Discussion 3

Reply to the two post 250 words for both post

Reply from Trent Dorey

1. This applies to Italian Americans very much so, there is becoming a point where even the language is dying out in America. While there’s over 16 million Italian Americans, only 700,000 speak Italian in any kind of capacity. It has even gotten to the point where tourist attractions are the only remaining ethnic conclaves like Little Italy in Manhattan, New York City. where the people who are employed are expected to speak in sprinkled Italian phrases and “to maintain the atmosphere of an authentic Little Italy, they often sport name tags that say Mario or Luigi,(121). Because of the idea of the “melting pot’, Italian Americans have started to lose its ethnic consciousness,

2.Polonia played a huge role in the contemporary lives of Polish Americans. spanning over many states in the Midwest, Polonias gave Polish Americans immigrating a way to stay afloat in hard economic times. the book even mentions “boarding houses called tryzmanie bortnkw (brother keeping), which allowed the new arrival to save money and send it back to Poland to support his family”(122). this allowed for a stable income to allow the family members of more Polish Americans to immigrate. Polonias played a huge role in keeping more and more people safe enough to be in America

3.The relative importance of religion and ethnicity shaped a lot of the social attitudes and behaviors. A lot of how you were treated was based on your ethnicity and religion. Most immigrants that came to America faced scrutiny, from Jews and Mulsims, to Polish, Italians, and Africans. Most if not all social influences tended to be negative, for example for the Italian Americans. the book even says “Arriving in the United States without much money and uneducated, Italians lived in decaying, crime-ridden neighborhoods. For a small segment of these immigrants, crime was a significant means of upward social mobility.”(119)

4.Slavery reparation as the book defines it “refers to the act of making amends for the injustice of slavery.”(170). It has been marginalized as being smaller than it actually was. and downplaying the economic wealth the U.S generated because of slavery. and especially claims that since it was in the past that it no longer has any factors on today,

5.the main differences are that when there were other trying times in America and we treated others poorly they were given reparations. As Conley says in the article “Armed with precedents such as payments to Japanese Americans for internment during World War II and the claims of Holocaust victims on Swiss banks for lost accounts” (15), there have clearly been past reparations like the Japanese American who were put in internment camps for thought of being spies. so therefore, in comparison it makes little sense fairly to not have reparations for all those America hurt while it maintained its “freedom”

Ranya Ahmed-Abdelgadir

Chapters 5 & 7

1.Assimilation has never meant a melting pot where everyone melted into a homogenous American

stew. As political scientist Peter Skerry writes, assimilation has typically meant that immigrants have adapted

and changed in disparate domains, rejecting their immigrant past in some ways (forgetting their parents

mother tongue and speaking English, or learning to tolerate individuals with sharply different values) and

holding on to other aspects of their heritage (ethnic cuisine, specific religious holidays, family traditions from

the homeland). Explain how this can apply to the Italian American experience. (Ch.5)

Italian Americans did not fully melt into one culture. Many learned English, worked in American jobs, and adapted to U.S. society, but they kept traditions like Italian food, Catholic religion, and strong family values. This shows assimilation can mean changing some things while keeping cultural identity.

2. What role has Polonia played in the lives of contemporary Polish Americans? (Ch.5)

Polonia refers to Polish communities and organizations in the U.S. It helps Polish Americans stay connected through churches, language, culture, and social networks. It provides support while still allowing people to become part of American society.

3.What is the relative importance of religion and ethnicity in influencing social attitudes and behaviors in the

context of immigration? (Ch.5)

Religion often shapes values, social behavior, and community life more strongly than ethnicity alone. Churches, mosques, or temples give immigrants support, identity, and a place to gather. Ethnicity matters too, but religion can strongly influence attitudes and traditions.

4. Explain the concept of slavery reparation. How has the historical and social significance of slavery been

marginalized? (Ch.7)

Slavery reparations are proposals to compensate African Americans for the long-term harm caused by slavery and discrimination. The history of slavery has sometimes been minimized in education and public discussions, which makes it harder to address inequality and its lasting effects.

5. Dalton Conley calculates the cost of reparations in Forty Acres and a Mule: What If America Pays

Reparations? Contexts 1 (2002): 13-20. https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1525/ctx.2002.1.3.13 How

is African Americans experience with reparations compared with other oppressed groups? (Ch.7)

Some groups in U.S. history, like Japanese Americans interned during World War II, received government compensation. African Americans have generally not received large-scale reparations, even though slavery and discrimination lasted much longer and affected many generations.