america melting pot or salad bowl essay

Civic Issues

Tackling racial issues one at a time, melting pot or salad bowl.

Fig. 1. America: Melting Pot or Salad Bowl.

As children in elementary school, we were told that America is one big “melting pot.” The “melting pot” metaphor is used to describe how immigrants who come to America eventually become assimilated into American culture, thus creating multiple cultures that have blended into one.

Then, as we got older, we entered the debate of determining if America is a “melting pot” or a “salad bowl.” The “salad bowl” metaphor is a different view describing that immigrants who come to America combine their cultures with others, but still retain their own cultural identity. Basically, America is one big integration of unique, distinct cultures.

So which is it? The debate between these two metaphors is constant and depends on how someone views the world and the United States.

These two metaphors are used to describe America’s multiculturalism. The United States is home to immigrants from all over the world , which has resulted in such a high amount of multiculturalism. Immigrants are constantly coming to America and bringing their unique cultures with them.

Fig. 2. Garfield, Leanna. 20 photos of Mexico’s breathtaking Day of the Dead festival.

In reality, the metaphor of a “melting pot” is no longer useful. Instead, America is more closely a “salad bowl.” We are all together, as one, but we also all have distinct cultures. Chinese-American citizens still celebrate the Chinese New Year . Indian-Americans still celebrate Diwali . And Mexican-Americans still celebrate The Day of the Dead . The list could go on and on. So, yes, they are American, but they still celebrate and practice their own culture.

On the other hand, America has become a “melting pot” in some aspects. Many cultures celebrate American holidays, even if it is not part of their own culture. For example, many non-Christian families who do not celebrate Christmas still partake in the exchange of gifts on this holiday. This could be termed as some cultures becoming “Americanized,” that is beginning to act as “Americans” do.

Fig. 3. Karimi, Faith and Levenson, Eric. Man to Spanish speakers at New York restaurant: ‘My next call is to ICE’.

On top of that, the majority of immigrants from other countries that come to the United States do assimilate in the language area. Although there is no official language declared by the federal government, English is the most spoken language in the United States, as well as the official language in 31 states . Therefore, most immigrants either come to the United States knowing English, or learn it once they settle down. There has been heavy controversy over speaking different languages in the United States. You may be familiar with the saying: “You’re in America so you should speak English.” Many videos have surfaced on the Internet of Americans criticizing people from other countries for not speaking English in the United States. This shows that there is somewhat of an “expectation” for other cultures to learn English if they chose to live in the United States. This isn’t necessarily correct, but it is a popular viewpoint in the states.

On the social level, immigrants may also assimilate. Every culture has different social qualities, whether is be related to eye contact, conversational distance, or physical contact. When it comes to basic social interactions, like a conversation or a handshake, immigrants may easily assimilate into American culture. However, when it comes to more complex social interactions for immigrants, like friendships or marriage, the social aspects of their distinct culture may come more into play.

In some sense, America has become a “melting pot,” but looking at the bigger picture, it really is a “salad bowl.” People of other nationalities still keep their cultural identities. A “melting pot” would suggest that once people come to America from a different country, their cultural identity is basically lost and becomes solely American. But can’t you be American and still have your own distinct culture, even if it is from outside of the United States? Immigrants do assimilate in certain areas in order to adjust to the “American way”, but overall, they keep their cultural identity.

Immigrants should not be expected to assimilate into American culture. America was founded as the land of the free and a place where you can be whoever you want. Therefore, if America wants to uphold this ideal that the country was founded on, immigrants should be allowed to decide when and how much they assimilate into American culture, if they decide to at all.

Fig. 4. The Benefits of Multiculturalism in the Workplace.

If you really think about it, America does not really have an “authentic” culture, because American culture is a mix of hundreds, if not thousands, of different cultures. People from all over the world have been coming to America since it was first discovered, so in reality, America’s culture is everyone’s culture. American culture cannot simply be defined as one thing. It is hard to define it at all, just because of how great and complex it is. Walking down the street, you see people of all ethnicities, races, and origins. Everyone is unique with their own culture, and that is what makes America so unique. So, we should celebrate multiculturalism, not deny it, because that is the true definition of what America really is.

January 21, 2019

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34 Comments

January 24, 2019 at 9:18 pm

America’s culture is the melting pot belief. It is a mixture of every culture in a really bad way, like you said about Christmas being only about the gift exchange part. When I came to the US, I was amazed at all the different cultures co-existing together. However, as I learned English and more about the people here I noticed that there was a lot of hate in between each culture. Most immigrants try to assimilate to the “American culture” because a lot of times they have been treated badly for not speaking English. They feel kind of trapped. Only certain people who are mentally strong are able to put all the hate aside and celebrate their culture the way it should be. It is very sad that this happens here, specially since technically everyone is an immigrant. Cultures should be celebrated, but instead they are oppressed.

September 11, 2023 at 3:07 am

I’m 3rd and 4th generation. I’m mixed with many backgrounds. Which one am I supposed to be? I am American. Many are like me. We are American. The salad bowl might be true for gen 1, but mixed and matched become One. We are muts. There is no American race. Patriots come in many colors from many places. We are a melting pot. We learn from each other and enrich each other. Immigrants once, citizens for ever. Its unavoidable and quite unique. I appreciate my fellow citizens who come with humility instead of pride.

June 8, 2020 at 2:29 am

First I can say I learn a new concept, salad bowl and I understand more about melting pot. As America is a land of freedom where everyone can live in peace and feel like it’s his own country, the salad bowl is the concept right concept to support it and if it is accepted by everyone it will offer a better common life in peace and respect. I don’t have got to be in USA but I heard about cohabitation between different people and I really appreciate and make me dreaming more to be there one day. And I agree with those who think that English would be the language spoken in this area, so Americans support to share their country with all immigrants the common language must be used. Immigrants are citizens and have same rights with native but still have their country of origin

August 24, 2020 at 5:56 pm

America’s culture is the melting pot belief. it is a mixture of every culture in a really bad way, like you said about christmas christmas is a day that you celebrate a man that died for us gave us the chance.

August 27, 2020 at 10:29 pm

it´s easy when you get to know it

August 31, 2020 at 2:03 pm

America’s culture is the melting pot belief. it is a mixture of every culture in a really bad way, like you said about christmas christmas is a day that you celebrate a man that died for us gave us the chance.

September 2, 2020 at 5:16 am

April 1, 2022 at 6:52 pm

Christmas is the day that Jesus was born you twat, jy weet niks jou dom poessss.

September 2, 2020 at 5:23 pm

The melting pot is where many different cultures come to the United States with their culture, The get to know all the other cultures their. Everyone eventually blends in together.

September 2, 2020 at 5:37 pm

The melting pot is where people from different cultures come to the U.S., they start blending in with eachother when they get to know one another. The melting pot is where different cultures have really harsh backgrounds. They all just blend in it doesn’t matter what race they are they all blend together.

September 3, 2020 at 4:21 pm

The salad bowl means that different countries form together, and form into one.

September 7, 2020 at 5:51 pm

September 23, 2020 at 2:48 pm

The salad bowl means that different countries form together, and form into one or two country’s and from two country’s.

October 24, 2021 at 8:52 pm

I say it is a salad bowl, I mean there are multiple different communities that coexist together. There is a lot of hate that does go towards that, as we can even see in this comment section, but thats from extreme-nationalist “Americans” that take their nationalism to a level of hatred towards other groups. It needs to stop, and we need to appreciate each others cultures.

October 27, 2021 at 5:00 pm

How to celebrate diwali

https://happydiwaliwishesphotos.blogspot.com/

April 24, 2022 at 3:49 pm

When was the post created.

August 25, 2022 at 8:03 pm

Im sitting next to a mexican

October 22, 2022 at 6:06 am

Great Post. Also check how to celebrate eid

October 22, 2022 at 6:07 am

Great Post. Also check how to celebrate eid.

https://getalightmotion.com

December 1, 2022 at 6:42 pm

Who is the author of this article?

December 9, 2022 at 5:14 am

I agree with the salad bowl theory sure some customs like Christmas are watered down to the point where Christ isn’t the main focus of the holiday anymore but that doesn’t mean people lose their culture once they come to America and always try to fit in, a lot of the time immigrants live in ghettos or specific communities where that specific culture would be embraced like china town.

January 5, 2023 at 10:47 am

Are you talking about America or the US?

January 5, 2023 at 10:50 am

The US you dumbass.

March 3, 2023 at 8:06 am

I want some big booty nigga to bounce around my hood and gimme sum sloppy

April 5, 2023 at 5:02 pm

I volunteer.

June 28, 2023 at 9:01 am

I must apologize. This comment was written by one of my classmates for fun without my acknowledgment!

March 3, 2023 at 3:50 pm

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March 30, 2023 at 4:09 pm

I think this is kinda bs

March 30, 2023 at 4:38 pm

Bro Luca Frank needs to calm his a**

October 31, 2023 at 2:06 pm

man i love my salid bowl (Im a jew btw)

November 8, 2023 at 1:03 pm

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April 26, 2024 at 7:20 am

Why America is the Most Boring Place on Earth: An In-Depth Exploration

America, the land of the free and the home of the brave, is often romanticized for its expansive landscapes, innovative spirit, and cultural diversity. Yet, beneath this glossy veneer, there exists a profound monotony that stretches from coast to coast. In this essay, I will explore the reasons why America, for all its supposed excitement, is perhaps the most boring place on Earth.

To begin, let’s consider the geography. The United States is vast, with a landmass that spans nearly 10 million square kilometers. However, much of this land is simply flat, unremarkable plains. These stretches of land are used primarily for agriculture, but they lack the dramatic landscapes that one might find in other parts of the world. Driving across these vast plains, one can travel for hours without encountering anything of note. The scenery rarely changes, and the monotony of the endless fields can lull even the most energetic traveler into a stupor.

Moving beyond the geography, let’s consider the architecture. In many American cities, there’s a pervasive uniformity to the buildings. Whether you’re in the suburbs of Chicago or the outskirts of Los Angeles, you’ll find the same chain stores, the same strip malls, and the same cookie-cutter houses. This sameness creates a sense of déjà vu, where one city blends seamlessly into the next. There’s little to differentiate one suburb from another, and the overall effect is, frankly, boring.

Culturally, America is often praised for its diversity, but this diversity can also lead to a lack of cohesion. In many parts of the country, there is no unifying cultural identity. Instead, there are pockets of various cultures that exist in isolation. This fragmentation can lead to a sense of disconnection, where people feel like they are living in a series of separate bubbles rather than a cohesive society. This cultural disconnection can make America feel like a patchwork quilt with no overarching pattern or theme.

The entertainment industry, which is often touted as a major American export, can also contribute to the overall sense of boredom. Hollywood may produce blockbuster movies, but these films often follow predictable formulas. Superhero movies, sequels, and reboots dominate the box office, leaving little room for originality or creativity. Television shows and streaming services often follow suit, producing content that feels derivative and uninspired. This lack of innovation in entertainment can leave audiences feeling jaded and unenthused.

Additionally, the work culture in America contributes to the pervasive sense of boredom. Americans are known for their dedication to work, often putting in long hours with little time for leisure. This work-focused mentality can lead to a lack of balance in life, where people have little time to explore new hobbies or pursue personal interests. As a result, many Americans find themselves stuck in a routine, moving from work to home with little variation in their daily lives.

In conclusion, while America may appear exciting from a distance, a closer look reveals a land characterized by monotony, uniformity, and a lack of cultural cohesion. The geography is vast but unremarkable, the architecture is repetitive, and the entertainment industry churns out predictable content. The work culture leaves little room for leisure or creativity, contributing to an overall sense of boredom. Despite its reputation as a land of opportunity and innovation, America can be, for many, one of the most boring places on Earth.

April 26, 2024 at 11:17 am

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April 26, 2024 at 4:09 pm

I agree in a sort of way with the concept of America mostly being both a melting pot and a salad bowl. Most of America is home to accompanying immigrants around the world. Which interns bring their culture with them to America. It became more common to come to America that the nation became a salad bowl and melting pot. It’s the fact that America is celebrating other cultures by holidays and events which is sharing the diversity to anyone. While also in some parts of it being that immigrants need to be part of the common culture of america. Which is historical and language, thought i think its is really mixed depending on the outlook.

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What Does It Take to ‘Assimilate’ in America?

By Laila Lalami

• Aug. 1, 2017

‘‘The problem is,’’ my seatmate said, ‘‘they don’t assimilate.’’ We were about 30,000 feet in the air, nearly an hour from our destination, and I was beginning to regret the turn our conversation had taken. It started out as small talk. He told me he owned a butcher shop in Gardena, about 15 miles south of Los Angeles, but was contemplating retirement. I knew the area well, having lived nearby when I was in graduate school, though I hadn’t been there in years. ‘‘Oh, it’s changed a lot,’’ he told me. ‘‘We have all those Koreans now.’’ Ordinarily, my instinct would have been to return to the novel I was reading, but this was just two months after the election, and I was still trying to parse for myself what was happening in the country. ‘‘They have their own schools,’’ he said. ‘‘They send their kids there on Sundays so they can learn Korean.’’

What does assimilation mean these days? The word has its roots in the Latin ‘‘simulare,’’ meaning to make similar. Immigrants are expected, over an undefined period, to become like other Americans, a process metaphorically described as a melting pot. But what this means, in practice, remains unsettled. After all, Americans have always been a heterogeneous population — racially, religiously, regionally. By what criteria is an outsider judged to fit into such a diverse nation? For some, assimilation is based on pragmatic considerations, like achieving some fluency in the dominant language, some educational or economic success, some familiarity with the country’s history and culture. For others, it runs deeper and involves relinquishing all ties, even linguistic ones, to the old country. For yet others, the whole idea of assimilation is wrongheaded, and integration — a dynamic process that retains the connotation of individuality — is seen as the better model. Think salad bowl, rather than melting pot: Each ingredient keeps its flavor, even as it mixes with others.

Whichever model they prefer, Americans pride themselves on being a nation of immigrants. Starting in 1903, people arriving at Ellis Island were greeted by a copper statue whose pedestal bore the words, ‘‘Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free.’’ One of this country’s most cherished myths is the idea that, no matter where you come from, if you work hard, you can be successful. But these ideals have always been combined with a deep suspicion of newcomers.

In 1890, this newspaper ran an article explaining that while ‘‘the red and black assimilate’’ in New York, ‘‘not so the Chinaman.’’ Cartoons of the era depicted Irish refugees as drunken apes and Chinese immigrants as cannibals swallowing Uncle Sam. At different times, the United States barred or curtailed the arrival of Chinese, Italian, Irish, Jewish and, most recently, Muslim immigrants. During the Great Depression, as many as one million Mexicans and Mexican-Americans were deported under the pretext that they were to blame for the economic downturn.

The pendulum between hope and fear continues to swing today. ‘‘We are a country where people of all backgrounds, all nations of origin, all languages, all religions, all races, can make a home,’’ Hillary Clinton told an immigrant-advocacy conference in New York in 2015. By contrast, Donald Trump warned on the campaign trail that ‘‘not everyone who seeks to join our country will be able to successfully assimilate.’’ Last November, one of these visions of assimilation won out.

Immigrants contribute to America in a million different ways, from growing the food on our tables to creating the technologies we use every day. They commit far fewer crimes than native-born citizens. But hardly a week goes by when poor assimilation isn’t blamed for offenses involving immigrants — and the entire project of immigration called into question. In Michigan, an Indian-American emergency-room doctor who belongs to the Dawoodi Bohra community, a Shiite Muslim sect, was charged with performing female genital mutilation on several young girls. In Minnesota, a black police officer, the first Somali-American cop in his precinct, shot an unarmed Australian woman. Both incidents were immediately seized upon by the far right as examples of the inability — or refusal — of Muslims to assimilate. So far this year, American police officers have killed more than 500 people, but for the commentator Ann Coulter, the shooting in Minnesota would never have happened in Australia because ‘‘they have fewer than 10k Somalis. We have >100k.’’ Earlier this month, the Fox News personality Tucker Carlson ran a segment in which he said citizens of a small town in Pennsylvania claimed that several dozen Roma who had been resettled there ‘‘defecate in public, chop the heads off chickens, leave trash everywhere.’’ (The police said they issued citations where relevant.) ‘‘The group doesn’t seem at all interested in integrating,’’ Carlson complained. ‘‘You have to assume it’s a statement.’’

One reason immigration is continuously debated in America is that there is no consensus on whether assimilation should be about national principles or national identity. Those who believe that assimilation is a matter of principle emphasize a belief in the Constitution and the rule of law; in life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness; and in a strong work ethic and equality. Where necessary, they support policy changes to further deter any cultural customs that defy those values. For example, Rick Snyder, the governor of Michigan, signed a new law that increases existing penalties for anyone who performs female genital mutilation on a minor.

But for those who believe that assimilation is a matter of identity — as many on the far right do — nothing short of the abandonment of all traces of your heritage will do. The alt-right pundit Milo Yiannopoulos, an immigrant himself, told a campus group in January that ‘‘the hijab is not something that should ever be seen on American women.’’ The perception that visible signs of religious identity are indicators of deep and sinister splits in society can lead to rabid fears of wholly imaginary threats. Several states have passed anti-Shariah measures, in fear that Muslims will seek to impose their own religious laws on unsuspecting Americans. The fact that Muslims make up 1 percent of the U.S. population and that such an agenda is both a statistical and a Constitutional impossibility has done nothing to temper this fear. It is no longer a fringe belief: The white nationalist Richard Spencer told a reporter that he once bonded with Stephen Miller, now a senior White House adviser, over concerns that immigrants from non-European countries were not assimilating.

Debates about assimilation are different from debates about undocumented immigration, even though they are often mixed together. Concerns about undocumented immigration typically center on competition for jobs or the use of public resources, but complaints about assimilation are mostly about identity — a nebulous mix of race, religion and language. In May, a survey by the Public Religion Research Institute and The Atlantic found that white working-class voters were 3.5 times more likely to support Donald Trump if they reported feeling ‘‘like a stranger in their own land.’’ My seatmate on that airplane was a small-business owner, yet he did not seem worried about Korean-Americans taking business away from him; he seemed more aggrieved that their children studied two languages, or that his community featured store signs and church marquees in an alphabet he could not read. Others might object to their neighbors’ wearing skullcaps, or eating fermented duck eggs, or listening to Tejano music — and call these concerns about assimilation, too.

It should be clear by now that assimilation is primarily about power. In Morocco, where I was born, I never heard members of Parliament express outrage that French immigrants — or ‘‘expats,’’ as they might call themselves — eat pork, drink wine or have extramarital sex, in plain contradiction of local norms. If they do adopt the country’s customs or speak its language, they aren’t said to have ‘‘assimilated’’ but to have ‘‘gone native.’’ In France, by contrast, politicians regularly lament that people descended from North African immigrants choose halal food options for school lunches or want to attend classes in head scarves. One result is a daily experience of rejection, which only makes assimilation more difficult.

America is different from Europe in one significant way: It has a long and successful history of integrating its immigrants, even if each new generation thinks that the challenges it faces are unique and unprecedented. It is a nation in which people will wear green on St. Patrick’s Day without thinking much about the periods during which the Irish were accused of contaminating the nation with their foreign habits. Because there is no objective measure of assimilation, many people end up throwing up their hands and saying, ‘‘I know it when I see it.’’ The question is: Who is doing the judging here?

Laila Lalami is the author, most recently, of “The Moor’s Account,” a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize for fiction.

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A Critical Literary Review of the Melting Pot and Salad Bowl Assimilation and Integration Theories

• Mohamed Berray Florida State University http://orcid.org/0000-0003-2935-9327

Immigrant communities have varying degrees of acculturation based on their predispositions for specific cultural norms, and their propensity to exhibit similarities in principles, values, and a common lifestyle with dominant racial and ethnic groups. Food metaphors like the Melting Pot and the Salad Bowl theories have illustrated different approaches to integration by explaining the political and power dynamics between dominant and minority groups. Yet, little consideration is given in either theory to existing local contexts that influence the actions of these groups. By combining ethnic identities into homogenous outcomes, food metaphors empower dominant ethnic groups and sets the tone for discriminatory legislative policies that eliminate programs aimed at helping minorities. For refugees, this obscures their actual socio-political circumstances and erases their historical experiences. This paper aims to review and critique existing literature about metaphorical homogenous assimilation and integration theories, especially with regards to their application in the United States. This paper postulates that using a homogenous common good as the baseline metaphor of assimilation disregards the individual accommodations that need to be made for both dominant and minority communities. These accommodations, although sometimes separate from the collective good, have a significant role in creating conducive environments for diversity and inclusion.

Author Biography

Mohamed berray, florida state university.

Mohamed Berray | Social Sciences Librarian for Political Sciences, Public Policy, International Affairs | Coordinator for Government Information. Florida State University Libraries

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America's Problem of Assimilation

America's Problem of Assimilation

The current Supreme Court term has been dominated by the Constitutional challenge to the Affordable Care Act, the health-care legislation better known as Obamacare. But the Court has recently heard another case, this one concerning the controversial Arizona immigration law passed in 2010. Though five other states have passed similar laws, Arizona’s is the toughest one to date that attempts to get control of illegal immigration and its social and economic costs. The problems surrounding illegal immigration that this bill attempts to solve involve not just practical policies, but the very meaning of American identity and history.

For Americans, these issues have particular resonance; as we continually hear, we are a “nation of immigrants.” Many see the laws targeting immigrants as a repudiation of this heritage, an ethnocentric or even racist attempt to impose and monitor an exclusive notion of American identity and culture. Additionally, opponents claim that these laws invite the police to practice discriminatory “racial profiling,” creating the possibility that legal immigrants and U.S. citizens are unjustly detained and questioned.

As President Obama said in April 2010, laws like Arizona’s “threaten to undermine basic notions of fairness that we cherish as Americans.” The greater significance of this case, however, is the way it touches on deeply held and frequently conflicting beliefs about the role of immigration in American history and national identity. These beliefs have generated two popular metaphors: the melting pot and the salad bowl.

The melting pot metaphor arose in the eighteenth century, sometimes appearing as the “smelting pot” or “crucible,” and it described the fusion of various religious sects, nationalities, and ethnic groups into one distinct people: Ex pluribus unum . In 1782, French immigrant J. Hector St. John de Crevecoeur wrote that in America, “individuals of all nations are melted into a new race of men, whose labors and posterity will one day cause great changes in the world.”

A century later, Ralph Waldo Emerson used the “melting pot” image to describe “the fusing process” that “transforms the English, the German, the Irish emigrant into an American . . . The individuality of the immigrant, almost even his traits of race and religion, fuse down in the democratic alembic like chips of brass thrown into the melting pot.” The phrase gained wider currency in 1908, during the great wave of Slavic, Jewish, and Italian immigration, when Israel Zangwill’s play The Melting Pot was produced. In it, a character enthuses, “America is God’s Crucible, the great Melting-Pot where all the races of Europe are melting and re-forming!”

The idea of the melting pot, then, communicated the historically exceptional notion of American identity as one formed not by the accidents of blood, sect, or race, but by the unifying beliefs and political ideals enshrined in the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution: the notion of individual, inalienable human rights that transcend group identity. Of course, this ideal was violated in American history over the centuries by racism, ethnocentrism, xenophobia, and other ignorant prejudices. But over time, changes in law and social mores have taken place, making the United States today the most inclusive and tolerant nation in the world, the destination of choice for those millions desiring more freedom and opportunity.

In the melting pot metaphor, inalienable human rights transcend group identity.

Of course, this process of assimilation also entailed costs and painful sacrifices. Having voted with his feet for the superiority of America, the immigrant was required to become American, to learn the language, history, political principles, and civic customs that identified an American as American. This demand was necessarily in conflict with the immigrants’ old culture and its values, and, at times, it led to the painful loss of the old ways and customs. But how immigrants negotiated the conflicts and trade-offs between their new and old identities was up to them, and they were free in civil society to celebrate and retain those cultures through fraternal organizations, ethnic festivals, language schools, and religious guilds.

Still, they had to make their first loyalty to America and its ideals. If some custom, value, or belief of the old country conflicted with those core American values, then that old way had to be modified or discarded if the immigrant wanted to participate fully in American social, economic, and political life. The immigrant was the one who had to adjust; no one expected the majority culture to modify its values to accommodate the immigrant. After all, there were too many immigrants to do this without fragmenting American culture. No matter the costs, assimilation was the only way to forge an unum from so many pluribus .

Starting in the Sixties, however, another vision of American pluralism arose, captured in the metaphor of the salad bowl. Rather than assimilating, now different ethnic groups would coexist in their separate identities like the ingredients in a salad, bound together only by the “dressing” of law and the market. This view expresses the ideology of multiculturalism, which goes far beyond the demand that ethnic differences be acknowledged rather than disparaged.

Long before multiculturalism ever existed, Americans wrestled with the conflicts and clashes immigrants experienced in their lives. A book from the Forties on “intercultural education” announced its intent “to help our schools to deal constructively with the problem of intercultural and interracial tensions among our people” and to alleviate “the hurtful discrimination against some of the minority groups which compose our people.” One recommendation was to create school curricula that would “help build respect for groups not otherwise sufficiently esteemed.” Modern multiculturalism takes that idea but goes much farther by endorsing a species of identity politics predicated on victimization.

In the Sixties, another vision of American pluralism arose: the salad bowl.

And that, in fact, is what multiculturalism is really about—not respecting or celebrating the “salad bowl” of cultural or ethnic diversity, but indicting American civilization for its imperial, colonial, xenophobic, and racist sins. Multiculturalism idealizes immigrant cultures and ignores their various dysfunctional practices and values. But at the same time, it relentlessly attacks America as a predatory, soulless, exploitative, war-mongering villain responsible for all the world’s ills.

Worse still, the identity politics at the heart of multiculturalism directly contradicts the core assumption of our liberal democracy: the principle of individual and inalienable rights that each of us possess no matter what group or sect we belong to. Multiculturalism confines the individual in the box of his race or culture—the latter often simplistically defined in terms of clichés and stereotypes—and then demands rights and considerations for that group, a special treatment usually based on the assumption that the group has been victimized in the past and so deserves some form of reparations. The immigrant “other” (excluding, of course, immigrants from Europe) is now a privileged victim entitled to public acknowledgement of his victim status and obeisance to the superiority of his native culture, equally a victim of American historical malfeasance.

The common identity shaped by the Constitution, the English language, and the history, mores, and heroes of America has been replaced by multifarious, increasingly fragmented micro-identities. But without this loyalty to the common core values and ideals upon which national identity is founded, without a commitment to the non-negotiable foundational beliefs that transcend special interests, without the sense of a shared destiny and goals, a nation starts to weaken as its people see no goods beyond their own groups’ interests and successes.

The problems of illegal immigration are worsened by multicultural identity politics. Many immigrants, legal or otherwise, are now encouraged to celebrate and prefer the cultures they have fled to the one that has given them greater freedom and opportunity. Our schools and popular culture reinforce this separatism, encouraging Americans to relate to others outside our own identity group not as fellow citizens, but either as rivals for power or influence, or as oppressors from whom one is owed reparations in the form of government transfers or preferential policies. The essence of being an American has been reduced to a flabby “tolerance” that in fact masks a profound intolerance and anti-Americanism, for the groups multiculturalism celebrates are all defined in terms of their victimization by a sinful America.

No matter how the Supreme Court rules on the Arizona law, this problem of assimilation will remain. There will still be 11 million illegal immigrants whose fate must be decided. Millions of them no doubt are striving to become Americans despite the obstacles multiculturalism has put in their path. Many others have not developed that sense of American identity, nor have they been compelled, as immigrants were in the past, to acknowledge the goodness and superiority of America and give her their loyalty. Their relation to this country is merely economic or parasitic. Developing some way of determining which immigrants are which, and figuring out what to do with those who prefer not to be Americans, will be a difficult challenge in the years after the current case is adjudicated.

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Boyd Matheson: America is not a melting pot — it's a salad bowl

In America, oneness is not sameness and the ties that bind us in unity are strengthened by our diversity.

By Boyd Matheson

Historically, I have not been one to voluntarily eat, let alone opine on, the contents and character of the ingredients in a salad. For me, the value of a salad is usually dependent on the quantity and quality of the protein sitting on top of it. Lettuce is really just a delivery mechanism for the steak, chicken or pork I am really longing for.

Clearly, I've been thinking a lot about salad lately, but not because I am trying to be more healthy. I was reminded recently by the Rev. Amos Brown that America, at its best, is not a melting pot, but a salad bowl.

The Rev. Brown, chairman of the religious affairs committee for the NAACP and pastor at the historic Third Baptist Church of San Francisco, waxed eloquent on the subject of salad bowls when I interviewed him with my Deseret News colleagues in Detroit a few weeks ago.

He spoke of the unique partnership between the NAACP and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The two organizations have come together to deliver self-reliance, financial literacy, education and career development training to individuals and families in minority and inner-city communities. Rather than chasing the divide, the groups have found common ground and trailblazed new opportunities.

“Members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints were oppressed because of their faith traditions and beliefs," the Rev. Brown said. "We were oppressed because of the color of our skin. We both know what it means to be made fun of because we were different.”

Then, describing the partnership of the organizations, the reverend continued, “Together, we have shown this nation how there can be harmony, concord and togetherness. … America has been called to be a salad bowl, not a melting pot. The salad bowl is instructive because the ingredients never lose their identity. A salad bowl is more nutritious.” He concluded that together, valuing the differences America can, like the contents of a salad bowl, “Be more healthy, more robust and come closer to becoming that shining city on hill.”

Valuing our differences makes all the difference while enabling and empowering each of us to actually make a difference.

The ingredients in the salad bowl maintain their identity and are not forced or forged into sameness as a stew in a melting pot. The crispiness of the carrots, vibrant color of the tomatoes, the leafy lettuce, the unique texture of the cucumber and even the crunch of the croutons, all are valued for what they are and what the bring to the bowl. No ingredient has to dominate, none has to cower or hide. Together, the ingredients of the salad bowl provide both taste and nutrition. Likewise, America should celebrate its cultural diversity, showcase the divine differences in our faith traditions, promote the power of our unique geographies and tap into the virtues of our various communities.

Unfortunately, in the midst of political polarization and white-hot rhetoric, the salad bowl is not even a melting pot — it is civil society in melt-down. Sadly, many in positions of power have propagated a winner-take-all, zero-sum game in our nation where race, gender, orientation, education, class and income level define, divide and eventually destroy any hope for cooperation, community and a better country.

This is not the America I know. This is not the America I believe in. This is not the future America I hope is here for my grandchildren.

As we consume, or are consumed by, media from Twitter to cable news, we would be wise to remember that no one who plants thistles in the spring expects to harvest vegetables for a salad bowl in the fall.

Former first lady Michelle Obama framed our national salad bowl this way, “Here in America, we don't let our differences tear us apart. Not here. Because we know that our greatness comes from when we appreciate each other's strengths, when we learn from each other, when we lean on each other, because in this country, it's never been each person for themselves. No, we're all in this together. We always have been.”

It is time to call out the purveyors of contempt and profiteers of hate from across the political spectrum who regularly shrug their shoulders with a “it's not my problem” attitude. It is also time to call on citizens to no longer join the slouching shoulder crowd who are increasingly OK with a culture of contempt. It is time to square shoulders, call out hate and change the conversation and the culture. It begins with valuing our differences and celebrating all that unites us.

In his address to the NAACP national convention, President Russell M. Nelson of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints concluded his remarks by saying, “May we go forward doing our best to exemplify the two great commandments — to love God and love each of His children. Arm in arm and shoulder to shoulder, may we strive to lift our brothers and sisters everywhere, in every way we can. This world will never be the same.”

The Rev. Brown finished his interview with this sentiment: “Each of us has something to offer. We used to sing that old song in nursery school, ‘The more we get together the happier we’ll be. For your song will be my song and my song will be your song. The more we get together the happier we’ll be.’ The more we work together, I would add, the happier we’ll be.”

We often, and rightly, say with gratitude that we stand on the shoulders of the giants who have gone before us in our country and community. We should remember that the only reason we can stand on their shoulders is because they were willing to square them.

The color, size or strength of our shoulders does not matter. What matters is that we are willing to square them and work as one to lift each other and this nation beyond the cycles of contempt and hate and toward better, more hope-filled days to come.

Together we can and should show the world that while the United States may always be called a melting pot, America is at its best when it is a salad bowl.

America After World War I: A Melting Pot or a Salad Bowl

Introduction.

It is extremely likely that one has heard at least once in their life that the United States is one big melting pot. As a person gets older, they start to debate whether America is actually a melting pot – or if it is a salad bowl. In order to determine which term is more representative of the country, it is necessary to delve into these concepts first. Only then is it possible to look into America’s different time periods and come to particular conclusions? For once, it is interesting to find out that the aftermath of World War I, in one way or another, was characterized by both these occurrences.

The first rise of the melting pot theory to prominence is dated more than two hundred years. J. Hector St. John de Crevecoeur – a French immigrant – in 1782, described America’s demographic homogeneity as including “individuals of all nations…[who] melted into a new race of men” (Berray, 2019, p. 142). The desire to assimilate is described by Berray (2019) as a minority group’s adaptation to the lifestyle of the dominant group – the group whose cultural, political, and economic norms are the default. Such adaptation minimizes differences between minorities who hope to integrate into mainstream societies and these societies’ representatives.

When it comes to the salad bowl theory, its concept arose much later. According to Berray (2019), it happened in the 1960s, and its essence is in retaining people’s unique identities and recognizing differences that are inevitable in a multicultural society. In contrast to the melting pot theory, in which the dominant group’s influence prevails, either way, the salad bowl maintains the identity of minorities and allows them to exist as they are alongside dominant cultures. This obviates the need for the creation of homogeneous identities as per the melting pot, especially considering that such identities are not equally proportionated in terms of their corresponding constituents.

In order to determine which theory described the state of America post-World War I better, it is reasonable to turn to the events and policies occurring in the country at the time. As stated by Bitesize, during World War I, Americans were worried about the number of immigrants who came to the United States seeking escape from war and the consequent economic depression. Their primary concern was foreign culture and religion threatening their way of life – that is, the White Anglo-Saxon Protestants’ way of life (Bitesize, n.d.). Americans’ fears were not unfounded: since people immigrated due to necessity, not desire, they did not have any ground to attempt to assimilate. Indeed, immigrants are reported to have retained their customs and spoken their languages, alongside not intending to alter their religious beliefs. Additionally, there were a lot of divisions due to people taking different sides concerning war. Consequently, one may come to the conclusion that this state of affairs resembled a salad bowl significantly more than a melting pot.

In that regard, it is interesting that the measures implemented by the American government due to that occasion can be called the measures to turn that salad bowl into a melting pot. According to Gloor n.d., during the war and subsequent years, policies of coercive education and employment were adopted in order to force immigrants to assimilate. The purpose of this process was to produce citizens conforming not only to the country’s democratic ideals but even to local habits, the American version of English, and major political and social ideologies. Such forceful Americanization can be labeled as a case of the melting pot policy, though carefully, since such processes are supposed to occur naturally.

In conclusion, the United States’ immigration situation after World War I is an example of a salad bowl theory in action. People who came to America did that amid safety concerns, and their lack of desire to assimilate is easily understandable. Measures employed by the government in order to make people adapt to the American way of life are an additional confirmation that initially, the immigrants’ approach resembled a salad bowl more than anything else.

Berray, M. (2019). A critical literary review of the Melting Pot and Salad Bowl Assimilation and integration theories. [PDF file]. Journal of Ethnic and Cultural Studies , 6 (1), 142-151. Web.

Bitesize. (n.d.). The Open Door policy and immigration to 1928. BBC. Web.

Gloor, L.B. (n.d.). From the Melting Pot to the Tossed Salad metaphor: Why coercive assimilation lacks the flavors Americans crave. [PDF file]. University of Hawaii at Hilo. Web.

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StudyCorgi. (2023, March 9). America After World War I: A Melting Pot or a Salad Bowl. https://studycorgi.com/america-after-world-war-i-a-melting-pot-or-a-salad-bowl/

"America After World War I: A Melting Pot or a Salad Bowl." StudyCorgi , 9 Mar. 2023, studycorgi.com/america-after-world-war-i-a-melting-pot-or-a-salad-bowl/.

StudyCorgi . (2023) 'America After World War I: A Melting Pot or a Salad Bowl'. 9 March.

1. StudyCorgi . "America After World War I: A Melting Pot or a Salad Bowl." March 9, 2023. https://studycorgi.com/america-after-world-war-i-a-melting-pot-or-a-salad-bowl/.

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America, Melting Pot or Salad Bowl Society?

In the year 2013 there are slightly over 7 billion people throughout the world. This means that we have a wide variety of cultures, heritages, ethnic backgrounds, views and opinions. Thousands of people are immigrating to the United States for a number of reasons such as bettering their education and careers, as well as, getting a fresh start. Primarily, immigrants are moving here to take advantage of the many opportunities our country can make available.

People are bringing their cultures and differences to the United States thus resulting in what is called a melting pot; however, I would argue that America should no longer be called a melting pot. The term melting pot suggests that immigrants should assimilate into American culture. Instead, America should be looked upon as a salad bowl society or a mosaic work of art allowing our newcomers to bring their racial and ethnic differences to the country. This allows our newcomers to “retain their own national characteristics while integrating into a new society” (“Melting Pot America”).

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We, as a country, should not be encouraging newcomers to leave who they are and what they value in order to become an American. In all reality, everyone is an immigrant. Someone’s grandparents came from another country to better their lives and had children who had children which end with our generation. Yes without a doubt we are natural born citizens, but our roots come from all over the world as do many other people. Although I am a native born citizen, my background is very broad and varied; however, I do not know much about it and that is where we find many American’s naïve to what makes them who they are.

Language is becoming a prominent factor in how we will communicate with the immigrants that are coming into our country. I know from my own experience that my Spanish is not what it used to be, even though I took two years of Spanish in high school. I have not retained much more than a few words and phrases. Typically while I am at work if I have a Spanish speaking customer I have to call for someone to come and translate for me so I am still able to assist the customer. English is slowly fading into the background and researchers believe that Spanish will shortly become the spoken language of America; “nearly one-fifth of U.

S. residents speak a language other than English at home” (“Reinventing the Melting Pot”). For that main reason, students should be allowed to take language classes from elementary school and forward; increasing their vocabulary and conversation every year. Schools should be preparing our students to interact with the immigrants that are coming into our country by offering classes that teach about different cultures, ethnicities, and languages. Not all Americans are going to be too pleased with all of the immigrants that are coming over, but it is what it is.

The number of immigrants is outstanding and it is not something that it going to stop any time soon. Everything takes time to adapt and this too will take time; “bagels… and spaghetti were new things at one time… immigrants come and change America and are changed by America” (“Melting Pot America”). By preparing ourselves for the immigrants that are coming into the country we are only bettering ourselves to help them make the transition into our country easier and more comfortable. I feel like society should be embracing the new cultures and heritages that are entering into the United States.

It is very important that we do not make immigrants feel as though they need to abandon what they have known their entire life. America is so full of opportunity and it continues to flourish with each person that becomes a citizen. We must recognize that each ethnic or racial group has its own sense of value and its own process of knowledge formation. This idea led to the realization that a community can prosper if it recognizes and embraces the culture of each of its cultural groups. This notion is likened to the ‘salad bowl’ metaphor, where each vegetable has its own unique taste and the combination forms a meal of delicacies (Youngdal).

Many people do not have the chance to travel and experience new parts of the world, so the immigrants that are coming into the United States are able to expose what they know to the native born Americans. America is unlike any other country and for that prime reason we have such a high level of immigration which happens to be “the second highest in our nation’s history” (Chavez). Up until 1882, “the US government practiced an open door policy;” (“Melting Pot America”) however, soon after that the policy began to try to control immigration by excluding Chinese, alcoholics, and criminals from coming into the country.

This salad bowl society is very important to the American culture and continually needs to be reevaluated. With the diverse amounts of people, it is almost required that we venture outside of our own boundaries in order to understand and appreciate one another. Whether it be in the work place, school or simply everyday life we are going to be with people that are unlike ourselves and need to be prepared to deal with those situations. As immigrants are coming into the country they are faced with a new world.

Assimilation into America is no longer what is used to be fifty or sixty years ago because many different things have changed. Immigrants are essentially leaving behind everything that they have known and are exposing themselves to different language, culture, behavior, etc. This whole experience can be very scary and intimidating for our newcomers so it is important to make sure they understand that they do not have to leave behind who they are or what they are comfortable with. Immigrants have to familiarize themselves with what Americans view as norms and values in order for them to feel as if they belong in our society.

Some newcomers feel as though they need to assimilate in order to fit into the American culture which should not always be the case. For Americans to ask immigrants to assimilate to our behaviors and needs is not right and is selfish. Instead, we should be encouraging new behaviors, cultures, and experiences because we are a country of diversity which, metaphorically, opens its welcoming arms to new and different people. The theory of the “melting pot” has begun to disappear and instead researchers are focusing on multiculturalism or viewing America as a salad bowl society.

America is beginning to adopt trends and characteristics we never once would, “American society [is] truly [turning into] a multicultural mosaic” (Millet). Immigrants were once assimilating to the American culture, but now they are now integrating and bringing their individual differences to the playing field resulting in an enhancement throughout our diversity. Instead of asking our newcomers to ditch their identity and conform, we are now encouraging their differences to add to our “salad bowl” and even teach us what they know so that we can relate and understand them better.

Each difference represents a so called “ingredient” retaining its integrity and flavor, while contributing to a successful product. This salad bowl society is the theory that we should be adopting in order to encourage the immigrants to bring their cultures and heritages with them and embrace their differences. By allowing our immigrants to retain their differences, we are expanding the great diversity that America holds. With newcomers entering our country we are being exposed to different ideas, values and talent that we may not have come across before.

The different talents that are brought here can broaden our businesses and begin to make them more marketable and profitable. This talent also offers businesses to work with “a competitive edge” (Kapoor) not only within their business among the employees but also with the other businesses that exist. Not only does this allow for a diversity to exist, but celebrates and recognizes the people of different backgrounds that are in our country. Identifying and making a point to rejoice the many immigrants that have come here to enhance are differences is very important and needs to be done often.

Some Americans have feared that these immigrants are coming to our country to take away the jobs that are offered to us; however, immigrants that are coming here looking for work are applying for the positions that Americans do not consider desirable and do not want to fulfill. This enrichment that immigrants are bringing into our country is leaving a win-win situation for everyone. Immigrants are able to have a job and provide support and security for themselves and their families while the native born citizens are able to experience and develop a better well rounded character and work ethic.

The topic of immigration is and always will be a controversial subject for many. The truth is, as I mentioned earlier, immigration is not going anywhere anytime soon. Americans need to educate themselves on the facts and statistics rather than forming their own opinion based on their feelings against other races and ethnicities. Stripped down from all physical features every human being is the same. We all go through triumphs throughout life; we experience high and low points which better our character and overall understanding of the life we live.

Americans need to stop being so self indulged and actually open themselves up to someone that is different. Truth is many people are too scared to step outside of their norm and experience anything that is new or unknown to them. Americans are satisfied with the same old daily routines that never change or bring anything new into their lives. Allowing ourselves to really get to know all these different types of people that are coming into our country can only better who we are.

We would receive a different perspective on life and see how life is viewed through someone else’s eyes. Not only that, but many people in other countries are not as fortunate as we are and that strives to be a primary reason why they are coming here. Taking twenty minutes out of your day to listen to the experiences and daily life of someone in another country will blow your mind. So many people take for granted the little things that we have which many people in other countries are not able to have or experience.

There are so many reasons that America should be a salad bowl society instead of a melting pot. Embracing our immigrant’s differences will better our culture, businesses, country and most importantly each citizen on an individual level. America needs to stand by its word when we say that we are a country of diversity and openness; we need to stop asking our newcomers to assimilate into what we feel safe and secure with and instead welcome what they are bringing into our country. We are all people, and we are all trying to get through life to be successful and happy.

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