Tiger, Tiger,BurningBright 229democraticmovementbasedonurbanimmigrants.Socialactivistslike
WoodyGuthrieconsciouslysoughttouseculturalformslikefolksongs
toeasethetransitionfromtheoldindividualisticfolkworldtothecol-
lectivenewonethattheybelievedwasthewaveofthefuture;theycele-
bratedunionsandotherstrange,Europeanideasindown-homecountry
twangs so that,inthebitterwordsofKuKluxerEvans,"Thereis a
steadyfloodofalienideasbeingspreadoverthecountry,.alwayscarefully
disguisedasAmerican."r6
Whatcamenextsurprisedalmosteveryone.Thetablesturned,and
Evans'sAmericans"Americanized"theimmigrantsratherthantheother
wayround.Inwhatisstilla largelyunheraldedtriumphofthemelting
pot,thenorthernimmigrantsgraduallyassimilatedthevaluesofJack-
sonianindividualism.Tiestothecountriesofemigrationsteadilyweak-
ened;second,third,andfourthgenerationsshowedincreasingtendencies
tomarryoutofthegroup.
Outwardlymostimmigrantgroupscompletedanapparentassimila-
tion toAmericanmaterialculturewithina coupleofgenerations of
theirarrival.Asecondtypeofassimilation-aninwardassimilationto,
andadaptationof,thecoreculturalandpsychologicalstructureofthe
nativepopulation-tooklonger,butthird-,fourth-,andfifth-generation
immigrantfamilieswereincreasinglyAmericanizedontheinsideaswell
aswithout.
Thisprocessshouldnotbeunderstoodasa simpleoneofconsciously
orevenunconsciouslycopyingoradoptingthebeliefsandbehaviorpat-
ternsofthenativistpopulation.Someofthisnodoubtoccurredaspart
ofthegeneralhungertoassimilate,butmany-perhapsmost---ofthe
culturalchangeswithintheimmigrantcommunitieshadtodowiththe
consequencesoftheirmembers' exposuretotheeconomic andsocial
realitiesofAmericanlife.Neitherchurchnorsynagoguenorthecommu-
nityofeldershadanylegalpowersoverindividualsintheUnitedStates.
Each successive generationofimmigrantshad more opportunity to
escape the constraints ofthe ethnic community, and the economic
rewardsofmovingintothemainstreamwerehigh.
PhysicallytheoldneighborhoodsbrokeupafterWorldWarII.The
northernindustrialworkingclassmovedintothesuburbs,alongwith
the refugees from the dying Americanfamily farm, toform a new
populistmix.Asincreasingnumbersofthedescendantsofimmigrants
movedintotheJacksonianSunBelt,thepaceofassimilationgrew.
MeanwhilethedescendantsofJacksonianfarmershadalsoarrivedin