What Makes America

            When I think of America I think of the greatest country in the world. America has such a huge mix of people and places. Although the United States IS the finest country that does not mean there are no problems with it. As Americans we have done many wrong and questionable acts, such as taking the land from the Native Americans. As Bobcat Goldthwaite once said, "America's one of the finest countries anyone ever stole." Though we did steal it in a way, if we had not stolen it, it would never be what it is today. Some people don't think we did anything wrong, such as John Wayne when he said, "I don't feel we did anything wrong in taking this great country away from them. There were great numbers of people who needed new land, and the Indians were selfishly trying to keep it for themselves." However I do not agree with John's words. .
             Wherever I look I see so many different types of people, which what makes our country unique. I have heard a lot about diversity and agree that our country is like a melting pot. There are so many kinds of people mixed together in this one country, but I agree more with Carl N. Degler when he said, "The metaphor of the melting pot is unfortunate and misleading. A more accurate analogy would be a salad bowl, for, though the salad is an entity, the lettuce can still be distinguished from the chicory, the tomatoes from the cabbage." All together we are a marvelous country but on our own we each are still different distinguished people. .
             America has overcome many hardships and yet blossomed in so many ways. Walt Whitman put it best when he said: "The Americas of all nations at any time upon the earth, have probably the fullest poetical nature. The United States themselves are essentially the greatest poem." There are so many emotions and occurrences in the United States that's a never-ending poem. There are millions of acts of happiness, anger, beauty, hate, helping, and so much more, that is like a million poems put together to make one huge mix of feelings and emotions.