Instruction
Reinventing America" and the Call for a New National Identity.
Stephen Knadler discussed in, "Identity and 21st Century Citizenship:"
In the third of his 1782 Letters from an American Farmer, the French-born J. Hector St. John de Crevecoeur raised the question, “What is an American?” As the new nation debated the legal and political terms of U.S. citizenship, many questioned whether the country ought to share a common cultural identity. In a territory divided by region, race, origins, class, religion, values, and gender, De Crevecoeur mused if is it even possible to create a shared idea, feeling, or experience of peoplehood--a we-- amidst such diversity.
FOR YOUR ESSAY: Where does our definition of an "American" come from? And how can individuals from so many different cultures come together to form a national identity? Is this even possible in a nation with a history of white privilege and institutionalized racism? Form an argument on whether or not a new national identity is possible in the 21st Century and what it would look like, or if it is not, explain a specific reason why.
Support your argument with reasoned evidence, starting with the Elizabeth Martinez article, "Reinventing 'America:' Call for a New National Identity," beginning on pg. 322 in FIAW. Then choose at least two (2) online articles from the links listed below. Use ONLY the Martinez article and the online sources, for a total of three (3). No outside sources are needed, but you may use more than two of the sources listed below.
"What Does It Mean to Be an American?" by Matt Sedensky
"A New Report Says Hispanic Identity is Fading" by Ed Morales
"Being Black in American Can Be Hazardous to Your Health" by Olga Khazan
"Being Indian in Trump's America" by Amitava Kumar
"Asian-Americans Are Cultural Orphans" by Ricky Yean
"White People Are Noticing Something New - Their Own Whiteness" by Emily Bazelon