Race and Ethnicity in America: A Concise History

Race and Ethnicity in America: A Concise History

Featuring essays by leading historians, including Carol Berkin, Andrew Heinze, Earl Lewis, and Mai M. Ngai, Race and Ethnicity in America is a timely introduction to the interrelated themes of race, ethnicity, and immigration in American history and a first-stop resource for students and others exploring the historical roots of today's identity politics. Spanning from 1600 to 2000 and covering everything from the Trail of Tears to the Black Power movement, the book is comprehensive both chronologically and in terms of ethnic groups addressed: It examines not only the history of black-white relations in America, but also the experiences of Irish Catholics, Native Americans, Latinos, Jews, and many others. Topics covered include anti-Catholicism and nativism, slavery and abolitionism, Indian removal, assimilation and scientific racism, the National Origins Act, the civil rights movement, and contemporary debates over affirmative action and bilingualism. "Although these essays are presented in chronological order, starting with the early colonists' first encounters with Native Americans and proceeding to the increasingly multicultural America of today, there are many recurring themes and much overlap as to who, what, and how America came to be... This compelling work reflects the fluidity and complexity of American race identity." ― Booklist "This book represents an outstanding departure from the old formula as it systematically places ethnic and racial diversity at the center of the North American experience, from first contacts between Europeans and indigenous Native American peoples right up to the present.... This important contribution to ethnic studies is eminently useful. Essential [for] all public and academic levels and libraries." ― Choice "The detailed bibliographic guides and historiographical reviews that each author provides, probably alone justify buying this work. If offers enough to reward new readers to the field, and some refreshing approaches for those more familiar." -- Andrew Fearnley ― Journal of American Studies "This concise and helpful volume...is able to hold a torch for us, turning a shadow-behind into a light-ahead, and is thus able to serve our life now and here in this increasingly multicultural era." -- Chung-Hsiung Lai ― American Studies "The essays in Race and Ethnicity in America provide more than a "concise history"; they provide a fine one." -- Cheryl Greenberg, Trinity College, Hartford ― Journal of American Ethnic History Ronald H. Bayor is professor of history in the School of History, Technology, and Society at the Georgia Institute of Technology's Ivan Allen College of Liberal Arts. He is the founder and current editor of the Journal of American Ethnic History and the author of the award-winning Race and the Shaping of Twentieth-Century Atlanta.