The Melting Pot

I think that for us to sit and consider whether or not our ethic or religious background conflicts with out "Americanness" is very different than Du Bois doing the same. While in my own experience being a "white catholic girl" poses no real conflict with my American nationality. In Du Bois instance, writing in the early 1900s, where black people simply didn't have the same rights as white people and weren't afforded the same rights untill the middle of the century, I can see what he means by "his two-ness." Because of the racism and extreme segregation felt by this group at this time (not that it has totally ended in the present time) I can understand how Du Bois felt that it being black and being an American weren't combinable.
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In reflection to the previous post, I can relate to that experience. All my life I have considered myself an Italian-American. Ya so I was born in America, but my grandparents moved here from Italy and that is just always something I have always held with me. But when I was in Italy for four months this identity that I had was lost, because I wasn't italian-american, I was just American. So I think that in America it is much easier to combine different identities.
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And in response to the immigrant question, NO WAY. Honestly it isn't like myself, two generations later have "given up" everything that might define me as Italian. I think that the melting pot analogy, is great, I mean all different peoples coming together. To all live in one place. And all that sort of idealistic talk, but what kind of country would this be if we were all just the same. The great (or supposed great) thing about this country is people can come from all over and retain their heritage and get along. If everyone just gave up their ethnic background this would totally kill any cultural diversity that Du Bois was striving for.