The United States, it is often said, is one of the most   ethnically diverse countries in the world. But what, precisely, do we mean   when we speak of "ethnic" groups or "ethnicity"?  What is the distinction,   for example, between "race" and "ethnicity"? How do various groups meld   with the rest of American society? Should we think in terms of   assimilation, integration, pluralism, or some other relationship between   ethnic groups and the mainstream? It is these and many other questions that   Jason J. McDonald tackles in this timely and insightful book.    Chapters explore a range of topics, including how different ethnic   groups arrived in the United States--whether through violence and coercion   or willing immigration; the peculiar identification of Native Americans as   "ethnic," despite the fact that they are indigenous to the land; whether   the American public's attitudes toward and treatment of difference has been   consistent with the nation's professed egalitarian ideals; and how factors   such as language, religion, class, gender, and intermarriage play in either   strengthening or weakening ethnic identity and group solidarity.    An engaging and critical look at a term that remains stubbornly   ambiguous in both scholarly discussion and the vernacular, this book makes   an important contribution to the ongoing debates about "difference" in   American society.

American Ethnic History: Themes and Perspectives PDF

The list of books you might like