Americans: A Collision of Histories

Whether America is a "melting pot" of hybrid breeds dissolved into a composite people or a "tossed salad" of distinct groups roughly mixed is a debate that has grown considerably in recent years. Edward Countryman, a Southern Methodist University professor and author of several history books, weighs in with a sweeping examination of America's early years. Or specifically, he provides a look at the histories of the ethnic groups that make up the country. His conclusions are not simple generalizations, but rather a story laid bare of cultures clashing and the confused result.