us history 19

Write a 4-5 page double spaced essay responding to the following questions and citing 

the texts A Different Mirror and the Prologue in The New Americans. Be sure to include 

the page numbers using MLA citation style after each quote. 

In reflecting on the diverse histories of each ethnic group discussed in by Ronald Takaki 

in A Different Mirror, what role does labor exploitation and legalized racial discrimination 

play in the building of the United States? 

Give two specific examples (one example for labor exploitation and one example for 

legalized racial discrimination) for each ethnic group: Native Americans; African 

Americans; Irish Americans; Mexican Americans; Chinese Americans; Japanese 

Americans, and Jewish Americans. Then put your historical discussion in conversation 

with the contemporary experiences of Ruben Martinez (from the Prologue in The New 

Americans) and his discussion of immigration today. Do you see any relationship 

between the past and the present? What in your opinion does it indicate about the 

 

building of the U.S. today?