ABSTRACT
Most Americans are now well aware of the diverse and heterogeneous nature of our past. American history is the history of the often violent encounter between native peoples, European explorers, immigrants, and enslaved Africans. The story of who we are today, people who speak different languages, who have different values, beliefs, and practices, is one we are growing increasingly comfortable with. Though the national discussion of racial oppression and the implications of ethnic diversity have lurched along fitfully, I see in my own teaching of undergraduate students that some progress has been made.
