If you need a list of facts which you can use in your next exploratory essay on minority communities in America consider the 10 below.
- Minority traits include distinguishing physical or cultural characteristics such as skin color or language; unequal treatment and less power; involuntary inclusion in a group; an awareness of subordination. This can be seen in the labor union organization of Cesar Chavez who co-founded the National Farm Workers Association, now the United Farm Workers. It can also be seen in the American Civil Rights Movement which was a massive undertaking that used many different groups to obtain voting rights, better education, and end segregation. There is also the example of the Women’s Suffrage Movement which spread out into the greater Women’s Rights movement that includes everything from anti-discrimination, birth control to social reform.
- A minority is a group whose members have significantly less power, control or authority over their lives (or some aspect of them) than other members of a larger or more dominant group. It is impossible to avoid having a minority of one kind or another. There is even a phrase that describes a “minority of one”. This means that the United States will always contain groups that qualify as minorities because they are significantly outnumbered by the larger population.
- Throughout the history of the country there have been many times when people have had to organize themselves into recognizable groups in order claim their political rights or to enjoy equal economic opportunities. These are groups that fall under several common headings or categories that include: Racial – in the United States the minority racial groups have included African Americans, Native Americans, and Asian Americans among many others. Ethnic – In the United States the minority ethnic groups have included Latinos and Hispanics as well as such groups as Jews who can also fall under the Religious heading too. Religious – The United States have seen religious minorities such as the Amish, Mormons, Muslims, and even Roman Catholics.
- One major demographic trend occurred in the U.S. as a result of immigration. The United States has always been a country of immigrants. Almost all Americans living in the U.S. today are descended from immigrants, including Native Americans who are believed to have originally immigrated from Asia to North America. The volume of immigration to America began increasing during the 1950s. An average of 800,000 immigrants were legally admitted to the U.S. each year between 1992 and 1999.
- It has been estimated that another quarter of a million immigrants entered the U.S. illegally during this same time period. Between 1880 and 1914 there had been a major wave of immigration to the United States, primarily from northern and western Europe. Approximately 1.2 million immigrants were admitted to the United States in 1914. Among the immigrants who made their way to the United States legally in the 1990s, about half came from Latin America while another 30% came from Asia. In the same way that previous waves of immigration had molded the ethnic makeup of the United States, recent patterns of immigration have also contributed to the ethnic composition of the country as well.
- American history demonstrates that, even though the founding documents ensured that human dignity and many significant freedoms were protected, there were certain groups which would have to fight for them. Generally, it has been the minorities which have had to create a social disruption such as protesting and marching, or through the creation of organized movements, as means of facilitating change.
- Minority communities function today as insular groups which are referred to by a key identifying figure. Their race. There are different races, although all American are identified as different to the Anglo-Saxon majority. This minority status brings with it problems for many groups including racism, discrimination, and a lack of equality in terms of social and economic opportunity. Chicanos, for example. While many originated from the same geographic location, when the United States defeated Mexico during the 1850’s, those individuals who remained north of the new borderline became a minority of Americans, forming the backbone of the Chicano minority community known today.
- Minority communities can be studied in the way that people, ideas, and even organizations move and interact between different minority communities throughout America including groups like African Americans, Asian Americans, and Mexican Americans often referred to as Chicanos. With Asian Americans, many came during the times of economic need, such as the high number of nurses brought over to America during the 1980’s and 1990’s from Asian countries to fill the economic demand. While they migrated to America for jobs, they remained inside of the Asian American minority community, not receiving equal treatment and being exposed to racism and discrimination.
- African American minority communities have formed since the time of slavery being abolished. With the new freedoms, these groups continued to face oppression and discrimination, especially in the south. As means of survival, minority communities gathered together. It is this minority bonding which led to the growth of many popular African American communities like Harlem. From mentioned communities, many cultural influences emerged, such as authors of great literature, jazz music and blues, as well as great plays and artwork.
- American minorities have been extremely active in fighting for their rights from the country’s earliest days, and several key figures tend to stand out in the period since the end of the Civil War. These individuals come from all minority groups we see today including African American minority communities, Chicano minority communities, and Asian American minority communities. Prominent leaders from each minority community have all had significant social, political, and economic impact based on their life’s work. Some have used lectures and speaking as their means of communicating, others have created large and powerful organizations to forward their cause, and still others have used many different approaches to create widespread and long-lasting results.
These facts should give a solid backbone for your exploratory essay on globalization and minority American communities. Be sure to also check our 20 subtopics and 1 sample essay on the subject as well as our instructions on academic essay writing one on your own.
References:
Almaguer, Tomas. Racial Fault Lines: The Historical Origins of White Supremacy in California.
Univ of California Press, 2008.
Behiels, Michael D. Canada’s Francophone Minority Communities. Montreal: McGill-Queen’s University Press, 2004. Print.
Cheng, Wendy. The Changs Next Door to the Diazes: Remapping Race in Suburban California. 2013.
Gupta, Nilanjana, Sipra Mukherjee, and Himadri Banerjee. Calcutta Mosaic. London: Anthem Press, 2009. Print.
Hira, S. “Questions and Answers about Reparations for Colonialism.” (20).
Jones-Brown, Delores D, and Karen J Terry. Policing And Minority Communities. Upper Saddle River, N.J.: Pearson/Prentice Hall, 2004. Print.
Steger, Manfred B. Globalization. Print.