2) To some degree, affirmative action programs have helped minorities and women. Companies that do business with the federal government are subject to afHrmadve action and therefore, have shown more improvement in hiring and promoting than private companies.

3) Aflirmative action has also helped middle class and some lower class blacks get jobs in government and business. It has been successful in increasing the number of blacks in gpvemment agencics, police departments，fire departments, and various construction trades, but failed in pulling blacks out of the “underclass”.

1. Thomas Paine (1737—1809) An American political philosopher and writer. He was bom in England, and he supported the American Revolution and the French Revolution. Because of this, he had to escape from England to France. His books, The Rights of Man and The Age of Reason, have had a profound influence on political thinking.

2. The Ku Klux Klan A secret US terrorist organization of Protestant white men founded in 1866 in the southern states during the Reconstruction Era following the American Civil War. It has been infamous for using violence against black people, especially during the Civil Rights protests of the 1960s.

3. Martin Luther King, Jr (1929—1968) A black American clergyman who became the most important leader of the Civil Rights Movement. King worked hard to achieve social changes for black people. He was a prominent advocate of nonviolent protest and won the Nobd Peace Prize in 1964. He was known as a great public speaker, and many people sdll remember his famous speech *1 Have a Dream”. After his assassination in 1968, King became a symbol of protest in the struggle for racial justice.

4. Rosa Parks (1913一 ) A black American woman who became famous in 1955 because she refused to give her seat on a bus to a white man. This action was ill^al in the state of Alabama and she was arrested by the police. As a result, Martin Luther King, Jr. persuaded people not to use buses, and in 1956 the US Supreme Court ruled that segregation on buses was not legal. Rosa Parks, action is seen as an important event in the Civil ri^its Movement.

5. The Mexican War(1846_1848) (the Mexican-American War) The war began when Texas, which had become independent from Mexico, became part of the US. The US also wanted to buy California and New Mexico, but Mexico refused. The war proved disastrous for Mexico, for it lost more than half its territory. The US acquired what is today the states of California, Colorado, New Mexico, Nevada, Utah, and most of Arizona in addition to Texas.

6. The Spanish - American War The US started the war in 1898 because it wanted Cuba to be independent from Spain and because the US battleship Maine was mysteriously destroyed by an e^losion near Havana, Cuba. Spain was defeated, Cuba becamc independent，and the US took control of the islands of the Philippines, Guam, and Puerto Rico.

7. Manifest Destiny It is a term that was used in the 19th century to designate the belief that the United States was destined, even divinely ordained, to expand across the North American continent, from the Atlantic seaboard to the Pacific Ocean. Sometimes Manifest Destiny was interpreted so broadly as to include the eventual absorption of all North America: Canada, Mexico，Cuba and Central America. Advocates of Manifest Destiny believed that expansion was not only ethical but that it was readily apparent (“manifest”）and ipexorable (“destiny，〉. The term fell out of usag? by U.S. policy makers early in the 20th century, but some commentators believe that aspects of Manifest Destiny, particularly the belief in an American “mission” to promote and defend democracy throu^iout the world, continues to have an influence on American political ideology.

Questions for Discussion
1. What intact does racism have on American minority groups?
2. Why is the myth of Asian Superiority harmful? In what way does it affect the racial relations between Asian Americans and other minority groups?
3. Immigration takes place with, at least, two forces at work, namely, the pull force and the push force. Pick any one ethnic group in the United States as an example and illustrate its experience in the “pull and push” framework.
4. Being a nation of immigrants, the U.S. A. has been compared to, metaphorically, a “meldng pot”，a Msalad bowl”，a “pizza”，and “mosaic”. How do these metaphors help you understand the complex nature of the United States? If you were asked to characterize the United States, which one would you choosc? Why?
5. Why has there been such a strong anti-immigrant sentiment in the United States?
6. In your opinion, what are the reasons for Asian Americans to have made such achievements so far?
7. Do you think the history of black and white relations still affects the social position of African Americans today? Why or why not?
8. It seems that white Americans have benefited a lot from racial prejudice and discrimination. Is there any price they have to pay for it? Why?