Open Educational Resources
Document Type
Textbook
Publication Date
Summer 7-7-2025
Abstract
Abstract: This paper critically examines the phrase "one nation, indivisible" from the Pledge of Allegiance in light of the complex realities of race, ethnicity, and immigration in the United States. While the pledge asserts a unified national identity, this ideal is frequently undermined by systemic social, economic, and political divisions. Drawing from multicultural and sociopolitical frameworks, the paper explores how the lived experiences of marginalized groups—particularly racial and ethnic minorities and immigrant communities—reveal a fragmented national reality. The analysis engages with the implications of the 1965 Immigration Act, which, despite dismantling explicitly racist immigration quotas, restructured racial inequalities through new socioeconomic hierarchies and labor demands. By distinguishing between race as a biological concept and ethnicity as a cultural identity, the paper further interrogates how these constructs shape individual and collective identities within American society. The interplay between cultural belonging, representation, and exclusion challenges the authenticity of national unity espoused in the pledge. Ultimately, the study calls for a redefinition of American citizenship and national identity that acknowledges diversity, confronts inequality, and fosters a more inclusive understanding of unity in an increasingly pluralistic society.
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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Included in
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