Diversity in the United States Diversity Has

Diversity in the United States Diversity has contributed to America's culture ever since the country was founded. In the beginning, the country consisted of various immigrant groups who brought their individual beliefs, religious practices, unique craftsmanship and inventiveness from all over the world. The United States was considered a melting pot because of its inherent diversity due to the vast immigrations from all over the world.

However, even despite the vast amount of immigration and the concept of the melting pot, the country has always had to struggle to appreciate the advantages that diversity has provided for the country. Inequality and racism has been a persistent issues with the American society. Today the country is still struggling with similar problems despite the fact that major struggles for equality have manifested. Diversity in the United States today includes many more different types of groups who are still struggling for their acceptance into the society.

Diversity in the modern society has expanded from simply cultural and ethnic heritage and their related differences, to include different perspectives on social ethics, gay rights, religious, and political differences. Furthermore, the landscape of the country is continually evolving as the melting pot concept continues to shape the country. In the near future the country's population will even more influenced by what are considered minority groups. Changing Demographics The minority population in the United States is expanding more rapidly than the current Caucasian population.

Minorities, now roughly one-third of the U.S. population, are expected to become the majority in 2042, with the nation projected to be 54% minority in 2050 (United States Census Bureau, 2008). By 2023, minorities will comprise more than half of all children. This trend will directly affect how the American culture will define itself over the course of the next couple of decades.

The traditional concepts that many people hold about the composition of the society will no longer be accurate; the group that currently represents the majority will lose this status in the near future. As America's population continues to grow in a more diverse trajectory, the country's population will have to confront the increasing pressures to adapt to this diversity.

In an interview with CNN, Joel Kotin who is the offer of the book "The Next Hundred Million: America in 2050" stated that "What we'll see is that the Anglo-Saxon population will no longer be the majority. I believe the mixed-race population will grow the fastest because compared to the past, interracial relationships are increasingly tolerated and considered OK by a large percent of the younger generations. It's no longer strange to see a black and white couple at a restaurant together today.

Yet someone visiting from the 1960s would be shocked." As the United States becomes even more culturally diverse there are many new challenges that it must face in regards to its cultural identity. One such challenge will be the language barriers that are likely to present themselves. Language has always been one of the defining characteristics of the nation however the changing demographics will make this issue even more salient. For example, in 1980's a movement began that addressed this issue specifically.

A large group gained enough political will to attempt to make English the official language of the United States. Such an attempt was never even proposed at the federal level before 1981, because it had never been that big of an issue. The issue of an official language has surfaced periodically throughout U.S. history but was not raised in Congress until 1981, when Senator S.I. Hayakawa of California introduced a constitutional amendment to make English the official language (Leweling, 1997).

However, the English language movement was given credence by 23 states and in 1996 Congress designated English as the Federal Government's official language. Many people have criticized such attempts at making the official U.S. language English because they fear that it will detract from many citizens right to be culturally diverse. There have also been attempts to only provide information about government programs and services in the official language which would naturally discriminate against those who cannot speak English.

However, there is a subculture within the current majority of Americans who do not feel that there should be tolerance offered to immigrants who do not speak English and these individuals should be virtually forced to learn the "official" language. The challenges that the country will face are not simply limited to languages or cultural traditions. Other challenges may include cultural segregation, inequality in education, xenophobia, hate crimes, economic inequality, discrimination in the criminal system and many other such issues.

After the attack on Pearl Harbor, Japanese-Americans were treated unfairly because of national fear. After the attacks of September 11, 2001, the cultural fears against Middle Eastern Americans have grown in the country as well which has been largely amplified by the media's coverage of such events. Although the United States has made many strides towards tolerance, such events indicate that there is still a lot of work to be done to become more accepting of diversity (Keita, 2007). Education is the most important aspect to fostering an appreciation for cultural diversity. The.