If you think of a melting pot in the metaphorical sense, surely one of the first countries you’d think of would be America. The blending and mingling of different cultures, languages, and religions is what makes the American identity so unique and special. Home to Pakistanis, Bulgarians, Sikhs, Catholics, liberals, and conservatives, it’d be hard to imagine that everyone could coexist peacefully. Thomas Paine suggests that in spite of America’s multitude of differences, its government is able to maintain a balanced society by basing its foundations on the values of liberty and justice. Although it is true that America is a diverse nation because of its many religions, ethnicities, and backgrounds, it is more true that is not in complete unity
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Paine states that “[America’s] government is just; and there is nothing to render them wretched, there is nothing to engender riots and tumults”. (Paine) Basically, becauses of the government’s just principles and fair policies, the American people remain satisfied and conflict is avoided. This is understandable because a stable government certainly is key to a harmonious nation. Nonetheless, the government has passed discriminatory laws in the past and many authority officials like the police sometimes act with racial or religious bias. In the New Jim Crow, writer and civil rights advocate Michelle Alexander discusses the experiences of African Americans during the War on Drugs in America as well as the modern mass incarceration of Latino and black men in America. She explains that in the mid 1980s, US government passed particularly harsh antidrug legislation, despite there being little public concern about drugs, mostly because “the drug war from the onset had little to do with public concern about drugs and much to do with public concern about race.” (Alexander, 4). The enactment of the Anti-Drug Abuse Act of 1986 some time after involved an assortment of harsh penalties, including “far more severe punishment for distribution of crack–associated with blacks–than powder cocaine, associated with whites.” (Alexander, 5) So instead of being outright racist or xenophobic, politicians supported policies that targeted people of color unfairly. In addition to politicians advocating for morally questionable laws, there are times where American police force act unethically, especially in times of crisis where law and order needs to be maintained. For example, in Zeitoun, some time after Hurricane Katrina had passed in New Orleans, Zeitoun and his three friends Nasser, Todd, and Ronnie were arrested by police force with no explanation and were given no phone call or fair trial afterwards.
Paine states that “[America’s] government is just; and there is nothing to render them wretched, there is nothing to engender riots and tumults”. (Paine) Basically, becauses of the government’s just principles and fair policies, the American people remain satisfied and conflict is avoided. This is understandable because a stable government certainly is key to a harmonious nation. Nonetheless, the government has passed discriminatory laws in the past and many authority officials like the police sometimes act with racial or religious bias. In the New Jim Crow, writer and civil rights advocate Michelle Alexander discusses the experiences of African Americans during the War on Drugs in America as well as the modern mass incarceration of Latino and black men in America. She explains that in the mid 1980s, US government passed particularly harsh antidrug legislation, despite there being little public concern about drugs, mostly because “the drug war from the onset had little to do with public concern about drugs and much to do with public concern about race.” (Alexander, 4). The enactment of the Anti-Drug Abuse Act of 1986 some time after involved an assortment of harsh penalties, including “far more severe punishment for distribution of crack–associated with blacks–than powder cocaine, associated with whites.” (Alexander, 5) So instead of being outright racist or xenophobic, politicians supported policies that targeted people of color unfairly. In addition to politicians advocating for morally questionable laws, there are times where American police force act unethically, especially in times of crisis where law and order needs to be maintained. For example, in Zeitoun, some time after Hurricane Katrina had passed in New Orleans, Zeitoun and his three friends Nasser, Todd, and Ronnie were arrested by police force with no explanation and were given no phone call or fair trial afterwards.