America the Multinational Society Ishmael Reed

Ishmael Reed discusses and expands on the concept of the American "melting pot" in his essay "America: The Multinational Society." Citing Yale Professor Robert Thompson, Reed celebrates modern American culture as being a "cultural bouillabaisse" consisting of a rich melange of people from all parts of the world. One of Reed's main points is that historians tend to overemphasize the influence of Western European influences on American culture. The author states that the historical and modern impact of non-European cultures on America is dismissed in popular culture as well. According to Reed, the entire world is condensed into the borders of the United States, from Africa to South America to Asia. The United States is not simply a story of Puritan idealism. Therefore, Reed suggests that all Americans should re-envision the nation not as the pinnacle of "Western Civilization," but as a culmination of all the cultures of the world.

Based on his personal experiences and observations, Reed congratulates the obvious displays of American multinationalism. For example, in his opening paragraph he refers to Detroit's Muslim and Hispanic populations. Reed also mentions bilingual public announcements in Texas and African art on display at a McDonalds as examples of why the United States is a "cultural bouillabaisse."

Reed uses these examples to emphasize the influences of non-European cultures on several aspects of American society. For example, the author notes that Benjamin Franklin, hailed as a founding father of the United States, was influenced by Iroquois political systems, not just by European systems. According to Reed, African, Asian, and Native American societies influenced the evolution of American culture as much as the Europeans did and notes that it is a mistake to discount this fact.