Against the Ideal of a ‘Melting Pot’
As anti-immigration sentiments intensified in the U.S. during World War I, Randolph S. Bourne argued for embracing cultural diversity rather than demanding assimilation.
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Associated Press Trans-national America
As World War I unfolded in Europe, intensifying ethnic antagonisms, native-born Americans became increasingly suspicious of the pockets of immigrant culture thriving among them. In 1916, critic and essayist Randolph Bourne challenged such attitudes with an essay—now considered a classic of forward thinking—calling for a new, more cosmopolitan conception of America and a reconsideration of the “melting-pot” theory.
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