ABSTRACT
Chapter 3 explores diversity in the United States in the 1960s and 1970s. As the postwar economic engine ran out of steam and as the nation became increasingly fragmented, heterogeneity and individualism became defining elements of the country, with growing recognition that national unity was just a myth. Race, ethnicity, and religion (as well as gender and class) became widely acknowledged and even celebrated, the beginnings of what would soon be called multiculturalism. The civil rights movement shone a bright light on our national identity as inequalities and prejudices based on skin color were exposed.
The nation’s many economic, social, and political woes in the early 1970s served to intensify American diversity. Divisions along lines of race, ethnicity, religion, and other social divisions could not be ignored, and it was difficult to find any common ground. By the end of the decade, the idea of pluralism had reached an all-time high, making some wonder if the United States could hold together as one people.
