Racial Diversity

Associate Program Material

Racial Diversity: Historical Worksheet

Answer the following questions in 100 to 250 words each. Provide citations for all the sources you use.

• Throughout most of U.S. history, in most locations, what race has been in the majority? What is the common ancestral background of most members of this group?

The United States consists of a very diverse population of people who originates from many backgrounds. There are six races that categorize the different races and ethnicities in this nation. People in this country are recognized as White, African American, American Indian and Alaska Native, Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander. Also people who are multi-racial of two or more background are referred as ‘some other race”. The majority of people living in the United States have come from Europeans countries. White people, also known as Caucasians have been the dominant race for most of the U.S. history.

• What are some of the larger racial minorities in U.S. history? What have been the common ancestral backgrounds of each of these groups? When did each become a significant or notable minority group?

The “Center for Disease Control and Prevention” (2013) website states Asian Americans, Hispanics or Latinos, and Black or African Americans are three examples of a racial or ethnic minority group in the United States. Asian Americans originated from the East, Southeast Asia and the Indian subcontinent and have a population of 18.2 million in the U.S. African Americans, the second largest racial minority group who are descendants of enslaved blacks, originated from Central and West Africa. They make up 12.8% of the U.S. population which is approximately 39 million people Hispanics and Latino Americans consist of an estimated 52 million population of Hispanic origin, making them the largest racial or ethnic minority group in the nation (“Center for Disease Control and Prevention”,...