Is America a melting pot

IsAmericaameltingpot?ThroughasemesteroflearningthesocietyandcultureofAmerica,webothknowthatAmericanpeoplecompriseofthepeoplefromdifferentcountries,differentraces,differentreligions.Andtheyhavedifferentcultures,differentcustomsanddifferentfaith.That’swhywecalledAmericaisameltingpot.ButIthinktheotherconcept“saladbowl”ismoreappropriately.welearnedthatthemeltingpotwasanoutdatedmetaphorforwhatAmericansweresupposedtobe.Inameltingpot,everyonewasmixedtogethertobecomeonesinglething,allAmericans—andperhapswithoutretainingyourorigins.Ithinkthatthesaladbowlwasthebettermetaphor.Ameltingpotimpliesthatpeoplewhocomeintothesocietyassimilateandadoptthestandardoftheir.newadoptedsociety,contributingsomethingalongtheway.Asaladbowlimpliesthatyouholdontoyourcultureevenafteryouarrive,anddon'ttakeonthecharacteristicsofthenewsociety,sothatyouhaveamixtureofalotofdifferentthings,butyoucanstilltellthemapartlikeinasalad.Fromanhistoricalperspective,thereisstilladistinctdividebetweenpeopleinAmerica.Theracialproblem,povertyandin1960s,thethreefamoussocialmovement---thecivilrightsmovement,theyouthanti-war,andthewomen’sliberation.It’sshowsthatthesecontradictionsandconflictsareexistsincetheUnitedStateestablish,itdoesnotmeltinthegreatmeltingpot.NottomentiontheAmericaCivilWar.Anotherpoint,theAmericanpoliticalsystemisthatthestategovernmentisrunitsownaffairs.Itmeanseachcontinentshavedifferentcustomsandreligions.Itislikeasaladbowl.FromtheperspectiveoftheAmerican,Americanspiritistheidealthatyoucanbewhateveryouwanttobeaslongasyouworkforit.It'stheidealofcapitalismand"newmoney"orselfmadewealth.ThisdefinitelypermeateseverypartoftheAmericanculture.NomatterwhatreligionyouchosetofollowinAmerica,theyallenduppreachingtheidealthattheyhavethepowerandthatGodisonlystandingbyasasecurityblanket.InacertainlevelitalsoshowstheindependenceofAmericancultureandreligious.TheAmericanspiritisinclusiveratherthanmandatorymelting.We'veallheardtheconceptoftheAmericanDream,theideaofanAmericandreamisolderthantheUS,datingtothe1600s,whenpeoplebegantohaveallsortsofhopesandaspirationsforwhatwasanewandlargelyunexploredcontinenttoEuropeanimmigrants.Manyofthesedreamsfocusedonowninglandandestablishingaprosperousbusinessthat—theoretically,atleast—wouldincreaseone'shappiness.Theterm“Americandream”isusedinmanyways,butitessentiallyisanideathatsuggeststhatanyoneintheUScansucceedthroughhardworkandhasthepotentialtoleadahappy,successfullife.Manypeoplehaveexpandeduponorrefinedthedefinitiontoincludethingssuchasfreedom,fulfillmentandmeaningfulrelationships.SomeonewhomanagestoachievehisorherversionoftheAmericandreamisoftensaidtobe“livingthedream.”Wecanseethat,inessence,theconceptoftheAmericandreamisequality.Itgiveshopeisthat,regardlessofrace,religion,status,peoplecanbesuccessful.Peopledonotneedtochangetheirbeliefsorbyothermeanstobesuccessful,onlythroughtheirowneffortstoexactfullyoucangetabetterlife.TheconceptoftheAmericanDreamiscorrectifwedonottalkabout,butwecanfeeltothatintheUnitedStates,humanrightsandaperson'sindividualindependenceisunquestionable.Likeasaladbowlofeachonesaladasanindependent.Intoday'sAmerica,youcaneasilyfind,inadditiontonativeAmericanregion,therearemanydifferentculturalareas.YoucanseethedifferentaccentsspeakingwhitesandblackstoeatinChinatown.YoucanseetheCatholicfaithandChristianpeoplelivinginthesameapartment.Inanotherwaytothink,theUnitedStatesissopowerfulisn’tbecausetheycanaccommodateawidevarietyofcultures?Culturally,wedressandactandsearchforlifepathsthatshowourstrengthinindividuality.Wewanttheworldtoknowthatwearewhoweareandwehavethepowertomakeourselvesthatway.However,comparedwiththetwoconceptsofAmericanculture,“SaladBowl”isdistinctive.Firstly,“meltingPot”focusesonblendingvariousculturesandethnicities.ImmigrantpopulationswithintheUnitedStatesarebeingblendedtogetherinone“Pot”.But“saladBowl”paysmoreattentiontothemixturesofvariousingredientsthatkeeptheirindividualcharacteristics.Forthisreason,Ibelieveamoreaccuratemetaphorwouldbe,“Americaisasaladbowl.”