Short Essay #2

In the book Who Are We?, Samuel P. Huntington explores the identity of America. More specifically, he examines the history of American identity and how it came about from the British settlers, the immigrants who adopted this Anglo-Protestant culture, and finally how it has more recently changed. An important aspect is the American Creed, which Gunnar Myrdal popularized and described as “the essential dignity of the individual human being, of the fundamental equality of all men, and of certain inalienable rights to freedom, justice, and a fair opportunity.” (67) Furthermore, the Anglo-Protestant culture has been a core set of cultural values for much of America’s history, however, it more recently has diluted. Therefore, this leads to a controversial issue on whether or not this is better or worse for society. While there are both pros and cons to the given statement, it is more negative that Anglo-Protestant values have diluted more recently due to the fact that it hurts the identity and unity of the nation. 

Huntington explains how most countries generally “have a core or mainstream culture shared to varying degrees by most people in their society” (59) Of course, as Huntington continues, there are subcultures within each nation that are based off of various factors, including religion, race, class, and many others. Despite these subcultures in America, “It also has had a mainstream Anglo-Protestant culture in which most of its people, whatever their subcultures, have shared. For almost four centuries this culture of the founding settlers has been the central and the lasting component of American identity.” (59) While some of its aspects may derive from England, both political and social, America has ultimately created its own unique identity. For hundreds of years, immigrants have been able to assimilate and adapt to American culture, which has often allowed them to gain success and prosper. Naturally, it is challenging to come to a new country and instantly fit in, throw away your old values, and feel comfortable. Therefore, it’s understandable how immigrants and minorities might struggle or be hesitant to fully assimilate themselves into a new lifestyle. 

America is known to be a very patriotic country, especially during and after times of war. This can be seen with the various symbols and traditions throughout the nation. However, since the 1960s this nationalism has certainly faded. While there is not one specific reason for this, Huntington explains how some factors may include more multiculturalism and diversity among elites, special interest identities that have elevated over national identity like race and gender, and a combination of less promotion of immigrant assimilation as well as immigrants having multiple identities. Following the tragic events of September 11, patriotism did rise once again, however, it ultimately has faded during recent history. If the Anglo-Protestant values did eventually die out, it is unclear what would happen next as America has never faced this problem before. It can certainly be argued that positives would occur, some of which may include that more ethnic and racial equality would be evident in society especially compared to history. However, it can be costly because it erodes the national identity, which would make the nation less unified and patriotic. This would harm the nation as it is an essential aspect of America. Overall, it is hard to definitively argue which would be better or worse for the nation looking into the future, but I would have to agree with Huntington that this is not good as he argues, “Millions of immigrants and their children achieved wealth, power, and status in American society precisely because they assimilated themselves into the prevailing American culture.” (62)