Takaki

Just like the front cover of Takaki's history book convey: A History of Multicultural America, he focuses a lot on the immigrants, cross cultural events and the significance of America being a multicultural nation. From the previous discussion about Tea Party, Benjamin Franklin, Takaki just bring ups these important figures/events in order to support the points he is making about the Irish, immigrants, and Native Americans. The Declaration of Independence is mentioned a couple times in the book: all in relation to immigrants, except one has something to do with Jefferson- his reaction towards the Indians. The document itself is not presented in the book, nor is any of the analysis and context and background. However, I did find a passage particularly interesting after reading The Declaration of Independence and Takaki’s reference. “Students were learning about freedom and equality as they recite the Gettysburg Address and the Declaration of Independence… But they “saw that it wasn’t so much on the plantation.” They saw whites on top and Asians on the bottom. Returning from school to their camps, students noticed the wide “disparity between theory and practice.” “(250-251, Takaki) It is very ironic that everyone can quote from the Declaration of Independence that “all men are created equal”, and this equality only exists in a part of whole population. At the same time I know that it is very hard to really spread the idea to everyone.