The UNMAKING OF AMERICANS: HOW MULTICULTURALISM HAS UNDERMINED THE ASSIMILATION ETHIC [Hardcover]

John J. Miller (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 6, 1998

Will today's immigrant population become the first in American history that fails to assimilate? If so, the United States threatens to collapse into disunion. Much of the blame for this state of affairs can be laid at the feet of multiculturalists, who have undermined the concept of Americanization by attacking it as racist and advancing in its place a divisive agenda of group rights and bilingual education. Unfortunately, many on the right have responded to this crisis by viewing immigrants themselves as their mortal enemies-- instead of the entrenched native-born liberal elite that has declared war on the American idea itself.

In "The Unmaking of Americans", John J. Miller breaks this standoff with a commonsense call for a new Americanization movement based on fundamental American principles. He draws on lessons from the Americanization movement of the early 20th century, which helped the Ellis Island generation of immigrants adapt to their new home. In doing so, Miller makes the first modern defense of a patriotic social crusade that many "tenured radicals" have come to scorn as nothing more than a gentrified form of ethnic cleansing.

Miller sets out to convince conservatives concerned about immigration that the real threat to American unity is not the huddled masses of hardworking newcomers, but longstanding left-wing policies that actively inhibit assimilation. Proponents of bilingual education refuse to teach children in English, racial preferences encourage harmful group loyalties, welfare rules threaten the work ethic, and the citizenship process is under constant pressure from people who want to dumb it down. "The Unmaking of Americans" reveals where and how the system of assimilation fell apart-- and lays out a specific plan of action for correcting the problem that conservatives, libertarians, and sensible liberals can support.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

In his first book-length publication, The Unmaking of Americans, National Review reporter John J. Miller examines how multiculturalist attacks on assimilation and nativistic bigotry have placed immigrants to America in a precarious position in which they risk being unable to take full advantage of the benefits of American society. On the basis of the historical record, Miller argues that there is a rich tradition of encouraging immigrants to participate in Americanization, a process that encourages respect for one's ethnic or cultural heritage within a new, broader American context that comes with its own unique privileges and obligations. He offers detailed suggestions for policy reform that would make it easier to become an American citizen and enter American society on equal footing.

From Publishers Weekly

Miller, a former fellow at the conservative Heritage Foundation, is an unabashed critic of the notion that ethnic and racial minorities need to maintain their cultural identity. He argues that multiculturalism is a theory of elite intellectuals who have no feel for what it means to be an American. The result, he maintains, diminishes the values that have made this country great. Between 1880 and 1920, 25 million immigrants arrived here and assimilated by learning English, working hard and adopting the customs of the host country. This model has been replaced, Miller suggests, by government policies that encourage separatism and produce groups more concerned with their private interests than in participating in the American tradition. The author opposes affirmative action, bilingual education in public schools and what he charges is a watered-down process for becoming a citizen. He describes himself as a man of the centerAin between the radical proponents of multiculturalism and nativist reactionaries who would bar immigrants completely. When not pursuing his ideology, Miller presents interesting historical data and cogent analysis of government programs, particularly concerning the negative effects of bilingual education on children's facility to master English. The ability to communicate in English, he concludes, is crucial to success in America and to understanding how our democratic system operates.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 304 pages
• Publisher: Free Press (May 6, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 068483622X
• ISBN-13: 978-0684836225
• Product Dimensions: 9.7 x 6.2 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,363,350 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Solid Book Argues for Assimilation of American People, December 5, 2000

By 

Wayne A. Smith (Newark, DE) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The UNMAKING OF AMERICANS: HOW MULTICULTURALISM HAS UNDERMINED THE ASSIMILATION ETHIC (Hardcover)

This is a good book that argues the reasons why assimilation is a good public value and crucial to the happiness of the United States. It also presents a solid critique of multiculturalism and well argued discourse concerning the potentially destructive results if the "multi-culti" view of the US were ever fully implemented by the left.

Although not quite as lucid or compelling as Schlessinger's brilliant "Disuniting of America," Miller's book is an important contribution to the growing debate regarding the nature of America's self image and the constant effort to build our country with the aid of new generations of newcomers.

Much of the history Miller presents is informative and interesting. I was particularly fascinated to learn about the "Americanization Societies" and related programs funded by state and local governments and private philanthropic organizations at the beginning of the Twentieth Century.

This is a well researched and thorough book on the subject of Americanization and the assimilation of immigrants and newcomers in America.

18 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Every legislator and American citizen must read this, August 29, 2000

By 

Josephine Koo McGuire (Chicago, IL United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The UNMAKING OF AMERICANS: HOW MULTICULTURALISM HAS UNDERMINED THE ASSIMILATION ETHIC (Hardcover)

If I could afford it, I would give this book to every naturalized citizen and every legislator. I am a naturalized American citizen. The liberal atmosphere of my American college and of this politically correct climate led me to believe that special assistance to racial and ethnic groups was the compassionate thing to do, while anyone against such policies was racist. Americans who want to promote the unifying tradition of the English language, patriotism, and the pride of citizenship through assimilation are unfairly represented today; they are branded as oppressors of foreign cultures. Nothing is further from the truth. John J. Miller corrects this and other misconceptions. The Canadian motto of "diversity, not assimilation" is not a fair juxtaposition of immigration philosophies. Diversity and the appreciation of one's heritage can coexist with assimilation into good American citizenship. I want to succeed in this society on my individual merits, not through "group rights" (empowerment) that assume that I have special needs or attachments to my ethnic group. Most immigrants share this sentiment. The way to help them succeed is to help them assimilate, not encourage cultural practices (e.g., language, "cultural defenses" against American law, etc.) which bind their allegiance to their original country and distance them further from the American mainstream. The idea of a "global village" is so warm and fuzzy. But politicians heed Mr. Miller: we don't want to be a "United Nations nation --- a country made up of bickering factions divided by their race, ethnicity, and language. The United States strives to be something else, a place where race and ethnicity do not have an iron-fisted influence on political life, a place where common citizenship and the principles to which that citizenship is dedicated pull together Americans of all races, ethnicities, and religions." My only complaint about the book is Mr. Miller's criticism of American high school students' lack of basic understanding of American history. I would've been one of those students too, except that I studied and memorized and learned (with appreciation) facts about American history and government for my Naturalization interview.

12 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Skinny book, fat with logic, December 21, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: The UNMAKING OF AMERICANS: HOW MULTICULTURALISM HAS UNDERMINED THE ASSIMILATION ETHIC (Hardcover)

The Unmaking of Americans presents a clear, easy-to-follow, rational case for promoting Americanization for new immigrants. Point by point, it refuted common fallacies of both the far right and far left. The book diagnosed problems with current approaches to immigration and American culture, described historical efforts to treat the same cultural maladies, and proposed a solution to the problem in the form that faces America now.

Very worthwhile, very easy to understand, very concise, and very rational.