Question

To what extent has Anglo-conformity been expected of each of the three waves of immigrants? Has Anglo-conformity also been obligatory for non-immigrant groups?

Answer 1

1.

Anglo-conformity is one of the theories of assimilation involving the position and idea that immigrants should learn English, adapt to numerous norms, values and institutions as a way of conformity to integral Anglo-American society and the wider Anglo-Saxon majority.

The United States has experienced what have been called “three great waves” of immigration during its history as a nation. Each succeeding wave was more diverse culturally, ethnically, and racially than its predecessor, thereby making Anglo-conformity more problematic.

The First Wave was somewhere around 1600's. Political, economic, and social changes occurring in Europe during the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries provided the incentive for the first wave of immigration. Immigrants during that period were mostly from northern and western Europe. Some came as indentured servants. Some were Africans whose status was quickly changed to slaves, making them ineligible for citizenship.

The Second wave occurred around 1815-1865 and brought many southern and eastern European immigrants as well as non-Europeans. These groups were usually considered less acceptable and less able to be assimilated than earlier immigrants.

The Third wave occurred during 1880-1920 and was the most religiously, ethnically, and racially diverse of them all. The most numerous immigrants during this wave were Hispanic, with the greatest number coming from Mexico. The second most numerous were Asians, the majority of whom came from the Philippines.

Prior to the passage of the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965, the U.S. Congress attempted to preserve the racial and cultural characteristics of the nation that had been established by the first wave of immigrants. To that end, it passed laws limiting or excluding Asians and, in the Immigration Act of 1921 (also known as the Emergency Quota Act) and the Immigration Act of 1924, allocated immigration quotas for countries based on the percentages of Americans whose ancestors had come from each country. These legislative acts favored northern and western Europeans, while placing limitations on the immigration of southern and eastern Europeans and non-Europeans. In addition to legislation aimed at preserving the original racial and ethnic makeup of the United States, legislation was also used to preserve the Protestant nature of the WASP society. This was accomplished by restricting immigration from non-western or northern European nations and non-European nations, which were generally not Protestant countries.
Immigration legislation passed after 1965, when the national-origins emphasis on quotas was eliminated, has been less concerned with religion, race, and ethnicity and more concerned with family unity and economic assets, including education and occupations.

The result seems to be a trend away from Anglo-conformity and a move toward embracing cultural diversity. With each wave, Anglo-conformity has been less and less expected from the immigrant groups.

2. Yes, Anglo-conformity also has been obligatory for non-immigrant group in the past though currently its voluntary.  Native Americans were subjected to involuntary and forced Anglo-conformity. There was a period when the government took children from Native American parents, placed them in boarding schools, and forcibly replaced their Native American cultures with Anglo-American culture.