During the time I have studied International English this year, I have read about both multicultural USA and multicultural Britain, and in this text I will write a little about them both.
The USA has looked upon multiculturalism more as a source of strength and renewal than of conflict. This is contrary to many other countries. Through much of the American history, immigrants accepted that when they came to the country they had to pledge allegiance. But today, many hyphenated Americans, especially Mexican-Americans, are not assimilating. Many put their own traditions, values and languages above integration into the US society. Hispanics can, for instance, vote in Spanish and take their driver's license exam in Spanish.
The US Census Bureau estimates for 2005 show that about 33 percent of the total US population is part of a racial or ethnic minority group.
In Britain, the immigrants have historically come from Ireland, India, Pakistan and the Caribbean. This is no longer the case. Today, the immigrants are often younger and come from countries outside the Commonwealth, like for instance Eastern Europe. New figures also show that immigration is increasingly motivated by economic factors, more so than by family grounds which used to be more common in the past. Britain has a policy of multiculturalism: they're allowing people of different cultures to settle without expecting them to integrate into society. Britain is now one of the most culturally diverse societies in the world.
