Is the United States a “melting pot” or a

“salad bowl”?

Assimilation or Integration?

Fill him in with American, traits, values, ideas, and culture…

Melting PotThe melting pot is an analogy for

the way in which homogeneous societies develop, in which the ingredients in the pot (people of different cultures, races and religions) are combined so as to develop a multi-ethnic society.

J. Hector St. John de Crevecouer (1782) – “Letters from an American Farmer”“leaving behind him all his ancient

prejudices and manners, receives new ones from the new mode of life he has embraced, the government he obeys, and the new rank he holds. He becomes an American by being received in the broad lap of our great Alma Mater. Here 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."

Cultural Assimilationwhen an individual or individuals

adopts aspects of the characteristics of a dominant culture (such as its religion, language, manners etc.). It sometimes is the result of cultural imperialism or forced assimilation but it can be and often is voluntary.

Three Models of Assimilation1. “Straight-line” or Convergence

Model2. Racial/Ethnic Disadvantage Model3. Segmented Assimilation Model

“Straight-line” or Convergence ModelThis theory sees immigrants becoming

more similar over time in norms, values, behaviors, and characteristics. This theory also expects those immigrants residing the longest in the host population, as well as the members of later generations, to show greater similarities with the majority group than immigrants who have spent less time in the host society.

Racial/Ethnic Disadvantage ModelThe second, racial/ethnic

disadvantage model states that immigrant's chances to assimilate are "blocked". An example of this model would be discrimination and institutional barriers to employment and other opportunities.

Segmented Assimilation ModelThe third, the segmented assimilation

model theorizes that structural barriers, such as poor urban schools, cut off access to employment and other opportunities — obstacles that often are particularly severe in the case of the most disadvantaged members of immigrant groups, and such impediments can lead to stagnant or downward mobility, even as the children of other immigrants follow divergent paths toward classic straight-line assimilation.

Four Ways to Measure Assimilation1. Socioeconomic Status2. Spatial Concentration3. Language Attainment4. Intermarriage

Socioeconomic Statusis defined by educational attainment,

occupation, and income. By measuring socioeconomic status researchers want to find out if immigrants eventually catch up to native-born people in terms of human capital characteristics.

Spatial Concentrationis defined by geography or residential

patterns. The spatial residential model states that increasing socioeconomic attainment, longer residence in the U.S, and higher generational status lead to decreasing residential concentration for a particular ethnic group.

Language Attainmentis defined as the ability to speak

English and the loss of the individual's mother tongue.The three-generation model of language assimilation states that the first generation makes some progress in language assimilation but remains dominant in their native tongue, the second generation is bilingual, and the third-generation only speaks English

Intermarriageis defined by race or ethnicity and

occasionally by generation. High rates of intermarriage are considered to be an indication of social integration because it reveals intimate and profound relations between people of different groups, intermarriage reduces the ability of

Melting Pot or Salad Bowl

Are we melting into one?

Or are we still separate? Integrate?

E Pluribus Unum

“From Many, One”