NEW YORK — The United States faces profound cultural fragmentation as an Associated Press feature examines how national unity is redefined by an influx of people from different countries of origin, new generations, and diverse languages and religions. The report, part of an 'America at age 250' package, highlights how the national motto, E Pluribus Unum, or “out of many, one,” reflects an American aspiration for unity that has been both optimistic and unrealistic.
The article states that differences in the United States have become increasingly cultural, encompassing people from various countries of origin, a divide between newcomers and generations-deep citizens, and individuals speaking different languages. It also notes a proliferation of people following different denominations of Christianity or entirely other religions, further complicating the nation's social fabric.
The Elite Redefinition of Nationhood
Political, social, and cultural elites are actively involved in shaping national identity, according to Cindy Kam, a professor of political science at Vanderbilt University. Kam states that these elites “do that work in identifying what the groups are, who is part of ‘us’ and who is a part of the ‘other.’” This suggests a deliberate construction of societal divisions by those in positions of influence.
Daniel Immerwahr, a professor of history at Northwestern University, further elaborates on this redefinition, asserting that “What it is to be of the United States is to adhere to a set of principles rather than to have a certain kind of lineage.” This perspective detaches national identity from ancestral or cultural continuity, favoring an abstract set of principles that can be universally applied, regardless of origin.
This reinterpretation of American identity contrasts sharply with the founders' emphasis on national union. George Washington, upon stepping down as the first American president, urged citizens to “properly estimate the immense value of your national union to your collective and individual happiness; that you should cherish a cordial, habitual, and immovable attachment to it … indignantly frowning upon the first dawning of every attempt to alienate any portion of our country from the rest.” His words underscore a historical understanding of unity rooted in shared national attachment.
The Cost of Unsettled Identity
The feature notes that the United States has experienced eras when the influx of people coming to its shores was “seemingly a never-ending stream.” This mass migration is presented as a significant factor in the ongoing demographic and cultural shifts that challenge traditional notions of unity.
The article acknowledges that the United States has a mixed history in dealing with tensions of inclusion and exclusion, with things having fluctuated over time. However, it highlights that demographic, technological, and economic changes of the last several decades are making discussions about unity “more relevant than ever.”
Americans have recently lived in a country where polarization is rampant and serious, with dire questions abounding over what the future holds. Eileen Cheng, a professor of history at Sarah Lawrence College, suggests that this polarization is not a new phenomenon but rather “a return back to the way that we were at the beginning of the country,” indicating a cyclical struggle with national cohesion.
The meaning of unity itself remains abstract, with questions posed regarding whether unity means uniformity, or if people can simply be “on different sides that happen to be side by side.” The article notes that some countries have chosen official religions or designated single official languages, while the United States has for generations never officially designated any, leaving its cultural core undefined.
Paul Wachtel, a psychology professor at the City College of New York, observes that “There are always tensions between the unity and the separateness,” and that learning to negotiate these tensions is essential. However, the current environment, shaped by elite redefinitions and demographic transformations, presents a unique challenge to the native population's sense of belonging and cultural continuity.