ASSIMILATION IN AMERICAN LIFE: The Role of Race, Religion, and National Origins

In his introduction to this important and singular work, the author compares the U.S., in the realm of ""intergroup relations,"" to a race horse with blinders on; we don't know where we've been, where we are, or where we're going, but we're ""making progress."" His specific task here has been to examine the possibilities of where we might be headed, together with some of the intensely complicated whys and wherefore. No one, until now, has paid much attention to the ""crucial consideration of social structure,"" because nearly all of those who are concerned with matters of civil rights, prejudice, and discrimination have had far too much on their hands already, oping with immediate problems. What are we aiming at, Mr. Gordon asks---the ""total assimilation of disparate cultural traits, or true ""cultural pluralism""? The main problem, as he sees it, is to keep ""ethnic separation"" from being so pronounced that t threatens ""the spirit of basic good will"" which a democracy must maintain. The necessary means to that end are ""good sense and reasonableness""... A shrewd blend of fine scholarship and sound judgment.