America - A Cultural Melting Pot?

 Why/how is America known as a melting pot? Is it actually?

A lot of people have heard the saying that America is a cultural melting pot. This is because of the fact that each and every one of us can trace our roots from somewhere other than America. The United States are glorified as a diverse country where people of all backgrounds are accepted, but is this true? When you take a look at our history it is evident that minorities have had struggled whether it be differences in skin color, appearance, or even sexual orientation. The unfortunate truth is that almost immediately after the United Colonies became a country, America has welcomed only selected immigrants at selected times and under certain circumstances. If you were to look at our history, you would see a vast timeline of different Immigration Regulation. Whether it be limiting the flow of immigrants, or banning immigrants of certain countries (which many times were caused by other political agendas) - America has always been somewhat exclusive. In fact, dozens of laws were added regarding regulating immigration from 1790-1968 until finally an Act eliminated U.S. immigration discrimination based on race, place of birth, sex and residence.