	This conclusion is tenuous because it compares entirely different types of sources. Perhaps some individual immigrants from the late 19th to mid 20th century, when interviewed, have said they faced negligible racism, no turmoil over their identity, and generally felt the United States to be a welcoming place. I cannot look through all the oral histories of immigrants ever done, so I am forced to deal with generalizations from books by immigration historians who use as evidence, among other things, oral histories. I compare these generalizations to the one story of a 21st century Taiwanese immigrant, as told by himself, guided by my questions. It is impossible not to ask what is in some degree a leading question; all questions lead somewhere. Mike Clutter’s answers are no more unbiased than my questions, even if we both acted in complete good faith. He has reasons, both conscious and subconscious, to answer questions in certain ways, and I can only guess at these reasons. Clutter’s interview is only an approximation of his story, which is fitting because history is only an approximation of reality. Then I compare one person’s approximation of a story to generalizations about many stories. It is inevitable that my conclusions have as much to do with what I consider common sense as with the evidence available. After all, I am trying to prove some level of causality - that economic and racial factors may have caused differences in acculturation - and it is impossible to prove causality in history.
	Nevertheless, I will try. Mike Clutter’s experience of acculturation, as related by Mike Clutter, benefited from his economic status and the ongoing racial paradigms throughout the immigration process. Before Clutter’s family immigrated, their affluence gave Clutter access to a good education, understanding of the English language, and familiarity with American culture that prepared him for living in America. This stands in opposition to the poverty many immigrants of the late 19th to mid 20th century arrived in, which made it even harder for them to adapt to American culture. Clutter’s family moved to an area that was both integrated and had a substantial Taiwanese population (within a bigger Asian population), allowing Clutter to keep in touch with his own culture while interacting with American culture. It was possible for Clutter’s family to move to this area because they had enough money and racial discrimination in housing had been outlawed. Many past immigrants did not have the money for such options, and also lived in times when racial discrimination in housing was legal and prevalent, even if they could afford it. Finally, Mike Clutter says he did not experience the racism that was so prevalent in the past, and if true or even partially true, this would make it substantially easier to negotiate cultural boundaries than it was for people constantly being told they were not American. Mike Clutter’s story adds to historical narratives by suggesting how things could be easier, and how hard it would be to make things easier.
