Melting Pot Myths

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

The United States was and is widely known as a “melting pot”. Common belief holds that America welcomed hopeful immigrants from overseas, and provided them with opportunities that would give them better lives for themselves and their families. While such a statement is technically true in general, the issues in regards to prejudice and racism, is where the metaphor weakens for America as a beacon of hope for immigrants. Many people today believe that Americans have always embraced and encouraged the melting pot concept. However, WASP stereotypes of immigrants were the driving force behind the quality of treatment received by immigrant groups. It was the group they hated, which made it difficult for immigrants to be seen as individuals, let

In conclusion, in place of the "melting pot", American culture satisfies the term "mosaic". If true assimilation were to occur, immigrants would have to abandon all their cultural practices and act in accordance to one set American ways. But, immigrants do not completely give up their traditions and practices. Their identity remains unique because of their distinct

Surprisingly, the melting pot is a unclear piece of the American Identity. The melting pot is an idea about how people (immigrants) all over the world come in one place and share their different cultures. America is one example of a melting pot since immigrants all over the world visit, live and share thoughts and ideas to create one big unique culture. While most Americans are proud of the United States to be a country of big culture, some Americans do not like the notion of immigrants coming from other countries to live in America. Although many writers demonstrate that the melting pot exists, some authors show that there are Americans who don’t want the United States to become a melting pot. To examine

America is an improbable idea, a mongrel nation built of ever-changing disparate parts, itis held together by a notion, the notion that all men are created equal, though everyone knows that most men consider themselves better than someone. "Of all the nations in the world, the United States was built in nobody's image," the historian Daniel Boorst in wrote. That's because it was built of bits and pieces that seem discordant, like the crazy quilts that have been one of its great folk-art forms, velvet and calico and checks and brocades. Out of many, one. That is the ideal.The reality is often quite different, a great national striving consisting frequently of failure. Many of the oft-told stories of the most pluralistic nation on earth are stories

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.

So many times the phrase "melting pot" is used to describe the United States of America. It is a country built on ideals such as freedom of speech, freedom of religion, and other basic human rights. These  ideals, though they may have originated from European men labeled as liberals, eventually captured followers from all over the world. Soon, America was a mixture of peoples with different ethnic backgrounds, religions, and cultures all working together for the "American Dream."

From the moment I was born, as any high-middle class white American, I was told America is the melting pot of the world. Being American means you can do anything. One can start from nothing and turn it into a whole different life. In America there are numerous possibilities and it is capable for anyone to better themselves, because America is about inclusion and opportunity. English class this year has totally reversed my perspective on the “issue” of what it means to be American. Through literature such as The Great Gatsby, The Catcher in the Rye, The Declaration of Independence and Tortilla Curtain I have come to contrasting conclusions on what it means to be American than the typical person. It is a more cynical outlook then I thought I would ever have thought I would have about my country, but nonetheless true. Although Americans put on a veneer of inclusion and total capability, reality portrays the America

America was widely known as a “melting pot” of sorts for many generations. The country earned its title by accepting immigrants of various cultures and molding, or melting, them into the American lifestyle. However, the “melting pot” idea of America is starting to dissipate. According to a Newsweek Poll on the public, “only 20 percent still think America is a melting pot” (Morganthau and Wolfberg, par.4). As more Americans push away immigrants and create stereotypes against said immigrants, America continues to lose its title as a “melting pot.” There is ethnic friction in America and people have begun to have a hard time assimilating (Morganthau and Wolfberg, par.18). .America is beginning to place a negative outlook on its

The United States of America is and always will be a haven of diversity in this world. From the opening of Ellis Island, with many immigrants yearning for shelter, to the modern-day process of becoming a citizen, people of countless origins, cultures, and nationalities have flocked to America, creating the greatest melting pot of diversity on the planet. However, one key origin of this peaceful coexistence can often be overlooked. Rather than from immigration, the unique mindset that America is a land of differences was born not long after the first settlers stepped off their vessels in the Chesapeake Bay and Plymouth Harbor. The people from these two ships established two colonies so vastly different from each

European Americans are a very diverse people. We differ greatly across intensely different status, political stands, and lifestyle. We also vary markedly in the degree to which we place value on the idea of the “melting pot”. Many of us these days are almost completely ignorant to our ethnic history because our forefathers worked quite hard to

Along with its economic classes, American is known for its freedom, its liberty, and the melting pot of ethnicity. This ethnic diversity comes form the immigrant population in the country. However this perfect country is a major falsehood. These untrue ideals of harmony, freedom, success, and equality are deceptive and do not show the struggles that immigrants face when coming to this class dominated country. The immigrants of today do not come from just Europe, but overwhelmingly from Asia and Latin America. “They are driving a demographic shift so rapid that within the lifetimes of today 's teenagers, no one ethnic group – including whites of European descent – will comprise a majority of the nation 's population’ (Colombo, Cullen, Lisle). These immigrants challenge the social myth that everyone has an equal chance in life. They

Living in border states such as Texas, Arizona, or California may give the illusion or appear as though the overflow of immigrants has converted these few states into a melting pot society, and actually without a doubt, is has. However, picking three states out of fifty is not equitable, because we are looking at America as a whole. States such as Ohio and New York still have predominantly defined cultures which have a rich history, and some natives have even essentially claimed these areas as their own and are not yet ready to share. A strong reason why America will never entirely become a melting pot is because we are a state “driven not by enthusiasm but by caution[...]” (376) as author John J. Savant proclaims in his article “Imagining the Immigrant: Why Legality Must Give Way to Humanity”(374). Savant makes a statement

The United States is often called a melting pot because of the vast array of cultures that all live in the country. People have come from every corner of the world to settle in the United States. In recent years, the influx of immigration has become a contentious issue. Some people believe that the US is overpopulated and that further immigration poses a danger to the country while others contend that the US was built on immigration and that it is un-American to prohibit people from living here if they so wish. The articles "5 Myths About Immigration" and "The Challenge of Diversity" detail the different issues which are related to the immigration issue, both discuss the amount of immigration that occurs, the fear of immigrants taking jobs from American citizens, and the idea that immigrants are reluctant to assimilate into the American culture.