Melting pot and Mosaic

Americans’ view of their own diversity have changed over the years. In the early to mid-1900s, some people described America as a “melting pot”. The belief was that ethnic groups adn races would eventually completely assimilate and become one group. This description is not very accurate, however, because ethnic groups have always been different from one another.  Many could not and did not want to melt away their identities. Some people still prefer to see the United State as a Melting Pot , perhaps to minimize the differences and diversity that exist.

            By the 1970s and 1980s, a better analogy was introduced : American’s muticultural society was described as a mosaic which allthe races and ethnic groups could be proudly displayed. Each group was seen as separate and distict, but contributing its own color, shape, and design toward the creation of an attractive mosaic. Hyphenated terms such as “Mexican-American,” “Asian-American,” “African-American” and “Jewish-American” reflect a general acknowledgement that cultural diversity exist, and show that a person can be an American and still maintain another cultural identity.