Us and Them?: A History of Intolerance in America

by Jim Carnes and Bridget Anderson

Book Overview

The history of intolerance in the United States begins in colonial times. Discrimination on the basis of religion, race, and sexual orientation have been characteristic of our society for more than three centuries. "Us and Them" illuminates these dark corners of our nation's past and traces its ongoing efforts to live up to its ideals.
Through 14 case studies, using original documents, historical photos, newly commissioned paintings, and dramatic...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0195131258
• ISBN13: 9780195131253
• Release Date: April 1999
• Publisher: Oxford University Press
• Length: 136 Pages
• Weight: 1.25 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.4" x 8.5" x 11.0"
• Age Range: 12 to 17 years
• Grade Range: Grades 7 to 12

Customer Reviews

Much needed book. I'm looking forward to the next edition.

There does not seem to be much available for the general reader about the treatment of immigrants to this country. We seem to repeat the same patterns with each new group. A good source of information.

Racists hate this stuff.

I would like to start by saying that c. page is correct in saying that this is nothing new, and niether was the ignorance in his/her review. There are hardley any new 'isms' in the world, but there are people (usually younger students) who have been brainwashed into believing that racism is something that is gone in our greater American utopia. Not so, and for those students, this book is a great way to balance out the racist ommision of textbook bias.

& #65279;The Face of Prejudice

& #65279;In an age of sanitized history and calls for revisionism that make people feel comfortable, there is a great need for more books like Jim Carnes' history of intolerance in America. With 128 pages of text and 16 concise chapters this book corrects much of the white washing that is taking place in much longer history texts, even at the college level. Religious liberty, Native American exile, freedom from slavery, racial extermination, and ethnic tensions are highlighted with graphic images and easily accessible narratives. The trials of diverse groups such as Mormons, Catholics, Chinese, Native Americans, Jewish immigrants, Mexican Americans, Japanese citizens, and just playing Americans are dramatically highlighted in an unforgettable montage of images and words that give the lie to the "melting pot" that is the United States.Paintings, etchings, drawings, and photographs illustrate in no uncertain terms would hate has done to this country. More than that the pictures combined with the simple prose personalizes each inequity that is introduced. For example, "A Rose for Charlie" presents photographs of the community disrupted by hate, as well as that community's response to the hate. From photographs of hate speech scrawled on walls to portraits of citizens mourning the victim of a deadly hate crime present a view of America that could not be farther from the Norman Rockwell ideal we all wish this country would be. For those interested, a fictionalized account of this particular crime can be found in "The Drowning of Stephan Jones" by Bette Greene, which chronicles the death of the young man simply because of who he loved. It should be an essential book for all classrooms.

An important book for educators

I used this book in both my 6th and 8th grade classrooms with great success. I embarked on a diversity project using it and the video (which I strongly recommend); it's an excellent starting point because its scope is so wide and yet it gives very detailed accounts of intolerance in America, starting from the beginning (you see, we have a rather long history of intolerance). Middle school students find it interesting and easy to understand, and it's perfect for the teacher because it covers many ethnic and racial groups in the U.S.. Use this book! It's very important.

This book effectively tells the story and links oppressions.

This terrific book effectively tells the story of oppression inthe United States and subtly connects the interrelatedness ofoppressions by putting the chapters side by side. The information and sidebars are magnificent in their detail and it is nice to have many sides of history that are so rarely shown. I learned more about history from this book than any history textbook I can remember. The stories of racial, religious, ethnic, and gay oppressions become human stories in this book--hopefully stories that we can learn from and choose not to repeat.