American Nation Research Paper

This description of a melting pot is now heard frequently in America to describe its citizens. The cultural assimilation that occurred in the colonies of the New World gave the people a great sense of identity and the unity as all being Americans.

America was founded on change. Past revolutions were fought to make new ways in which to live life in this country. Our families all came to America, at one point, to feed into this definition of being an American. The term melting pot in my mind means structure, meaning what we, as

American was dominated by the image of the melting pot that “melts up” all race differences and cultures to become on American culture. The ideas of multiculturalism started at the end of the nineteenth century and turned into the concept of cultural pluralism that defined the nation as a mixture of diverse ethnicities with different cultural backgrounds, all co-existing and contributing to the new nation.

When America was founded, it was established on freedom and equality for all people. At first it was just religious freedom, but eventually freedom of speech, press, petition, and more. In time, America began to be known as a “melting pot” of cultures as more and more people came because they wanted this freedom; the more people who came though, the more problems America had. There were too many cultural discrepancies between people, and ultimately America, the country based on freedom and equality, faced challenges concerning diversity.

The great American playwright, Israel Zangwill is quoted saying, “America is God’s crucible, the great Melting-Pot where all the races of Europe are melting and re-forming. . . . Germans and Frenchmen, Irishmen and Englishmen,Jews and Russians- into the Crucible with you all! God is making the American” (Shusta, Levine, Wong, Olson, and Harris 5). The early 1900s was a predominant time to migrate to America to find a better life which mainly consisted of European immigrants. As explained by the authors, the melting pot view of society helped unify the culture we have in America today.

Generally considered the “Great Melting Pot,” America is often noted for hosting ethnicities and cultures of every kind, however it is debatable whether or not they are genuinely welcomed. Some might argue that the prejudice acts throughout our nation such as the Ferguson, Missouri shootings and the disdain among minorities, especially Muslims, prove that our country does not offer a warm welcome towards those who are not Caucasians. Regardless, I firmly believe that America recognizes and cherishes the variation of citizens living among us.

The United States first became identified as the world’s greatest melting pot after the waves of immigration from Europe and neighbor countries to America. The culture they brought over combining with the culture of the Native Americans and those who previously set up foundations within the Americas.

In the essay, "People Like us" by the author, David Brooks, the main focus is the diversity in America. The United states has a label as being a country that is very diverse. Our country has many different types of ethnic groups, religions, personalities, interest, etc. so in that case, you really can justify the United states as diverse. Brooks mostly uses logic in his essay to prove that, once you look at the United States with a more magnified view, you might realize that technicalities come into play and change the previous statement to, unfortunately, the complete opposite, a corrupt society with no diversity.

During the time period of the frontier, American development has spread over the westward area due to the rapid effectiveness of Americanization. The frontier removed people from their origins and fused them into a mix of people. Also, it shaped democracy in order to allow the public to participate and form an organized government. Lastly, it led to American nationalism, which is, extreme pride of a country. The American Frontier has helped unite the country because of the effects that resulted in an diverse nation.

There are many reasons why I want to be in AP United States History. I really enjoy history classes and was recommended by Mr. Walterbach to take the class. When taking Pre-AP World History freshman year, I felt like I was confident in the class and understood the material. Plus, I received an A for both semesters. I decided that if I could handle Pre-Ap World History and felt that it was easy, I could handle AP United States History.

Peter Marin writes about how America is not a “melting pot”. He mentions that though that might not be so bad for America, it does

In the U.S Constitution the word religion has not been defined. Therefore, there can be many different religions in the U.S. The U.S government somewhat accommodates the many different religions to a certain extent. Also, there should be a separation of church and state.

The United States of America has the most diverse religious population in the world. In places like Iraq, Syria, Israel, Afghanistan, Yemen, and other countries too numerous to mention, countless lives are lost over religious differences. In America, a Protestant can live happily next door to a Jew, who might live across the street from a Muslim, or a Catholic, or a Sikh, or even a Humanist! This is in no small way attributed to the fact that the US Constitution’s First Amendment includes what is known as the establishment clause, which states that “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof,” effectively separating affairs of religious institutions from secular,

America was born out of revolution, a revolution to rid the states of an overpowering sovereign from a country where they had no representation. Therefore when writing the constitution the Founding Fathers were careful to avoid a strong centralised monarchical state that they felt would restrict the rights of the people of the United States to practice their religion and cultures freely. "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances" [1] This clearly states that there shall be no religious persecution, or any type of institution set up to restrict religion in the United States. America was and is supposed to be a society where everyone is equal no matter what his or her religion on social status

The United States, created by blending or melting many cultures together into one common man, known as an American. Modern communication and transportation accelerate mass migrations from one continent . . . to the United States (Schlesinger 21). Ethnic and racial diversity was bound to happen in the American society. As immigration began to explode, . . . a cult of ethnicity erupted both between non-Anglo whites and among nonwhite minorities. (22).