And probably true. Only it falls apart (except for certain instances) as you move West. Sure, there were pockets of ethnic and nationalistic influence -- Bishop Hill, Illinois for instance -- but they quickly became "assimulated" into the dominant, eclectic, culture. This can be shown by the words those in US used in the past and still use today: Okay, calaboose, lariat, dally, sauerkraut, rendevous, cache, to name but a very, very few. Simply looking at the local phone book demonstrates the ethnic and national diversity of this small city, with names like Schmidt (German), Martinez (Mexican), Smith (English), Jones (Welsh), Flowers (originally French), Homan (I don't know), Kasilimetes (Greek), Suenaga (Japanese), Gabiola (Basque) and many, many more. And that doesn't even begin to touch on the Indians who were already here!

The United States is not so much a melting pot as it is a stew, with each ingredient enhancing the other ingredients.