1. According to Takaki’s analysis of history, America:
a. only recently became multicultural.
b. has always been multicultural.
c. has been influenced by only the European settlers.
d. has maintained a homogeneous populace.
ANS: B
2. According to Takaki, the cab driver he spoke with expressed a widely shared sense of history
that views American as:
a. European in its ancestry.
b. inclusive of all racial and ethnic groups.
c. all United States citizens.
d. a mixture of people who immigrated from all over the world
ANS: A
3. In Takaki’s “A Different Mirror,” the Rodney King beating illustrates:
a. the conflict between the haves and have-nots in society.
b. the role of media in society.
c. America’s intensifying racial crisis.
d. the need for reform of the criminal justice system.
ANS: C
4. Takaki points out that slavery and the Civil Rights Movement serve as:
a. scars on America’s past.
b. reminders of America’s goal of freedom.
c. evidence of hardship and suffering among Americans.
d. evidence of American’s conformity to social norms.
ANS: B
5. According to Takaki, the immigration experience of the Chinese:
a. set a precedent for the restriction of European immigrant groups.
b. reflects the openness of America’s doors to immigrant groups.
c. differed from the immigrant experience among European immigrants.
d. was an isolated example of exclusion.
ANS: A
6. According to Takaki, the Chicano experience is unique in that:
a. Chicanos have settled predominantly in the North.
b. most all Chicanos are initially illegal immigrants.
c. their presence in the United States is the result of colonization and immigration.
d. Chinese Americans quickly became elites.
ANS: C
7. Takaki points out that the Irish were denied acceptance by dominant society because of their:
a. political activity.
b. whiteness.
c. religion.
d. late arrival
ANS: C
8. Takaki examines how the Jewish immigrant’s view of America as a promised land led to:
a. their participation in the fight for equal rights for other oppressed groups.
b. their acceptance by dominant society.
c. their rapid return to their homeland.
d. an absence of anti-semitism in the U.S.
ANS: A
9. According to Takaki, the encounters between Indians and Whites:
a. illustrates the pluralism evident in American society.
b. reflects the complete assimilation achieved by racial and ethnic groups in U.S.
society.
c. shaped the course of race relations in America.
d. were mostly peaceful.
ANS: C
10. Takaki maintains that the history and influence of all groups in America:
a. offer a concreteness to the founding national principle of equality.
b. creates a conflict of interest between minority and dominant groups.
c. reflect the racial harmony evident in society today.
d. have resulted in an end to racial injustice
ANS: A
Essay and Discussion Questions:
1. What does Takaki mean by “a different mirror”?
2. According to Takaki, what is the dominant view of America’s racial history?
3. Briefly describe the experiences and contributions of African Americans, Asian Americans, Chicanos, Irish, Jews, and American Indians as racial and ethnic groups with in the United States.
4. Identify similarities and differences in the experiences of African Americans, Asian Americans, Chicanos, Irish, Jews, and American Indians.
5. According to Takaki, what is the benefit in understanding the history of racial and ethnic groups within the United States?
Internet Sites and Questions for Further Study:
Numbers USA
http://numbersusa.com
1. According to this organization, what is the future of immigration?
2. How is this point of view reflected in the history and influence of previous immigrant groups?
Policy.com: Immigration
http://policy.com/issues/18
1. Describe a few of the issues presented regarding immigration.
3. "The First Americans: Americans Indians," Matthew Snipp
Matthew Snipp presents a historical summary of the United States’ treatment of American Indians: removal, assimilation, the Indian New Deal, termination and relocation, and self determination. In the early 1800s removal of American Indians was the goal of the United States. Increased population and newly acquired land encouraged the push of American Indians westward, first through negotiated treaties and ultimately through forced removal. These actions resulted in severe hardship for American Indians physically and culturally. At the end of the 1800s the government policy regarding American Indians shifted to assimilation, or rather “humane extinction.” The goal of the government, Snipp points out was to “civilize” American Indians through religion, education, ownership of property, and agricultural careers. The effect of assimilation on American Indians was the loss and disorganization of land, the impact of which is still being felt today.
In the early 1930s the government encompassed American Indians in the New Deal programs. This shift in treatment demonstrated a new respect for American Indian culture and land. Economic and infrastructure support was granted to American Indian reservations, and tribal governance was allowed. American Indian policy took a different shift after WWII with the goals of termination and relocation. The United States government sought to terminate their dealing with American Indians and relocate American Indians to urban areas. In the era of the Civil Rights movement, yet another shift in United States and American Indian relations occurred. “Self-determination,” the goal of American Indian autonomy, became the focus resulting in greater control of tribal governments and the end to termination policies. Snipp concludes with a discussion of the current status of American Indians. Population growth among American Indians has increased on reservations and in Urban areas. Snipp points out that both of these segments of the American Indian population face economic hardship. Urban American Indians also face the struggle of maintaining their culture away from reservations. Pan-Indianism has served to unite American Indian tribes in their fight for survival.
