Race and Intercultural Relations in the United States Essay -- Racism

We dont have got problems understanding ourselves. We have problems understanding our interactions with others. See yourself as another sees you and you will begin to understand their viewpoint Preface The growing of a culture in the United States has been a winding pathway of interactions between differing, oftentimes opposing cultures and laundrys from the first footfalls of Europeans upon the American continents shores. Each group of settlers and immigrants have brought their own unique perspectives and underlying set to the table. Many of these perspectives have been incorporated into the mainstream way of life, many others however, have been ignore and discarded as either foreign or outright dangerous. The patterns that have emerged from this interaction of cultures and peoples define who we are today as Americans, not a homogenous amalgam of those who came before us, but an inter-connected group of varied cultures vivification within the same system of democ racy. Whether for good or bad, our collective interaction has defined our reference set of values and norms in our interpersonal and pagan development. The patterns that define the macroculture of the United States are deeply rooted in the worldwide strife and politics of Europe, Africa, and Asia prior to the colonization of North America. The developing European empires and their social, cultural, commercial and religious differences set the stage for intercultural interaction and development for the beside 400 years in North America. These groups religious bigotrys (Protestant vs. Catholic vs. Islamic), social inequalities (noble vs. peasant), and outright greed all unite to contribute to and define our unique American experience... ...ities and privileges to all members of society, regardless of class, race or religious belief. It is the hope that all people can depart the American dream of equality and prosperity. References 1) Deconde, Rappaport & Steckel. (197 3). Patterns in American History, (3rd edition), Volumes I & II. Wadsworth issue Co., Belmont, CA. 2) E.D. Hirsch, Jr. (1987). Cultural Literacy. Houghton Mifflin Co., Boston, MA. 3) Margaret Connell Szasz. (1988). Indian Education in the American Colonies, 1607-1783. University of newly Mexico Press, Albuquerque, NM. 4) J. R. Pole. (1993). The Pursuit of Equality in American History, revised edition. University of California Press, Berkeley and Los Angeles, CA. 5) Gorton Carruth. (1993). The encyclopedia of American Facts and Dates, (ninth edition). Harper Collins Publishers, New York, NY.