Multiculturalism is a political or social philosophy that promotes cultural diversity. It is supported by many educators in the United States. These educators favor the teaching of different cultures for the purpose of understanding and appreciating them. Such teaching is called multicultural education.

Supporters of multicultural education claim U.S. schools have paid too little attention to the contributions of women, non-Europeans, and people of Hispanic ancestry. These supporters feel that social conflict would be reduced in the United States if Americans were better able to understand and appreciate the nation's diverse cultures and peoples.

Multiculturalism grew out of a reaction against the idea of the melting pot, a traditional way of understanding America's identity. According to this idea, U.S. society was like a boiling pot into which all immigrants were thrown. As immigrants "melted" into the mix, they lost their previous cultural or ethnic identities and became "true" Americans. The melting pot idea became popular in the late 1800's and early 1900's. And many immigrants or their descendants did adopt a general American culture. However, some people began to challenge the melting pot idea in the 1950's and 1960's. By the 1970's, some began to prefer the image of a salad bowl instead. In the salad bowl model, different cultural or ethnic groups were thought of as being "tossed" together in such a way that each kept its unique identity. Numerous multiculturalists have preferred the salad bowl concept, and many members of minority groups have worked to preserve the distinct culture of their group.

Excerpt from the "Multiculturalism" article , The World Book Encyclopedia © 1999