The assimilation of racial minorities in America has had a different history from that of religious minorities. While religion has had a unifying role in the development of American national identity, race has not. The religious and ethical notion that "all men are created equal" did not apply to blacks during the formation of the American republic, and institutionalized racial discrimination was legal in large portions of the country until the mid-1960s. The Naturalization Act of 1790 granted citizenship only to "aliens being free white persons."

DEFINE: Distinguishes the historical assimilation of racial versus religious minorities in the US.

Carl W. Ernst, Islamophobia in America_ Th…, loc. 286