America… land of immigrants Being a citizen of the United States means declaring that you have origins from somewhere else on the planet, unless you are a Native American. If we are not native, then where do we come from? Our country was founded by people from all over the world who aspired to settle in America. In doing so, these early immigrants created the social and cultural framework of life in America. For nearly four hundred years, every race, language, and culture in our nation has continuously contributed to the characterization of being American. There can be many difficulties for immigrants coming to this country. One of the greatest struggles for newly arrived peoples is to simultaneously be American and maintain their personal cultural identity. It must be difficult to find the balance between personal identity and not seeming anti-American. This issue is discussed in Myriam Marquez's short essay “Why and When We Speak Spanish in Public.” In the essay, Marquez explains how she and her family chose to use their native language, Spanish, instead of English. He says they do so, despite the impression some people may have of them as rude, "out of respect for their parents and comfort in our cultural roots." Marquez makes several interesting points about being an American speaking a foreign language. He uses an excellent metaphor to clarify his message. Marquez says, “As if speaking Spanish were some kind of litmus test used to evaluate American patriotism.” She also notes that she or her family would not think of alienating a non-Spanish speaking friend by speaking Spanish in front of them. Marquez says it would be bold and crude. Another short essay in our text that deals with immigration... middle of the paper... most parents believe that English and only English is the acceptable language for children in school. .My exposure to other languages ​​and cultures is minimal. I have worked in both Mexican and Chinese restaurants. I also lived with a group of fifteen Bulgarian students on a student exchange program in Alaska. In all these situations there was a language barrier, but there was never any segregation based on our different languages. We often asked questions about each other's cultures and learned a lot from each other. The memories of time spent with these people are the best I have. I don't agree with the need for an official language. I am sure that this aspiration to have an official language is a derivative of racism. Jamieson's point about language-based discrimination in the United States is true. This has become an acceptable form of bigotry.