The Melting Pot Theory

Melting Pot Theory: Friend or Foe?

Now you know the facts so you can decide!

References

Hausman, B. M. (2003). Notes from the Melting Pot: 463 Years after Cherokees Met DeSoto. American Indian Quarterly, 27(1-2), 233-239.

Janzen, R. (1994). Melting Pot or Mosaic?. Educational Leadership, 51(8), 9-11.

Koppelman, K. L. (2011). Understanding human differences: Multicultural education for a diverse America. Boston: Allyn and Bacon.

Portes, A. (2000). An Enduring Vision: The Melting Pot That Did Happen. International Migration Review, 34(1), 243-48.

The Melting Pot Theory

Friend or Foe?

What are the strengths of the theory?

*Trying to create unity

*Very hard to pin point a unanimous strength because the theory might have began with good intentions but neglected people of color.

*This theory was popular with wealthy, intellecual, artistic, and political groups. As it grew, the term excluded the people of color- blacks, Latinos, Asians, Native Americans, and even Greeks and Italians (Koppelman, p.168).

* The belief was acknowledged by some and discarded by others.

What is the Melting Pot Theory?

*Hausman’s article he describes the melting pot concept as America being “one great cultural medley, a giant gumbo of genes and stories whose greatest strength lies in its own diversity” (2003, p. 236).

*According to Janzen, the “educators structure activities in such a way that all newcomers eventually melt together in the pot” of America (1994, p.10).

*Portes called it “uniform ‘America’ emerging”(2000, p. 246).

*While our textbook defined it as a “perspective that immigrants to America need not relinquish their entire racial or ethnic heritage” but “instead, the idea was that ethnic differences would blend into the dominant culture to create a new identity, an American identity, made up of cultures and customs carried to America by all immigrants” (Koppelman, 2011, p. 168).

*Deriving from all four operational definitions, I can confirm that my understanding and visual of the melting pot theory is correct. Our “recipe” of this theory has been handed down through the generations but might need some revisions to give more sensitivity to our growing nation.

Understanding the Theory

How can we learn from the theory?

Malcolm X said “We are not fighting for integration…we are fighting for recognition as human beings” (Koppelman, 2011, p. 170). With the positive approach I believe you accomplish exactly what Malcolm X desired. Call me optimistic, but the positive approach of “color blind” can transform this negative interpretation of the white people. With this said, “teachers, other educators, parent groups, and students need to enter into continued dialogue about the assumptions and interpretations that underlie various multicultural curriculum approaches” (Janzen, 1994, p. 11). The only way to help educators become more sensitive to unlike people is to discuss all approaches and perspectives we treasure in our world.

*Understanding history, cultures, theories and fundamentals

*Understanding and acceptance is gained when you educate yourself about theories

*Koppelman writes about the color blind perspective, or the most common expression of the melting pot perspective today that people should ignore a person’s skin color (2011, p. 169). He explains people of color find this offensive, arguing it implies a negative attitude about race and they find it difficult to believe when a white person holds this perspective (Koppelman, 2011, p. 169).

*I can understand this thought process but in my opinion there are always a positive and a negative in perspectives. The negative approach is exactly what Koppelman has described. It makes the people of color feel the white people just don’t want to pay attention to any part of colored people. But the positive approach understands and accepts each individual’s culture and race and allows the color to melt away due to embracing them as human beings.

What are the limitations of the theory?

*Caused friction between people

*Hausman clarifies “the United States academia still generally thinks that Americans are from somewhere else, that things that are from here are inherently from somewhere else rather than from here (2003, p. 234). The Native Americans were the first to own America yet they were disregarded as a culture that mattered in the melting pot.

*The melting pot referred to only cultures that came into this country, not the one that was the original.

*Loss of unique cultural thoughts, rituals and traditions

*According to Koppelman, “melting meant giving up their ethnic identification, along with its history and traditions, to be accepted in America” and “described the process as a ‘melting away of subcultures [and] the preponderance of the dominant group over the others’” (2011, p. 169). They saw the truth through the theory, the reality was more Anglo conformity than to peacefully melt together and share cultures.