Can you cite evidence of places where cultural diversity has resulted in a positive experience? You are free to give your opinion, but the more "evidence" you present, (i.e. citing of sources) the more points you will receive. Think about what information you might be able to collect which could strengthen your argument.
"The American Enlightenment began as a repudiation of monarchical and clerical power in the name of liberty. So too did the Revolution which followed. It began as a repudiation of the state, of power, and of authority in general, and ended with a stronger state, the revival of authority, and the œtaming of liberty s excesses. Unquestionably, Enlightenment thought still wields great influence in modern-day America. If Enlightenment is about fundamental social, religious, and economic change within a society, then the decade of the 1960s certainly qualifies as a period of Enlightenment in America. The burgeoning drug culture, anti-war protests, Women s Rights Movement, Sexual Revolution, civil rights turmoil, and the utopian ideals portrayed by television shows like Star Trek, all bespeak a period of great change and social upheaval in our country.
In America today, the egalitarian ideals of the Enlightenment individual freedom, political and religious toleration, and cultural diversity are celebrated as signs of progress toward the making of a better world. Yet in many places around the world like Rwanda, the Balkans, and the Middle East, citizens are seldom free to publicly express diverse cultural, political, or religious beliefs. In such places ethnic diversity has meant the absence of toleration and has often resulted in widespread death, destruction, and social disorder.
In modern-day America, hot-button issues like immigration serve to test our own nation s resolve to create a diverse society. As with the fight against Jim Crow a century before, the immigration issue forces white Americans to consider the extent of their own commitment to social change. Two hundred years ago, many of the nation s founders insisted that toleration of diverse cultural beliefs would result in œinfinite diversity or ¦ dissonant opinions which could lead to chaos. Many of the founding fathers, particularly those of the anti-Federalist persuasion, hoped to build a homogenous society based on common religious, political, and economic principles. Of course, the notion of cultural diversity as a strength ran counter to such aspirations and gave rise to fears of social chaos. Thomas Jefferson voiced his concerns when he wrote of immigrants: "They will bring with them the principles of government they leave ¦These principles, with their language, they will transmit to their children. In proportion to their numbers, they will share with us the legislation. They will infuse into it their spirit, warp and bias its direction, and render it a heterogeneous, incoherent, distracted mass."
Some have responded to the challenges posed by the issue of immigration by rejecting all change and working to maintain the status quo. Others advocate an almost unrestricted flow of immigrants into the country with little regard for the problems such a policy would bring. Although few believe that we will ever again appeal to violence to solve our problems as was done in past decades, we should be on our guard and choose our steps carefully. The lessons of history teach us that if nothing else, Enlightenment ideals can be destabilizing if not downright dangerous. Rarely have diversity and toleration been successfully pursued by nations because inevitably, one faction or another has always insisted that its language, culture, traditions, or religious beliefs be embraced by all. Although Enlightenment discourse has the potential to lead to an open exchange of ideas, history has shown that it often leads nations down the path to despotism or even civil war. Perhaps the forebodings of eighteenth-century Anti-federalists will yet prove to be prophetic."