1.Composition of the US Population

Composition of the US Population

The United States is the third most populous nation in the world，ranking behind only China and India.According to the US Census Bureau¹ in 2010，the population of the US was 308，745，538people.About 196.8million were classified as white，37.7million as black，50.5million as of Hispanic origin，and 15million as Asians and Pacific Islanders.The population grew 9.7% between 2000and 2010.

The United States is known as a“melting pot”，meaning that it is composed of immigrants from different nations all over the world.Prior to 1875anyone from any foreign country could enter the US freely and take up permanent residence there.The first US census was taken in 1790，according to which the white population of the 13states totaled slightly more than 3 million.About 75%of these first Americans were of British ancestry；the rest were German，Dutch，French，Swiss，and Spanish.The English gave the new nation its language，its laws，and its philosophy of government.Over the next 60years after 1875，the US Congress passed laws restricting immigration on the basis of morality，race，and national origin.In 1952Congress passed the Immigration and Nationality Act，which reaffirmed national origin as the central criterion for eligibility and established a preferential system for skilled workers and for relatives of US citizens.For many years the US restricted the total number of immigrants to 270，000each year.However，the number of exceptions to this limit was far greater even than the 270，000limit.An average of more than 700，000immigrants legally entered the US each year during the 1980s.In 1990，the US Congress passed another Immigration Act which limited the total number of immigrants to 700，000from 1992to 1995，and to 675，000thereafter.The 1990Act also abolished the 1952immigration law that prohibited communists from even visiting the US.

The people of the US are predominantly white，accounting for an estimated 63.7%of the total population in 2010.Among the whites，the most powerful and influential group is the White Anglo-Saxon Protestants²（WASPs）who are the descendents of the early English settlers.They control most of the national wealth and political power in the nation.The other white Americans whose forefathers were from other European countries are not so influential as the WASPs，but their social status is far better than the other American minorities.

According to the US census in 2010，the 2nd most numerous minority in the US were the black people whose forefathers came from Africa.The first blacks arrived in Jamestown in 1619as indentured servants³.But very soon after 1619blacks were brought to colonies as slaves.After the Emancipation in 1863，they were freed formally，but the US government continued to practice discrimination against them.The official segregation continued to be the law of the US until 1954.Today，legal barriers have been lowered，if not removed，by civil right legislation，executive orders，and judicial decisions.Blacks can vote，get a meal where they want，and stay at hotels.Yet these things are largely for the black middle class.About one third of all black families still live below the poverty line.They are cut off from white society and alienated from the black middle class.Most black people continued to live in the South.In 2010，the black population numbered 37，685，848，estimated 12.2%of all Americans.

In the 2010census，there were about 2.25million American Indians living in the US.About 46%of them lived in the South，17.8%in the Midwest，and only 6.5%in the Northeast.American Indians were the original inhabitants on the continent.Ever since the discovery of the New World in 1492，the Indians have been cruelly treated.They were driven to barren desert regions，the so-called“Indian Reservations”.The reservations usually lack adequate health care facilities，educational opportunities，decent housing，and jobs.On or off the reservations these native Americans are one of the most deprived and most unhappy minority groups in the US.They are in far worse health than the rest of the population，dying earlier and suffering disproportionately from alcoholism，accidents，diabetes and pneumonia.

There were about 50.5million Hispanics in 2010in the US.They are the Spanish-speaking immigrants from Latin American countries.American Hispanics，the present most numerous minority in the country，are of diverse backgrounds.The majority trace their roots to Mexico，Puerto Rico，or Cuba.

The Mexican background people，also called Chicanos，formed the largest group of Hispanics.Most of this group live in California and Texas，but many also live in other parts of the nation as well.They are being joined by millions of undocumented aliens who cross the southern borders in search of jobs.Many of them live in great poverty.The second largest group of Hispanics is Puerto Ricans who reside primarily in the“barrios⁴”of New York，Chicago，and other northern cities.Puerto Ricans are in worse economic conditions than any other Hispanic group.They retain close ties with Puerto Rico and move back and forth from the island to the US mainland.Beginning in 1982，the US Central American population had increased greatly and become one of the fastest growing segments of the Hispanic population.In the 1990census，there were more than 2.8million Americans of Central or South American origin.Most Central American immigrants are from Nicaragua，El Salvador and Guatemala.Between 1980and 1991the number of Americans of Cuban origin increased from 800，000to over a million.They mainly live in south Florida.The remaining segments of the US Hispanics are of“Other Spanish”origin.Hispanics，however，are one of the fastest growing minorities at present in the United States.

In 1990，there were 7，273，662Asians and Pacific Islanders in the US.This figure represented 2.9%of the total US population，as compared to 1.5%a decade earlier.Among the Asian immigrants，the Chinese were the first to come to the US.Beginning in 1847，when young male peasants came to get away from poverty and to work in America in mines，on railroads，and in agricultural fields，the Chinese ran into economic and cultural fears of the white majority who did not understand them or their culture.Facing this，and considering their intentions to return home，the Chinese did not try to assimilate but instead gravitated to“Chinatowns”.Discriminatory immigration and naturalization restrictions on the Chinese，imposed in 1882，were strengthened in tile following years and were not removed until the end of World WarⅡ.Since that time the Chinese have moved into the mainstream of American society，and some are beginning to move into politics.The Chinese-Americans have proved to be industrious and intelligent.Six of them won the Nobel Prizes.And many have found high-income positions in universities，laboratories，hospitals，and architectural and engineering firms.The employment rate and average income of Chinese-American families are now higher than the national average.They have come to be viewed as a“model minority”，clean and hard working.According to the 2010US census，there were about 3.8million Chinese-Americans in the US.This figure was more than twice what it was in 1990.