A Stake in the Land
April 28th, 2013
Published in 1921, this book by Peter A. Speek is a kind of manual to americanize foreign born citizens in the USA. Through several studies in methods of Americanization, and with the main purpose to secure the highest welfare of both, native and non-native citizens, as well as helping foreigners to a proper integration with the values and lifestyle of north americans mentality, the book deals with political, economical, domestic and educational aspects.
The aforementioned makes the book quite interesting from an anthropological point of view. Firstly, dealing with all the troubles foreigners found on getting to work/obtain the land, on a time where the rural work was the main job for foreigners – something that perhaps haven’t changed that much after almost hundred years. And Secondly, with all aspects related to the education of foreigners into the United States. The name of the second part, «Public and private education into american life and loyalty» it’s quite illuminating of the purpose of those methods, maybe not that much oriented to a best integration of both, natives and foreigners, but to create a «loyalty» of the second group to the country (as an anecdote, there is a section where the writer points the mother as the key point to achieve that «loyalty» from the new foreign-family-born citizens).
http://davidortiz.es/a-stake-in-the-land/index.php
