Race and ethnicity  (Page 13/22)

For many nonwhite minorities in America there has been denial of political citizenship through denial of suffrage, denial of economic citizenship through de jure and de facto discrimination that prevented competition for jobs and small business loans, denial of social citizenship through de jure and de facto residential segregation and educational segregation, denial of human citizenship through racist public policies.

There has often been the assumption that America is the land of opportunity for everyone, and indeed it can be, however, there are those who also make the assumption that America is a melting pot in which immigrants either do or should assimilate quickly and readily. If assimilation is the process by which a racial or ethnic minority loses its distinctive identity and lifeways and conforms to the cultural patterns of the dominant group then submerging one’s self into the melting pot of American society means trying to be as white as possible. The dominant culture in America is white even though it has many aspects of great diversity and even though it has taken many elements from many other cultures and incorporated them into its culture, it has in most cases stamped diversity with the imprimatur of white acceptance. While America is a melting pot for white ethnics, for people of color it has become a kind of tossed salad or lumpy stew where all share the same seasoning, (the sociocultural structure), while each still retains its separate identity. This societal pattern is called pluralism—cooperation among racial and ethnic groups in areas deemed essential to their well being (e.g. the economy the national political arena), while retaining their distinctive identities and lifestyles. In pluralistic societies, citizens share what they can and maintain what they can. With the notable exception of Switzerland with its four distinct ethnic/language groups, most pluralistic societies have destroyed themselves with bloody ethnic strife. Ibid. Whether America can balance the melting pot with semi-pluralism is yet to be seen. The great experiment that is America may be the only nation on earth where the possibility of unity through diversity may actually come to fruition.

For more information about immigration, please visit the following websites: United States Citizenship and Immigration Services ; History of Migration and Immigration Laws in the United States from ACLAnet ; A History of Immigration Law Regarding People of Color by Diana Vellos ; United States Citizenship and Immigration Services: Laws ; An Immigration Law Timeline and Links

Racial/ethnic discrimination in america 1776-1998

1776— Sally Hemings —was the slave and mistress of Thomas Jefferson. DNA evidence indicates that most of Hemings’s children were sired by Jefferson; however, the white descendents of Jefferson dispute this. On February 28, 2010, the New York Times ran several articles about this issue.

1845— Native American Party —An anti-immigration group held convention in Philadelphia; attempted to stop immigration to U.S.