Ethnic America: A History Chapter Summary & Analysis - Chapter I, The American Mosaic Summary

Chapter I, The American Mosaic Summary and Analysis

The United States, it is well-known, is a nation of immigrants. The American people come from every culture, religion and ethnicity and speak the languages of the world. As a result of the diversity of ethnicity in American, there is no standard "minority" model, nor are the ethnic groups here mere colonies of their original counterparts elsewhere. These groups cannot even be properly called minorities, as there is no true majority. The British are the largest ethnic sub-group in the United States, only 15 percent of the US population, Germans come in second at 13 percent and blacks at 11 percent.

Unity and diversity remain in tension today as they have always been. No two groups are alike, in culture, geography, age, income, occupation, and so on. Explaining these differences is difficult. Most people of color earn less than whites, but black ethnic groups like West Indians earn more than...
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