Page 300 - Essencials of Sociology

Racial–Ethnic Relations in the United States 273

second generation of immigrants was sandwiched between two worlds: “the old coun-
try” of their parents and their new home. Their children, the third generation, had an
easier adjustment, since they had fewer customs to discard. As white ethnics assimilated
into this Anglo-American culture, the meaning of WASP expanded to include them.
And for those who weren’t white? Perhaps the event that best illustrates the racial
view of the nation’s founders occurred when Congress passed the Naturalization Act of
1790, declaring that only white immigrants could apply for citizenship. Relationships
between the various racial–ethnic groups since the founding of the nation have been, at
best, a rocky one.

In Sum: Because Protestant English immigrants settled the colonies, they established
Read on MySocLab
the culture—from the dominant language to the dominant religion. Highly ethnocen- Document: Beyond the Melting
tric, they regarded the customs of other groups as inferior. Because white Europeans Pot Reconsidered
took power, they determined the national agenda to which other ethnic groups had to
react and conform. Their institutional and cultural dominance still sets the stage for
current racial–ethnic relations, a topic that we explore in the Down-to-Earth Sociology
box below.
Latinos (Hispanics)

Umbrella Term. Latino is an umbrella term that lumps people from many cultures
into a single category. Taken together, these people, who trace their origins to the
Spanish-speaking countries of Latin America, form the largest ethnic group in the
United States.

Down-to-Earth Sociology

Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack: Exploring Cultural Privilege

vert racism in the United States has dropped sharply, but 3. When I watch television or look at the front page of the
doors still open and close on the basis of the color of paper, I see people of my race presented positively.
Oour skins. Whites have a difficult time grasping the idea 4. When I study our national heritage, I see people of my
that good things come their way because they are white. They color and am taught that they made our country great.
usually fail to perceive how “whiteness” 5. To protect my children, I do not
operates in their own lives. have to teach them to be aware of
Peggy McIntosh, of Irish descent, racism.
began to wonder why she was so sel- 6. I can talk with my mouth full and not
dom aware of her race–ethnicity, while have people put this down to my
her African American friends were so color.
conscious of theirs. She realized that 7. I can speak at a public meeting without
people are not highly aware of things putting my race on trial.
that they take for granted—and that 8. I can achieve something and not be “a
“whiteness” is a “taken-for-granted” credit to my race.”
background assumption of U.S. soci- 9. If a traffic cop pulls me over, I can be
ety. (You might want to review sure that it isn’t because I’m white.
Figure 9.1 on page 258.) To explore 10. I can be late to a meeting without
this, she drew up a list of taken-for- people thinking I was late because
granted privileges that come with her “That’s how they are.”
“whiteness,” what she calls her “invis-
ible knapsack.” Because she is white,
McIntosh (1988) says: For Your Consideration
1. When I go shopping, store de- ↑ Can you think of other “background privi-
tectives don’t follow me. leges” that come to whites because of their
2. If I don’t do well as a leader, I can One of the cultural privileges of being white skin color? (McIntosh’s list contains forty-six
be sure people won’t say that it in the United States is less suspicion of items.) Why are whites seldom aware that
is because of my race. wrongdoing. they carry an “invisible knapsack”?