University of Phoenix Material
Multicultural Matrix and Analysis Worksheet
Instructions:
Part I: Select and identify six groups in the left-hand column. Complete the matrix.
Part II: Write a summary.
Part III: Format references consistent with APA guidelines.

Part I: Matrix What is the group’s history in the United States? What is the group’s population in the United States? What are some attitudes and customs people of this group may practice? What is something you admire about this group’s people, lifestyle, or society?
1. The German Americans are the largest singles source of ancestry of individuals that are in the United States today. The German Americans settled in the United States in the late 1700’s, they came because of their religious dissenters such as the Amish who were attracted by the proclaiming of religious freedom. Even though the German Americans started coming in the late 1700’s it wasn’t until the 1830’s through 1890 the German immigrant population represented one quarter of the immigration. During World War I most of the German Americans distanced themselves away from their home land, by the ending of the twentieth century the animosity that was towards Germany fell distant. That is because of John F. Kennedy being in Berlin in 1963 and Ronald Reagan in 1987 and they both spoke of uniting Germany. Present days the immigration from Germany is between 5,00 and 10,00 annually. Some customs that the Germany Americans may practice still while in America would be their language. They would even continue to cook their dishes, and open up German bakery stores. Something that I admire of the German Americans would be that even though the Germans in their homeland did horrific things during World War I and World War II, they didn’t act upon it. They stayed true to themselves by being the German Americans they chose to be by coming to the United States.
2. The Irish Americans came to the United States because of the Protestants that dominated in the early Irish immigration to the colonies even though these Presbyterians that were from Ireland were of Scottish descent. This is what motivated the Irish to move to a free land in North America, which is complete opposite of Ireland. The Irish Americans population goes back to the 1600’s and it reflects diversity based on the time of entry, their settlement area, and their religion. The arrivals of immigrant Irish is relatively slight, it is only accounting for 1,000 legal arrives. Some of the Irish Americans still enjoy the symbolic ethnicity of food, dance, and music. The Gaelic language is very limited and only offered to a fewer than 30 colleges. They as well as everyone in America still enjoy celebrating St. Patrick’s Day celebration, which is when everyone seems to be Irish. What I admire about them is that they still take joy of celebrating a holiday that is fun and exciting. It brings everyone together for one day and having them think that they are Irish for the day.
3. The Italian Americans created their very own social history but not the typical of every nationality but instead it offers an insight into the White ethnic experience. The Italians immigrated during the colonial period, they came from highly differentiated land because the Italian states did not unify as one nation, so that is why they escaped foreign domination until 1848. The mass immigration of the Italians started in the 1880’s and peaking in the first 20 years of the twentieth century. At that time the Italian Americans accounted for one fourth of European immigrants. The migrating Italians mostly came from rural southern Italy, the Mezzogiorno, and they were landless peasants. When the Italians first came they began to construct a social identity as a nationality group. As opposed to viewing themselves in terms of their village or province. The Italian Americans began to get rid of their old identities and created new ones. They went from town or provincial identities to Italian Americans to white Americans. Something that I admire from the Italian Americans would be that they came to America and made a name for themselves. They either were known for the mafia or their restaurants. They have been very successful at what they do.
4. The Polish Americans had a similar experience as the Irish and Italians. They immigrated from Poland because of their economic problems and personal hardships to live. When they came to America they were given jobs that they were assigned to, learn a different language as well as get familiar with a different culture. The Polish immigrants immigrated and settled at Jamestown, Virginia in 1608. They originally went to help develop the colonies timber industry and later in that century they made a lasting mark. The population of Polish Americans today in the United States far exceeds 10 million, The Polish Americans today have retained little to none of their rich cultural traditions and they may barely acknowledge even their symbolic ethnicity. But there is still that small percent that do practice their religious ways, for example in Chicago there is a Roman Catholic Church that still offers Polish language masses. I don’t know what I really admire about the Polish American community but I do know that I do admire the actor Adrien Brody, and I enjoy getting home design tips from Martha Stewart.
5. The Roman Catholics have been ignored and especially about their diversity that is within the Roman Catholic Church in the united States. Within the Roman Catholic Church in the United States there are the American Irish Catholics, French Catholics, and even the curiosity from the Germans and Polish are getting involved now. The Roman Catholics are were and have been growing in numbers, more than 66 million members of the Roman Catholic Church to sects with fewer than 1,000 adherents. In the United States 65% of Roman Catholics are white and 29% are Hispanic, the rest is divided up by Black, Asian and other. The Roman Catholic Church, despite its ethnic diversity, has clearly been a powerful force in reducing the ethnic ties of its members, making it also a significant assimilating
Force. The irony in this role of Catholicism is that so many nineteenth-century Americans heaped abuse on Catholics in this country for allegedly being un-American and having a dual allegiance. Something that I admire about the Roman Catholic Church is that they had a struggle within the membership, but they had to Americanize with a variety of linguistic and ethnic groups.
6. The Amish began their migration in the early eighteenth century, they then settled in eastern Pennsylvania where a large amount is still there. The Amish people that are still with the characteristic lifestyle are the ones primarily of the early German immigration. The Amish people had a population that settled in 2003 and there were about 1,300 Old Order Amish settlements in the United States and Canada. The majority of this population lives in Ohio, Pennsylvania and Indiana with a population of about 200,000. Amish practice self-segregation, living in settlements divided into church districts that are autonomous congregations composed of about 75 baptized members. If the district becomes much larger, it is again divided because the members meet in each other’s homes.
There are no church buildings. Amish homes are large, with the main floor often having removable walls so a household can take its periodic turn hosting the Sunday service. Part II:
Analysis
Summarize what you learned from this activity in a 350-700 word analysis of the advantages of a multicultural society and labor force. Use the following questions to guide your writing:
From doing this activity I have learned that so many different identity groups have migrated to the United States. This is what makes our country so great is that there are so many diverse cultures, beliefs, and religions and everyone are unique in their own way. There are some advantages of a multicultural society being that they are able to do jobs maybe those others are not able to do. They are able to bring in a different aspect and idea to their jobs; they also bring in their own cultural activities, food, and customs. It is a fun thing to do and learn about new customs. With so much history that is in the United States, it is all because of the diversity that is out there, the Italians brought a different era when they became to transition into Italian Americans into White Americans. In that time they began the mafia and all the drug and violent movies that are out today like the Godfather are all based off the Italian Americans. The German Americans had to face a hard ship when the people in their homeland decided to do what they did in World War II and in order to show that they had no interest in that political party they did not pay any attention to them and continued their American lives. The communities of German, Irish, Italian, and Polish Americans reflect the variety of White ethnic experiences. Even religions brought something new to the United states, such as the Roman Catholic Church and the Amish people. “Both religious activity and interest by White ethnics in their heritage continue to be prominent features of the contemporary scene. People have been and continue to be ridiculed or deprived of opportunities solely because of their ethnic or religious affiliation. To get a true picture of people’s place in society, we need to consider both ethnicity and social class in association with their religious identification” (Schaefer, Chapter 5, 2011).

How has U.S. society used each group’s culture to construct the group identity? How has each group been stereotyped? How accurate are these stereotypes?

How does the social concept of race relate to each group? What prejudice has each group faced?

How do the behavior and thinking patterns of U.S. culture apply to each group, especially regarding class systems and employment?

Part III:
Sources
Format your sources consistent with APA guidelines.
Schaefer, R. T. (2011). Racial and Ethnic Groups (12th ed.). Retrieved from The University of Phoenix eBook Collection database..