Interpret the Evidence and Put It in Context

1. Question

   According to Israel Zangwill, how will immigrants become “real Americans” (Document 18.6)?

2. Question

   What is Alfred Schultz’s view of the melting pot (Document 18.8)? In his estimation, why is assimilation an impossible goal for America?

3. Question

   Why might other immigrant groups have supported Chinese exclusion (see Document 18.7)?

4. Question

   How does Randolph Bourne’s vision of America’s future differ from that of Zangwill? On what points might the two men have agreed?

5. Question

   What explanation does Jacob Riis offer for the high rents and poor accommodations that African Americans were forced to accept (Document 18.10)? What differences between the experiences of white immigrants and African Americans does Riis’s description suggest?

• Question

  What are the limitations of the melting pot metaphor for immigrant assimilation? What metaphor would you employ to describe the assimilation process? Why?