Spring 2022 Final Essay: Melting Pot or Salad Bowl?
Overview
In this course, you have learned about many groups that migrated to Newark throughout its history. We have frequently discussed two different ways of looking at the city’s relationship to its diverse population: the “Melting Pot,” and the “Salad Bowl.” The “Melting Pot” theory argues that living in the city led various groups to blend cultures and assimilate into American society. The “Salad Bowl” theory argues that migrant groups maintained their cultural identities and did not blend with other groups or assimilate into American society. With this in mind, your essay should answer the following question:
Which theory best describes the experiences of migrant groups in Newark’s history, “Melting Pot,” or “Salad Bowl”?
To answer this question, you will need to discuss the experiences of the various groups that have moved to Newark, including 19th-century European immigrants and 20th-century African American migrants. You should focus on two or three examples from Newark’s past that best support your argument. You might choose the 1854 riot, the Sabbath controversy, 1967 Rebellion if you are arguing in favor of the “Salad Bowl” or the Civil War, the Progressive Era, or the election of Ken Gibson as examples in favor of the “Melting Pot.”