Discuss the emerging idea of "America." Reference
at least three of the authors from this section (see the table of contents in
Resources if you do not have a book, and search for similar excerpts). You may also discuss "Who Reads an
American Book? Calls for a National Literature" (Resources).
You may write about the "melting pot" concept, as
mentioned in the text, and discuss groups of people who are included or
excluded.
Have you heard of the "mosaic" or "salad
bowl" concepts? What do you think
of the "mosaic" or the "salad bowl" concepts, as compared
to the "melting pot" concept?
Whose voices are heard and which voices are ignored? What is the motivation?