Essay on Diversity: United States and u. s. History

Submitted By jsanchezj
Words: 606
Pages: 3

Answer the following questions in 100 to 250 words each. Provide citations for all the sources you use.

• Throughout most of U.S. history, in most locations, what race has been in the majority? What is the common ancestral background of most members of this group?
While the Unites States is a very diverse country that consist of many races such as Whites, American Indians, Asians and African Americans. However, there is one race that is considerably the most common race throughout most locations of the United States. According to the 2010 U.S. Census White Americans are the racial majority with a 72% share of the U.S. Throughout history they have been considered to be a race of authority especially when slavery took place. The common ancestors of White people are of the European decent. Many White people are decedents of European immigrants, who arrived to the United States over the past decades.

• What are some of the larger racial minorities in U.S. history? What have been the common ancestral backgrounds of each of these groups? When did each become a significant or notable minority group?
Some of the larger racial minorities in U.S. history are African Americans, Asians and Hispanics. Many ancestors of Hispanics or Latinos come from Cuba, Mexico, Puerto Rico, Central or South American. Some African Americans have been in the United States for generations, while others are decedents of immigrants from Africa, Caribbean, or the West Indies. The common ancestral backgrounds of Asians come from China, Japan, India, Pakistan, the Philippine Islands, Thailand and Vietnam. African Americans and Hispanics became a significant minority group in the 1800s, while Asians became a minority group in the 1960s. The people of these minority group have faced many struggles to get to the United States and have also overcame many challenges to get to the U.S and while in the U.S. More than often, these groups have faced discrimination, stereotyping and prejudice.

• In what ways have laws been used to enforce discrimination? Provide examples. These laws were intended against which racial minorities?
There have been laws that have enforced discriminations through the history of the United States. For instance, Jim Crow prevented Blacks from voting, while people of minority groups were not allow to attend the same schools as White people. Another example, is affirmative action in the court