Andrew Beem

Before this semester started I would have told you that I completely understood what was meant by “dominant culture”. When asked about what that meant I would have responded with a simple “W.A.S.P.”, but that would have been all. When asked to elaborate I would have been unable to. This semester has been an eye opening one for me. It has helped me to learn about the dominant culture and what it really is and means, as well as what it means to be a “model minority”. The second half of the semester especially helped to show what “dominant culture” means. Of Plymouth Plantation, Exodus, and Bread Givers all connect together to help give meaning and understanding to the two terms.

            In the United States dominant culture can start to be described by saying W.A.S.P. as I said before, but that does not even come close to giving an understanding to what our dominant culture really is. Of Plymouth Plantation, tells the story of the founding of American dominant culture and gives us a glimpse into what makes our dominant culture. First of all, it tells of how and why the Pilgrims left and went where they did. The pilgrims wanted to be able to worship however they wanted so they left England and went to Holland. When they decided they did not like the influence that people in Holland were having on their children they just left and went to the “New World” which they believed to be unpopulated. This is the first of many examples of the dominant culture refusing to assimilate. A mark of the dominant culture is that it does not assimilate, but is assimilated to. Whenever the pilgrims come to a new place that they cannot take over and put their mark on, they leave. When they come to Holland they leave because they could not make everyone live how they wanted. When they came to the New World they refused to assimilate to the Native American culture. They tried to bring their religion and language to the Indians instead. Secondly, a mark of our dominant culture is our compacts or covenants. Our nation has a government of laws that govern us, we are not a nation that depends on one person for our laws and regulations. This can first be seen by the Mayflower Compact as it is seen in Of Plymouth Plantation. Lastly, a mark of our dominant culture is our literacy. Our dominant culture places a high value on literacy. In On Plymouth Plantation it can be seen how Bradford is constantly taking notes and writing down experiences and histories of the people who came to Plymouth Plantation. The book gives amazing detail of the colony and provides a wonderful look into where our traditions and dominant culture come from.

            The Exodus story also gives a great look into what it means to be a dominant culture. It can be asked, why did we study the Exodus story in a class about American Immigrant Literature? Well, that can be answered quickly and efficiently. The story in Exodus parallels with the story the pilgrims and can help understand what it means to be a dominant culture. The Exodus story tells of a nation that picks up and moves from Egypt to the land of Canaan. Like in Of Plymouth Plantation the Israelites Exodus story has the same three characteristics of our own dominant culture. First of all, the Israelites would not assimilate to other cultures. When they were in Egypt they lived as slaves to the Egyptians. When Moses became old enough he returned and told Pharaoh that the Israelites needed to be let go. God then called down plagues on the Egyptians until he let Moses take them away. When the Israelites left and went to Canaan they did not assimilate to the culture they found. Instead, they brought their own culture and pushed everyone else out. Like in On Plymouth Plantation they would not intermarry or in any other way assimilate to the Canaanites they found in the land. In fact, they were instructed by God not to interact with them but to drive them out of the land. Also, like with the Mayflower Compact, the Israelites placed a high value on Covenants. They made a covenant to obey God’s commands and that he would bring them to Canaan. The Israelites also place a high value on literacy. Like Bradford, Moses keeps very good notes on the history of his people. The Exodus story also has another interesting connection to the story of the Pilgrims. The Pilgrims connected themselves to the Israelites. The Israelites were leaving Egypt for a promised land where they could be free. They also believed that they were God’s chosen people. The Pilgrims saw the “New World” as the Promised Land that they could occupy. They also believed that they were God’s chosen people and would be able to purify the church. The Exodus story tells of a dominant culture that picked up as a nation and traveled to a land where they made everyone else assimilate to them. It is a story that parallels with our own nation’s story. By using a story from the past we can look at and compare to our own, we can begin to understand our own story more. . . .

Debbie Johnson

When the pilgrims first landed on American soil, the creation of the American dream came into creation.  The pilgrims sought a land where they could be free and practice their religion without reproach from government.  Therefore, a hundred or so people board a small ship and set sail.  Not knowing what to expect in the new land, they braved the stormy seas, starvation and seasickness in order to find the freedom they sought.

The pilgrims, similar to the Jews in Exodus, migrated in mass.  While it is true that the number of Jews far outnumber the pilgrims, they all packed up everything they had and left their country without a thought of ever returning.  The Jews in Exodus were escaping slavery and seeking a home of their own, the pilgrims sought religious freedom.

Just like in Exodus, where “...the children of Israel were fruitful, and increased abundantly, and multiplied, and waxed exceeding mighty; and the land was filled with them” the Indians in American experienced the same thing when the Pilgrims started multiplying and spreading throughout the country.  Eventually, the Indians were pushed out and their lands and culture overtaken. . . .