Racism in America

The history of American racism begins with the initial white settlement of the continent in the early 17th century and continues up to the present day. Recent events have brought renewed attention to this long and painful history, but few Americans are aware of the degree to which racist sentiments infiltrated the highest levels of American culture and thought. This volume brings together dozens of writings from leading writers (Walt Whitman, Mark Twain, Henry James), thinkers (Madison Grant, William Graham Sumner, Henry George), and even presidents (Thomas Jefferson, Andrew Jackson, Abraham Lincoln, Theodore Roosevelt), who all expressed prejudicial opinions in varying degrees. The book contains specific sections on African Americans, Jews, Latinos, Asians, and other minorities, and concludes with a lengthy section on the debate over immigration. All told, these writings display how pervasive racism has been in our society; but it will be impossible to overcome it unless we face the history of prejudicial thought unflinchingly.