprehending a potential counter argument.
Additionally, I think it would be beneficial to define what you consider the common beliefs and values of the Anglo-Protestant culture to be in your first paragraph. This will allow the reader to know exactly what you are referring to when you continue to use this term in the rest of your paper. Also, while I find your last sentence to be particularly strong, I find it hard to accept that it is entirely accurate. I think it would be beneficial to change the phrasing to “should no longer be..” rather than “is.” Overall, however, I believe that you did a fantastic job clearly forming your argument and backing it with sufficient evidence.
Thanks for your comments. I do agree that it would be beneficial to highlight some figures in today’s society that are actively working to preserve the “Anglo-Protestant” culture to provide a more accurate counterpoint to my argument that America today is a place where diversity is welcome regardless of other factors. This is evidently not always the case, but given the limited parameters of the short essay, I chose not to discuss it at length. Also as I said previously, I think defining the Anglo-Protestant beliefs would strengthen my introductory paragraph but again given the limited space I ended up excluding that information. If I were to rework this short essay I would definitely integrate these changes and take your comments into consideration.
I agree with your points made in this essay about how “Americanizing” immigrants isn’t something we should do as much in this country. I like how you tied in the fact that we were once a nation with a more common religious identity, but we have moved away from that, and there are many upsides to that fact. I think it would be interesting if you talked more about the current political climate involving immigrants, and also if you talked about what you think the common values, religious or not, of the country are today.
I agreed with all your points you brought up in your essay. The one that I agreed with most was the one about the Protestant work ethic. I think you could’ve elaborated on that a little bit more just because I feel its pretty important. I think that it is a main thing that people during that time period had over people today. The seriousness that they approached the idea they were responsible for the success they had on Earth was what encouraged them to create a better society.