| The United States has always prided itself on the title of “nation of immigrants”.Since the establishment of the first permanent colony in Jamestown,North America in 1607 by the United Kingdom,numerous immigrants from all over the world have flocked far and wide to the “city upon a hill” with the yearning for the“American Dream”,hence several major waves of immigration.And the “melting pot”hypothesis thus came into being.To achieve “assimilation” and “Americanization”,these newcomers began to learn English and practice American social principles,striving to establish a foothold in the “melting pot”.However,throughout history,black people have seldom been categorized into “immigrants”,yet they are the only and meanwhile the first group of immigrants “forced” to be taken to America.From the American slave trade in the 16 th century to the abolition of black slavery after the Civil War in the 1860 s,and then to the Black American movement in the mid-20 th century,this group of old black immigrants gradually awakened with the development of the “melting pot” theory and consistently fought for their rights.From the mid to late 20 th century to the present,more and more people from Africa and the Caribbean have immigrated to the United States.Although the cultural identity of these new black immigrants differs greatly from that of native American blacks,they are usually treated together as “Black Americans”.At present,the ideology of the “melting pot” has encountered some major predicaments from the challenges of racial conflict.The “melting pot” concept itself contradicts the “equality” advocated by the “American Dream” since there has long been a huge economic gap between blacks and whites in American society.Besides,blacks’ religious assimilation does not meet the requirements of the mainstream American culture with a growing number of black people are no longer devout Protestants.In addition,while Obama’s victory in the 2008 Election restored many African Americans’ faith in the “melting pot” ideal,the propaganda for the“deracialization” political strategy reflects “color-blind racism”.Given the economic crisis,Obama’s presidency caused a revival of racism,unleashing racial resentment and white backlash.Finally,the rise of the right-wing conservative “Tea Party”movement in the 21 st century provides favorable conditions for Trump’s rise and successful election to the presidency and further stimulates racial tensions in the United States.As for the reasons of the predicament,the deeply-ingrained and long-standing racism against the blacks in American society is undoubtedly the greatest challenge to the “melting pot” theory for it fundamentally hinders the true integration of black Americans.In the “Trump Era”,the resurgence of white nationalism has also dealt a blow to black Americans,and concerns over racism and immigration issues have once again been brought to the forefront.Moreover,with the popularity of multiculturalism,the concept of “cultural diversity” has challenged the dominant white Anglo-Saxon Protestant culture in the “assimilation” narrative.Under the impact of the “melting pot” dilemma,black Americans have also confronted an identity crisis,which stems not only from the antagonistic society of black-and-white but also related to the internal structure of blacks.In the long run,the internal strife among the American people is bound to intensify,and the racial conflict between blacks and whites in the US will gradually deteriorate,thus exacerbating the division of American society.Obviously,from the death of George Floyd to the “Black Lives Matter”movement,the long-neglected and excluded black people in the “melting pot” theory have proved the plight with their actions: as the earliest “immigrants” to the United States,they have not yet successfully integrated into this so-called “melting pot” and the United States has not truly entered the era of “color-blind” in the 21 st century given that it is undoubtedly still a “black and white” society. |
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