About this Site

"A house divided against itself cannot stand." So said President Abraham Lincoln on June 17, 1858 -- three years before the outbreak of the American Civil War that led to the abolition of slavery in the United States.

From the beginning and throughout the life of the Republic, Americans have struggled with the issue of race -- and the divide between the ideals on which their nation was founded and the still unfinished journey toward their realization.

As this Web site on race and ethnic diversity in the United States amply demonstrates, there is much in the pages of American history to regret, but also -- especially during the second half of the last century -- much to be proud of, as the nation struggles to undo past wrongs and to form a more perfect Union where there is liberty and justice for all.

The site contains texts of speeches by U.S. officials, key documents, and major court decisions. It also features articles about the more salient events in the story of race and diversity in America. Past injustices are frankly discussed in these pages, as are attempts to redress them -- such as the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965.

At the beginning of this new century, America -- long considered a melting pot of peoples and cultures from every corner of the world -- is more diverse than ever. The challenges posed by this twenty-first century reality are daunting. But most Americans, who have learned from their history, welcome them, conscious that the diversity of their nation is a strength not a weakness, an opportunity, not a dilemma.