AlookatthehistoryoftheUnitedStatesindicatesthatthiscountryhasoftenbeencalled"ameltingpot",wherevariousimmigrantandethnicgroupshavelearnedtoworktogethertobuildauniquenation.Eventhose"original"Americans,theIndians,probablywalkedalandbridgefromAsiatoNorthAmericasomethousandsofyearsago.So,whoaretherealAmericans?Theansweristhatanyandallofthemare!Andyou,nomatterwhereyoucomefrom,couldalsobecomeanAmericanshouldyouwantto.ThenyouwouldbecomeanotheradditiontoAmerica'swonderfullyrich"nationofimmigrants". 　　TheUnitedStatesiscurrentlyshiftingfrombeinganationofimmigrantsofmainlyEuropeandescenttooneofimmigrantsfromotherpartsoftheworld,suchasAsiaandLatinAmerica.Thenumberofrecentimmigrantshasskyrocketed.TheydesiretoescapeeconomichardshipandpoliticaloppressionintheirnativecountriesaswellasthedesiretoseekabettereducationandamoreprosperouslifeinAmerica,"thelandofopportunity".Althoughtherearefrequentconflictsbetweentheculturestheyhavebroughtwiththemfromthe"oldcountry"andthosefoundinAmerica,mostimmigrantslearntoadjusttoandlovetheiradoptedland. 　　Americanshavealsolearnedmuchfromthecustomsandideasoftheimmigrantsandareofteninfluencedbytheminsubtleandinterestingways.Immigrantsbringtheirnativecultural,political,andsocialpatternsandattitudes,variedacademicandreligiousbackgrounds,aswellastheirethnicarts,sports,holidays,festivals,andfoods.TheyhavegreatlyenrichedAmericanlife. 　　Forimmigrantsfromallpartsofthewould,theUnitedStateshasbeena"meltingpot"inwhichtheforeignershavesometimesremainedculturallyandlinguisticallywhattheywereintheirnativelandsevenastheymovetowardbecomingcitizensoftheUnitedStates,acountrywhosepeopleshareacommonculturaloutlookandsetofvalues.Themeltingpotdoesnotmeltawayallrecollectionsofanotherwayoflifeinanotherplace----norshouldit.Onthecontrary,immigrantsshouldmaintainthelanguages,skills,religions,customsandartsoftheirownheritage,evenwhiletheyareworkingtowardsenteringthemainstreamofAmericanculture.