ABSTRACT
This chapter begins a three-chapter exploration into US racial/ethnic history, beginning in this chapter with the initial contact between white Europeans and Native Americans, the implementation of chattel slavery, and the initial contact between Mexicans and whites. Through a sociological lens, specifically the power/conflict perspective, this chapter explores why intergroup contact became racial/ethnic inequality. Additionally, this chapter critically examines the intersection of race, gender, and sexuality during this era and concludes with an examination of minority group resistance to racial inequality.
