Race And Ethnicity In America Essay

Words: 659
Pages: 3

Race is what individuals use to identify others by their physical appearance. While an ethnic group is a collection of people categorized by their beliefs or nationality. (Kendall 261) Races and ethnic groups can be classified as a dominant or a subordinate group. A dominant group is the racial or ethnic group that has most power or resources, an example of this in America is the white people with Northern European origins. Subordinate groups are comprised of people with specific physical or cultural characteristics that are deprived or discriminated against by the dominant group. For example, African Americans are considered to be subordinate especially when they have a lower income.(Kendall 263) If someone is prejudice then they have a negative attitude towards people of a specific group,race, or ethnicity based on false generalizations. A stereotype is when you categorize someone due to their appearance, …show more content…
Whereas White Anglo-Saxon Protestants,(who are the main reason that the native population was reduced from two-million to 240,000 by 1900) are the most privileged group.(Kendall 276-278) African Americans were forced to come to America to work in fields as slaves. Once slavery was abolished they still faced heavy discrimination, inequality, and segregation. (Kendall 279-282) The first Asians to come to America were the Chinese and Japanese. Asian Americans are the fastest growing minority group in America. (Kendall 283) Hispanic Americans are generally subjected to lower income jobs and anti-immigration cruelties.(Kendall 292) Middle-Eastern Americans flow well into mainstream American society, but they often face hardship because Middle-Eastern people are often thought to be tied to terrorism. The general consensus ties them to it because of their “looks” and the way they talk rather than what the Middle-Eastern people believe.(Kendall