The “American Dream” of the Dominant Culture

Thomas Jefferson et al, The Declaration of Independence (1776, handout / weblink))

African American Identity—“The Dream”

Martin Luther King's "Dream Speech" at the March on Washington, 1963

The Classic Slave Narratives (ed. H. L. Gates; 1987, Penguin / Mentor)

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Toni Morrison, The Bluest Eye (1970; Plume)

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Native American Identity—“The American Nightmare: Loss and Survival”

Zitkala-Sa, American Indian Stories  (1900; Nebraska)

Louise Erdrich, Love Medicine (1993 enlarged; HarperCollins)

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Mexican-American Identity—“The Ambivalent Minority”

Rudolfo Anaya, Bless Me, Ultima (1973; Warner)

Sandra Cisneros, The House on Mango Street (1989; Vintage)

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