Which detail best develops the idea that european immigrants settling in america was like a melting pot? excerpt adapted from telling all americans’ stories: introduction to european heritage by national park service upon crossing america’s shores, european immigrants spread across the north american continent, altering its physical and cultural landscape along the way. these experiences are often told through the treasured european american narrative of the "melting pot"—where diverse groups traveled to a "new world," where they peopled a nation and forged a uniquely american identity. however, these immigrants arrived on a continent already populated by indigenous nations who possessed their own complex political, economic, and cultural systems. the ensuing encounters between these diverse groups serve as some of the foundational moments in american history. the 1604–1607 maps and documents by samuel de champlain are testimony to the interactions between french explorers and the native peoples living along the coast.