Sixth Grade
Worksheets
America: A Melting Pot of Cultures
The United States is a country of immigrants. It is a place where people from all over the world come to build a better life. Some immigrants bring their families. Some bring a few of their favorite things. Others come alone with nothing but determination. One thing that every immigrant brings with them is their culture. A person's culture is the customs and beliefs that they hold. A person's culture is strongly tied to the country where they grew up. It is tied to their relationship with their family. Many people come to America from so many different places all over the world. For this reason, many people call America a "melting pot" of cultures.
The "melting pot" idea compares America to a giant soup pot. Each immigrant is an ingredient added to the pot. Each immigrant adds their own flavor. After each immigrant comes to America, they connect to other people. People learn about each others' culture. This is the beginning of the soup pot of America melting together.
American immigration began in 1607 with the colony of Jamestown. In 1620, another group of people left England to build a settlement in America. These people called themselves Pilgrims. They wanted to go to a place where they could practice their religion freely. They wanted to be free of the control of the English government. Both of these groups worked hard to build good settlements.
