Ironically, in the United States, a country of immigrants, prejudice and discrimination (歧视) continue to be serious problems. There was often tension between each established group of immigrants and each succeeding group. As each group became more financially successful, and more powerful, they excluded newcomers from full participation in the society. Prejudice and discrimination are part of American history; however, this prejudicial treatment of different groups is nowhere more unjust than with Black Americans.
Blacks had distinct disadvantages. For the most part, they came to the "land of opportunity" as slaves and they were not free to keep their heritage (遗产;传统) and cultural traditions. Unlike most European immigrants, blacks did not have the protection of a support group; sometimes slave owners separated members of the same family. They could not mix easily with the established society either because of their skin color. It was difficult for them to adapt to the American culture. Even after they became free people, they still experienced discrimination in employment, housing and education, and even in public facilities, such as rest-rooms

具有讽刺意义的是，在这个移民的国度－－美国，偏见与歧视仍然是一个很严重的问题。紧张局面时常存在于各个已经确立的和即将建立的移民团体中。由于各个团体在财政上变得越来越强势，他们排斥社会上的其他即将建立的新组织。偏见和歧视，本身就是美国历史的一部分，然而，越演越烈的种族歧视无处不在，不仅仅是针对美国黑人。
黑人有着明显的劣势。作为奴隶来到这片机会的土地，绝大多数的他们没有持有自己文化习俗和传统的自由。不像来自欧洲的移民，黑人没有一个强有力的组织来保护着他们。有时，奴隶主强行的把一个家庭拆散。奴隶们也与社会格格不入，仅是由于肤色，他们也很难接受或适应美国的文化。甚至于重获自由之后的他们也仍然体味着在招聘、住房、教育方面的歧视，甚至在公共设施－－洗手间也不例外。