Section 6 Modern-day Sir Thomas More

[Eva Song Yihua]

Here are some basic introduction about Race and ethnicity in the United States

The United States has a racially and ethnically diverse population.[1] The census officially recognizes six ethnic and racial categories: White American, Black or African American, Native American and Alaska Native, Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander, and people of two or more races; a race called "Some other race" is also used in the census and other surveys, but is not official.[2][3][4] The United States Census Bureau also classifies Americans as "Hispanic or Latino" and "Not Hispanic or Latino", which identifies Hispanic and Latino Americans as a racially diverse ethnicity that composes the largest minority group in the nation.[2][3][5]

White Americans are the racial majority, with a 77.7% share of the U.S. population. African Americans are the largest racial minority, amounting to 13.2% of the population. Hispanic and Latino Americans amount to 17.1% of the population, making up the largest ethnic minority. The White, non-Hispanic or Latino population make up 62.6% of the nation's total.[6]

White Americans are the majority in every region,[4] but contribute the highest proportion of the population in the Midwestern United States, at 85% per the Population Estimates Program (PEP),[4] or 83% per the American Community Survey (ACS).[7][verification needed] Non-Hispanic Whites make up 79% of the Midwest's population, the highest ratio of any region.[5] However, 35% of White Americans (whether all White Americans or non-Hispanic/Latino only) live in the South, the most of any region.[4][5]

55% of the African American population live in the South.[4] A plurality or majority of the other official groups reside in the West. This region is home to 42% of Hispanic and Latino Americans, 46% of Asian Americans, 48% of American Indians and Alaska Natives, 68% of Native Hawaiians and Other Pacific Islanders, 37% of the "two or more races" population (Multiracial Americans), and 46% of those designated "some other race"

[Eva Song Yihua]

Problems--How did they start? What and who (people and other systems) will be affected?
Rough Draft--Peer Feedback--Final Draft

[Hilary_Liu]

Why there are many different races in U.S. ?

[CHSTEphanie]

I also have the similar problems with Eva
Is there any stereotype among Americans? What are some examples of it??

[Hilary_Liu]

What caused the stereotype in U.S. ?

[xenaprince_]

Gun shooting is one of my concerned. I heard there used to be shooter that stick around university and school which is really dangerous for them.

[Admin]

Different races in the USA:
The United States has been racially diverse from the very start: the founders of what we know as America were European settlers, who displaced the people Native American tribes to start their own nation. The slave trade of the 1600s was another factor that introduced other races (mostly African and Caribbean) to America. Unfortunately, the earliest history of racial diversity in America is a history of exploitation and violence committed by white European settlers.

Since then, patterns of immigration have developed in various parts of the country. In the early 1900s, nearly a million people immigrated to America, especially around New York City, from European countries. They were seeking a better life, better jobs or the ability to start their own business, and in some cases (for example, Jewish people from Poland, Germany, etc) they were fleeing racial persecution. You can still see the effects of this migration-wave today: when one family immigrated, others followed, and established neighborhoods that maintained the traditions and customs of their native land (for example, "Little Italy" in New York, "Chinatown" in San Francisco).

Immigration still continues today. One of the largest demographics is the Hispanic population (people from Mexico, Cuba, Puerto Rico, etc) in the American south. The immigration policy has changed drastically from prior times, and today, it is very hard to immigrate to America - especially if you are from an economically disadvantaged (poor or 'developing') nation. Thousands of people still attempt to sneak across the border each year. Some succeed, while others are caught and deported - sometimes imprisoned and abused by American police and immigration guards in the process.

Stereotypes in the USA mostly center around race, gender, and class. Often these intersect. For example, a stereotype of the African-American is someone who is poor, lives in a crowded urban ghetto, listens to hip-hop music, and does violent or criminal activities (drug dealing, robbery, etc). Women are still valued primarily for their worth as visual objects (for being "pretty"), whereas men are expected to be athletic or smart. People from the southern states (Texas, Georgia, Kentucky, Alabama....) are stereotyped as uneducated, backwards, and slow; people from California are stereotyped as glamorous, cool, and carefree. The "yuppie" (young urban businessman or woman) is someone who lives in a major city, has a good white-collar job, and has fashionable consumer habits. The "hick" lives in a small town, does not dress fashionably or have fashionable hobbies, and has a low level of education. Young people who participate in the counter-culture stereotype those in mainstream culture as ignorant and aggressive; the mainstream culture stereotypes the counter-culture as misguided, decadent or a threat to mainstream values.

The causes of stereotypes are as varied as the cultural groups that form them. Stereotypes emerge from generalizations. They draw divisions and classify people based on what an outsider can see or imagine. Usually stereotyping seeks to glorify one group at the expense of another. It valorizes and legitimizes the behaviours and values of the powerful group, and dehumanizes the values and behaviours of those who are stereotyped. When people are seen as types, not individuals, it makes it easier to exploit or abuse them to reinforce existing power-structures.

[Admin]

Comment from Ian ^_~

Eva, you have some great information about different races in US, but are there any history events that cause so many races in US today?

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