The Idea Of National Self-Determination In The United States

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The idea of national self-determination is “the right of the people of a particular place to choose the form of government they will have” (Merriam-Webster). It means that a group of people; maybe a specific race, religion, or sex, fight for what they believe in and that they want to be allowed to choose how they are governed and what that governing entails. This idea is shown in several parts of history, such as; during the American Revolution when those who left Europe wanted to choose how they, and the people who followed, were to be governed and given more freedom. We can see this in Chapter 24 when the volkish thinkers banded together, with their unity in language and culture, and wanted all things to be German. They felt that they, and …show more content…
Here in the U.S. everyone is pasted together in this ethnic mosaic. The understanding that in the cultural diversity everyone can believe in what they want and that the society that they came from does not determine if they are going to be a bad person or not. The U.S. welcomes all cultures to join into the pluralism society. We are allowed to show our roots and the things we believe in without backlash from others. Although we see issues in this system that is meant to allow a place that resembles Alexandria, for the most part, we see the incorporation of many cultures into the world we see on a daily basis. On the other side of the national self-determination, we are faced with cultures that feel that they are superior and would like to change government, or have their own form of government that they determine. We see places, like Europe, that have allowed refugees in, and allowed them to have a governing force over them that is separate from the main government. This shows the two sides of either the blending of cultures or the separate “states” within a main …show more content…
We may not be able to name these off the top of head because we assume that everyone has a homeland that they came from, but some “nations” do not have designated states. These stateless nations are classified by the improper representation that they have in another nation, being the minority that is possibly denied citizenship into another nation and being a “fourth world” country. The criteria to be considered a stateless nation must have: no state of its own, does not form a majority, one or more uprising moments, and it is not recognized by any UN members as a state. One example would be the Romai people, who are all over the world, mainly in the U.S., the Middle East, and in Europe. These people are more commonly referred to as Gypsies. The Roma’s do not have a “homeland” that they can claim. Although they do have their own common language, religious beliefs, and traditions that have lasted many years, they are not accepted into another nation for various reasons like; the disapproval of the main nation, the opposing social norms, and their separate cultural practices. Contrary to popular belief, African American people are considered a stateless nation. Although we can assume that they came from their ancestors in Africa, that does not classify them as a state all over the world. This can be seen in the previous groups formed for African Americans such as the Black

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