In the late 1800s and early 1900s southern and eastern Europeans also came to live in America. Today the United States is home to a new group of immigrants. Newcomers from the Caribbean, Mexico and Central America, and Southeast Asia are settling in this country. In the 1980s Asians made up 48 percent and Hispanics 35 percent of the immigrants admitted to the United States. America is a land of differences.
Differences exist in language, culture, class, gender, and in national origin and ethnic membership.
Race is only a minor aspect of human diversity. People of different races can share common bonds of culture and people of the same race are often very different. Each American is a member of many communities. We each belong to familial, ethnic, religious, occupational, and generational groups. These communities shape our values and attitudes.