Trans-national America

Trans- National America is an article that hit very close to home. As an immigrant born outside of the United States I have experienced the pressures of being different and not being considered an American, although as a Puerto Rican I was born an American citizen never the less as a Hispanic I have been looked at as an immigrant who needs to be Americanized. As I read the article I was able to commiserate with the Europeans that came to this country following the initial colonization.

While reading this article I felt that I could quote almost this entire article as I saw many of the negative experiences I myself have encountered. While in the military I lived through moments in which I felt I was allowed to be myself as long I was able to fit into the mold that had been prepared for me. As I read the part about “forcibly assimilating to the Anglo –Saxon tradition which they unquestionably label American” I was immediately transported to basic training in which we were all being “forcibly” transformed from civilians to soldiers however in my case I was also being turned into an “American”. 

The America that I have grown up in is an America of diversity. It is a country in which the contributions of the immigrants that came before us and continue to come have made great contributions to who we have become as a nation and have enriched us culturally. Unfortunately as we see in this article and we have seen in virtually every aspect of live, the dominant group will always attempt to maintain power by imposing their way of life upon the weaker or newer group. The great “melting pot” that America is has a distinction that distinct as it has although most immigrants have assimilated to the American culture and expectations put upon them still while maintaining their own national identity. Although this is not what “our founders” had intended this is the result of the merging of different nationalities and cultures.

We continue to see in our own communities that as time moves forward and we continue to assimilate the American way of life, we also continue to show pride and allegiance to our country of origin. As we as a nation continue to Americanize we also continue to create our own clusters in our own communities. Our Identity becomes that of a hyphenated Latinos, Arabs, Europeans, Etc. I am an American Latino, I am proud to be an American however I am very proud of being an American and even prouder of having served my country in the United States armed forces.