Universidad Nacional Autónoma de Honduras
Facultad de Humanidades y Artes
Carrera de Lenguas Extranjeras
RACE AND ETHNICITY IN THE UNITED
STATES
CLASS: Culture and Civilization
TEACHER: M.A Lizzy Sierra Eguigure
STUDENTS:
Dina Elizabeth Moncada Martínez
Esly Yonary
Martha Lagos
Tegucigalpa, M.D.C., April5 , 2017
th
SUMMARY
The United States is a diverse country, racially and ethnically and since the beginning it
has been a multiethnic and multicultural society. Before European explores arrived to
America, native American history had begun. Currently there are six races officially
recognized in the United States, they are: White American, American Indian and Alaska
native, Asian, Black or African American, Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander. Also
there is a race which is not recognized and not official by The United State census, it is
called “some other race”, which refers to people who have two or more races. Besides
those races, The United States Census Bureau classifies Americans as "Hispanic or
Latino" and "Not Hispanic or Latino", which identifies Hispanic and Latino Americans as a
racially diverse ethnicity and not as a race.
INTRODUCTION
Through this investigation you can know the difference between race and ethnicity as a
general definition. Also you will find a brief explanation about how the United States
emerged as a multiethnic and multicultural country. And you will know the different races
and ethnicities that exist there.
The United States is a big, beautiful and developed country, in which many people around
the world dream to travel or live there. It is one of the countries with the most racial
diversity in the world. For this reason you will see people who have more than two races
and they do not look like a common White Native American (blond hair, blue eyes, tall and
white skin).
OBJECTIVES
Explain the difference between race and ethnicity.
Give a brief explanation about how the United States emerged.
Explain the origins and characteristics of each of the races and ethnicity in the
United States.
Race and Ethnicity in the United States
What is Race and Ethnicity?
Race refers to groups of people who have differences and similarities in biological traits
deemed by society to be socially significant, meaning that people treat other people
differently because of them. For instance, while differences and similarities in eye color
have not been treated as socially significant, differences and similarities in skin color have.
Ethnicity refers to shared cultural practices, perspectives, and distinctions that set apart
one group of people from another. That is, ethnicity is a shared cultural heritage. The most
common characteristics distinguishing various ethnic groups are ancestry, a sense of
history, language, religion, and forms of dress. Ethnic differences are not inherited; they
are learned.
The United States’ Emergence
A new nation was created in 1776, this nation is The United States of America. It
was formed by immigrants. By 1790 the nation began to take shape, the population
was about four million people. In the same year was made the first census in which
more than three million were white people and they were the majority and made
their culture the dominant culture. Almost one million were Native Americans
(Amerindians), around 800,000 were African-Americans (Slaves and Free
Negroes).
American culture was determined by white middle-class people, who came mainly
from Britain and were protestant. The immigrants that shared those characteristics
with them were welcome and the immigrants who were different in religion, culture
and language, those immigrants were seen as a threat to American culture and
values.
The situation of immigrants began to change during the years 1850-1900. Political
bosses helped them to obtain jobs, education and house in exchange of their votes
on the elections. But not all ethnic groups were lucky, for African American things
were much more difficult because they had to fight to abolish the slavery.
Eventually, the union (Northern sates) won the war. Then, the president Abraham
Lincoln abolished slavery.
Race in the United States
