Analysis of Joel L. Swerdlow’s 2001 Essay, “Changing America"

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.

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.

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 ‘Abolish high school’ by Rebecca solnit, she writes “High school is often considered a definitive American experience, in two senses: an experience that nearly everyone shares, and one that can define who you are, for better or worse, for the rest of your life.” which means high school isn’t wonderful for many people, it has a lot of challenges for teens, maybe some of them ‘kill’ by pressure and challenges, it would affect their rest of life. The high school is not a wonderful place for everyone. People should skip it and escaped it that you would don’t be suffered by it. However I disagree with her, because I believe high school is a indispensable place for students. It is a place for students, they can find a great relationship and an unexceptionable place to learn. On the other hand, I believe the high school is the key to definitive teens who they are in an great way. For example, Teachers would shape everyone’s identity, make you strong to face challenges, and open child’s heart. For example, in my childhood, when I lived with my parents, I was happy to learn, because my parents always encourage me to learn. Also, they want me learn from mistake, because It is a way to learn. They want me to be someone. However my parents left me at 12 age, they have to work more hard to support this home. I can’t focus on learning, I was playing video games every day, because I think I was ‘release’ from my parents. I have no ideas about my future. There is no one like my parents to guide me , I feel alone and confuses. Until I was be a part of high school.The high school make me stronger and hopeful. Teachers guide me walk on the right way again, they talk to me about future and how wonderful thing would happen in high school. I

Every person who lives in America is either an immigrant or a descendant of an immigrant. Though we may not consider it, it is a fact that everyone here has come from some other place. The majority of immigrants have come to America voluntarily. Seeking a change they envisioned America as country thriving with different opportunities. For the immigrants it was a chance at a better life, not only for themselves, but for their children. It is estimated that over sixty million people have immigrated to America and it is this immigration that has built America into a "melting pot." America is a country thriving with varies ethnic, cultural, religious, and economic identities. It is this "melting pot" that makes

The United States, often referred to as a “melting pot,” is known for its extensive cultures. This paramount aspect of the Unites States makes it so unique yet it also happens to be the center of its many conflicts. America, although seemingly doubtful due to the vast amount of cultures and people, has been able to withstand conflicts and adversities because Americans have been able to learn from the country’s past and find a way to use their differences to come together.

The United States of America, otherwise known as the “melting pot”, is just that, a country that has

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

The book, The Crucible, is called this for a reason and you can see crucibles in our world today through America developing as a country, black vs white people in the news, and the fight for gay marriage. Being a melting pot, America has had to slowly accept different groups into our society that we once treated poorly. Being a melting pot means that we had to go through turmoil with these groups of people in order to become the country we are

The United States of America declared its independence from Britain in 1776 and became its own nation. We were created by immigrants from all over the world and from this, the country obtained the nick name “the Melting Pot.” America gained this prestigious title by staying true to the American Dream, where people can start from nothing and climb the ladder to the top. This dream seems to be slipping further and further from the peoples grasp due to immigration policies currently being set in place.

“We become not a melting pot, but a beautiful mosaic: Different people, different beliefs, different yearnings, different hopes, and different dreams (Carter, Jimmy). The United States of America has been given the name of the melting pot due to different cultures influencing ours and all melting together. We are considered the melting pot of the world due to citizens of other countries migrating to our country to make it their permanent residence. Immigration has been a part of the United States since its beginning (Florida, Richard). In the colonial era after settlements had already been made here on this land, a group of pilgrims came over to Plymouth and established a colony in 1620 due to religious persecution in Europe. In the 19th

High school is a crucial period for all adolescences, it’s a time where teenagers are approaching young adulthood, their learning new skills rapidly, and making important decisions (Blakemore, 2011). For this reason, it is highly imperative for high school students to have positive influences in their lives, especially in their educational setting. In high school, educators play an important role in their student’s lives because they have the opportunity to have a stronger impact on their future and their goals. In addition, they also have the opportunity to, inspire them to learn and try new things, teach them how to make sound decisions, and encourage them to collaborate with their peers (Bellanca & Brandt, 2010).

Upon entering high school, I made a goal to myself: I wanted to become a better version of myself, realizing my own strengths and weaknesses and, ultimately, preparing to be a part of a completely different atmosphere beyond high school and even college. From the beginning, I knew I was going to find a way to improve academically, as a member of Kingsway’s STEM Academy and Superintendent’s List throughout my high school career. However, I would never think that I, as an eighth grader, would ultimately rise above my classmates, eventually being third in my class freshman year and still enjoying the rigor of taking as many AP and Honors classes as I possibly could fit in my schedule. By being recognized and awarded for my achievements, I finally realized that being this type of student, one that strives to do the best and remains self-motivated no matter what difficulties are faced, gives me a purpose as student and overall enjoyment.

The “melting pot” culture refers to people from various cultures coming together to create a new unique culture. (Lorenzo, 2000) In other words, these cultures have ‘melted’ together in a ‘pot’. For example, Chinese, Koreans, Germans and more cultures blended in together to create a whole new American culture. They are not Chinese-Americans, Korean-Americans or German-Americans anymore but just Americans. On the other hand, “salad bowl” culture refers to immigrants who do not lose the aspects of their cultures. . (Lorenzo, 2000) To put it in another way, you can still clearly see the different ‘ingredients’ in a ‘salad bowl’. As a contrast to the melting pot theory’s example, Chinese-Americans, Korean-Americans and German-Americans will still keep the unique traits of their cultures while living together in the country. America has been traditionally referred to as a ‘melting pot’, but recently; there are people who argue that ‘salad bowl’ will be a better description of America’s society today.

“Melting pot” is and was a very common term used for this time period. This term is used to describe America or other countries where races are mixed. Just like a pot used for melting food, America also takes any different variation of things and blends them together. In America, and specifically schools, we experience the melting pot effect, which is good so that we are exposed to different people and cultures. Indians, Asians, African American, and Caucasian are just a some different ethnicities found in America. In many other countries, it is just one race for the most part.