American Identities: An Introductory Textbook

✍ Scribed by Lois P. Rudnick, Judith E. Smith, Rachel Lee Rubin

• Publisher: Wiley-Blackwell
• Year: 2005
• Tongue: English
• Leaves: 384
• Category: Library

✦ Synopsis

American Identities is a dazzling array of primary documents and critical essays culled from American history, literature, memoir, and popular culture that explore major currents and trends in American history from 1945 to the present. The textbook charts the rich multiplicity of American identities as refracted through the different lenses of race, class, and gender, and shaped by common historical social processes such as migration, families, work, and war. Rather than simply teaching history, American Identities actively engages students in the history-making process while developing the skills crucial to interpreting meaningful and enduring cultural texts.

Substantial editorial matter and the accompanying instructor’s guide provide resources for classroom use and for student projects, including:

Headnotes and study guide questions for each reading Exercises for individual and group reading and viewing Time-lines Interview questions Bibliographies to guide students into becoming readers of American culture and historians of their families

✦ Table of Contents

Title......Page 1
Table of Contents......Page 5
Alternative Contents by Genre......Page 10
Preface: How to Use This Book......Page 13
Acknowledgments......Page 14
Introduction......Page 15
PART I IDENTITY, FAMILY,
AND MEMORY......Page 20
1 Identities and Social Locations: Who Am I?
Who Are My People?......Page 22
2 What We Really Miss About the 1950s......Page 31
3 Generational Memory in an American Town......Page 43
4 Growing Up Asian in America......Page 53
PART II WORLD WAR II AND THE
POSTWAR ERA 1940–1960......Page 60
5 War Babies......Page 62
6 From Citizen 13660......Page 70
7 Containment at Home: Cold War, Warm Hearth......Page 79
8 The Problem That Has No Name......Page 85
9 The Civil Rights Revolution, 1945–1960......Page 92
10 From Like One of the Family: Conversations from a
Domestic’s Life......Page 98
11 Songs of the Chicago Blues......Page 104
12 Halfway to Dick and Jane: A Puerto Rican Pilgrimage......Page 107
13 From Goodbye, Columbus......Page 117
PART III WAR AND SOCIAL MOVEMENTS,
1960–1975......Page 126
14 Letter from Birmingham City Jail......Page 128
15 Message to the Grass Roots......Page 133
16 Songs of the Civil Rights Movement......Page 140
17 Port Huron Statement......Page 144
18 The Port Huron Statement at 40......Page 148
19 From Working-Class War: American Combat Soldiers and Vietnam......Page 152
20 From Born on the Fourth of July......Page 157
21 From Bloods: An Oral History of the Vietnam War by Black Veterans......Page 164
22 Black Power: Its Need and Substance......Page 172
23 ‘‘Respect’’......Page 180
24 ‘‘Say It Loud (I’m Black and I’m Proud)’’......Page 182
25 13-Point Program and Platform......Page 184
26 Sources of the Second Wave: The Rebirth of Feminism......Page 188
27 NOW Bill of Rights......Page 199
28 The Liberation of Black Women......Page 201
29 Jessie Lopez De La Cruz: The Battle for Farmworkers’ Rights......Page 206
30 This Country Was a Lot Better Off When the Indians Were
Running It......Page 217
The Occupation of Alcatraz Island......Page 222
31 Gay Liberation......Page 226
32 The Fighting Irishman......Page 232
33 The Drag Queen......Page 240
34 From Suburban Warriors: The Origins of the New
American Right......Page 247
PART IV A POSTINDUSTRIAL AND GLOBAL
SOCIETY, 1975–2000......Page 254
35 From The Great U-Turn: Corporate Restructuring and the
Polarizing of America......Page 256
36 From ‘‘It Ain’t No Sin To Be Glad You’re Alive’’:
The Promise of Bruce Springsteen......Page 263
37 A Musical Representation of Work in Postindustrial
America......Page 268
38 Class in America: Myths and Realities (2000)......Page 278
39 From Abortion and the Politics of Motherhood......Page 286
40 The Making and Unmaking of Modern Families......Page 295
41 From Jasmine......Page 304
42 Growing Up Biracial and Bicultural......Page 314
43 From The Business of Fancydancing: Stories and Poems......Page 319
44 Through a Glass Darkly: Toward the Twenty-first Century......Page 323
45 ‘‘To live in the Borderlands means you’’......Page 330
46 From No Logo: Taking Aim at the Brand Bullies......Page 332
PART V THE FUTURE OF US ALL?......Page 340
47 Brave New World: Gray Boys, Funky Aztecs, and Honorary
Homegirls......Page 342
48 From The Future of Us All......Page 349
49 The Society That Unions Can Build......Page 362
Text and Illustration Credits......Page 373
Index......Page 378