Which is the largest minority group in the U.S.?

1. Which is the largest minority group in the U.S.? African Americans, Hispanics, Asians Americans, Native American Indians, White Ethnics

2. Hispanic Diversity • Mexican • Central and South American • Cuban • Puerto Rican • Dominican

3. Hispanics • Political Power / Over 5,000 elected and appointed offices. • California, New York, Texas, Illinois, Florida, New Mexico and Arizona most populated states. • Lag behind in education and employment. • Most speak Spanish and are catholic.

4. African Americans • Over 38 million for many years the largest minority group. Now second to Hispanics but not by much. • First brought to the country as slaves. • Civil Rights Movement of the 1960’s brought significant gains. • Lag behind in education and employment. • Higher poverty rates.

5. Asian Americans Main groups Southeast Asian Groups Vietnamese Cambodian Laos Thailand • Chinese • Filipino • Indian (India) • Korean • Japanese

6. Asian Americans • Discrimination / Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 • Japanese placed in interment camps during WWII. • High achievement in education. • Considered the “model minority”. • Southeastern Asian groups who arrived in the 1980’ and 1990’s face language barriers and tend to occupy low paying jobs.

7. American Indians • Estimates range in the millions before the Europeans arrived. About 2.5 million today. • Over two hundred tribes throughout the U.S. • Live on reservations. 50% unemployment. • 35% live below the poverty line. • High alcohol and suicide rates. • Higher dropout rates. • Government forced assimilation.

8. American Indians cont. • Gained citizenship in 1924. • National Museum of American Indian History part of the Smithsonian Institute in Washington D.C. • Business development of casinos and small manufacturing on some reservations. • Arts and culture have influenced American Culture.

9. White Ethnics White Ethnics Other Ethnics Bosnians Croatians Serbs Jewish Arabs Middle East • Irish • Italy • France • Poland • Greece

10. White Ethnics • Faced discrimination at the hands of Protestant born majority. • Most came with little money and few skills. • Spoke little or no English. • Catholic Religion. • Held low paying jobs. • Many were able to assimilate rapidly into American mainstream society. • Recent immigrants still experience some discrimination.

11. Assimilation vs. Cultural Pluralism Assimilation Cultural Pluralism Allows for each group within society to keep its unique cultural identity. Switzerland provides an example of cultural pluralism. French, German and Italian are the three official languages. These groups live together, no dominant group. • Blending of culturally distinct groups into a single group with a common culture and identity. • At one time the United States hoped that the various groups here could blend into one common culture . • “Melting pot” American society.

12. Visualization • On a piece of construction paper draw an aspect of any ethnic or minority group that represents their pride or uniqueness. Include some saying in your picture.