SLAM,
Quote:
We integrated foreigners but they were almost all from Europe. It is only post 1965 with the Hart Celler Act that the term began to mean integrating wildly disparate cultures and people.
From Europe though still didn't mean semi-monolithic. You over-estimate the lack of ethnic variety even in the period around the turn of the last century. You see this most in histories and fields when reading primary sources rather than university style history capsules. Its just amazing the varied backgrounds of a given citizen sometimes and where they came from.
The commonality you are noting was because it was -- correctly --
imposed by expectation and actual immigration standards on any coming here. You had to become `American' or be sidelined. What MAY be true, when think about the examples, is that most were in some form or another already exposed to Christianity. That `western tone overlay' far more than the ethnic, may be the common factor that worked.
But like in the history inventions or various fields, you see variety very early and very powerful in its contribution. Women are there too. Too many stone-cold idiots mistake failure for something to be written about and made prominent for not having taken place.
Just an angle on your point.
FrioAg 00:
Leftist Democrats "have completely overplayed the Racism accusation. Honestly my first reaction when I hear it today is to assume bad intentions by the accuser, not the accused."