The Cult of Ethnicity by Arthur M. Schlesinger Jr.

Arthur M. Schlesinger Jr. claims that the United States needs to remember the historic forces that strove towards a nation of "one people." The U.S. was the only nation that had been successful in combining people of different races and nations into one single culture. Globally, other nations suffer from major conflict between ethnic and racial issues. Arthur M. Schlesinger lays out what the purpose of this nation was. The US became known as the "melting pot." Schlesinger states, "the pot did not melt everybody." Schlesinger's impression is that the historic forces driving toward "one people" have not lost their power. The eruption of ethnicity is, I believe, a rather superficial enthusiasm stirred by romantic ideologues on the one hand and by unscrupulous con men on the other: self-appointed spokesmen whose claim to represent their minority groups is carelessly accepted by the media. He ends his essay describing that growing diversity of the American population makes the quest for unifying ideals and a common culture all the more urgent. In a world full of ethnic and racial antagonisms, the United States serves as an example of how a highly differentiated society holds itself together. I think what Schlesinger is trying to tell us is that we Americans need to set an example for other countries. America is such a diverse country now that other countries are looking at us as leaders. Knowing this Schlesinger is telling to try and be better examples.