Until the 1960s, the role of immigrants, African Americans, and American Indians, in American history received little attention. However, their experiences have become of increasing concern to American historians, with much of the new social and cultural history emphasizing how millions of nameless people adjusted to their lot, contributed to the economy, and strove to make lives for themselves in the United States. Natives and Strangers, now in its third edition, explores the various aspects of minority group history, describing the impact America had on minority cultures and providing some understanding of the different conditions, conflicts, and contradictions that members of American minority groups experienced. Natives and Strangers concentrates on the economic growth and development of social attitudes among different ethnic minorities. The book opens with the American Indian migration throughout the United States, via Alaska, and discusses the variety of Indian cultures the Europeans encountered, incorporating the most recent literature on the subject. As with earlier editions, this newly revised book is careful to integrate the experiences of racial, religious, and national minorities, explaining how their histories intertwined with the emergence of modern America. As the 1990s witness the largest flow of recent immigration in history, and as Americans experience the great influx of non-European immigrants entering the United States, Natives and Strangers is now able to explore the far-reaching implications of recent immigration laws, presenting the controversy over multiculturalism in terms of understanding American history. The authors conclude with reflections on where the nation stands today as an ethnically and racially diverse society.
