ABSTRACT
Discrimination has given women and some minorities a special status in American society. For much of American history, male-dominated society in the USA has forced women, Native Americans, African Americans, Asian Americans, Latinos and people with minority sexual orientations into inferior categories. As a result, these groups have their own histories as subjects of changing opinion and government policy even though their experiences are integral parts of the nation’s history. They have molded American history through their struggles for equality and resistance against discrimination. Inequality has led to group differences in attitudes, class, occupation, income, health, housing and crime. The gap between national ideals and the realities of prejudice has agitated the nation’s conscience and prompted a very uneven but persistent progress toward greater equality.
