Final answer:
Assimilation is the process by which a minority individual or group adopts the characteristics of the dominant culture. In the United States, assimilation has been influenced by immigration.
Step-by-step explanation:
Assimilation describes the process by which a minority individual or group gives up its own identity by taking on the characteristics of the dominant culture. In the United States, which has a history of welcoming and absorbing immigrants from different lands, assimilation has been a function of immigration. Assimilation may lead to the loss of the minority group's cultural identity as they become absorbed into the dominant culture.