Robert Park argued in the 1920s that assimilation is inevitable becauseof trends in political democracy, industrialization, urbanization, and the spread of the market economy

Robert Park argued in the 1920s that assimilation is inevitable becauseof trends in political democracy, industrialization, urbanization, and the spread of the market economy. Milton Gordon, who wrote in 1960s, wasn't so sure. He was not so sure because he observed that
Polish and German immigrants still hang on to their languages and customs.
for blacks and Native Americans, structural assimilation has stalled (come to a standstill).
the free market trends have been reversed by a welfare state.
racism could surface even among interracial couples.