unds of people.
For example, in the Protestant religion, the various denominations to which a person may belong is largely determined by social class. Those with high social standing are generally people whose families came from Northern Europe in the 19th Century or earlier. Since they encountered little discrimination, they had the longest time to establish themselves socially. Although Jews faced much prejudice and discrimination, they have had unexpectedly high social standing. Social scientists attribute this to the Jewish culture=s emphasis on education and hard work. In contrast, Roman Catholics who mainly came to this country in the 20th Century, were victims of discrimination and faced many social barriers.
Religion is tied to ethnicity as well as to race. Islam predominates in Arab societies and Hinduism is central to India=s culture. The severe racial discrimination (as well as slavery) against African-Americans in the United States put them outside the mainstream culture and caused them to turn to their churches for spiritual and social relief from racism.
19:1 Over the course of the 20th Century, the share of the U.S. population that graduates from high school has grown. In the mid-1960s a milestone was reached when, for the first time in U.S. history, a majority of people had high school diplomas. By the end of the 20th Century, more than four out of five adults had a high school education. In addition, almost one in four had a four-year college degree. According to the 1997 survey of the U.S. Bureau of the Census the United States led all other countries in the share of the adult population holding a college degree. In industrial societies such as the United States, higher education is the most important way to achieve success in an occupation. The modern trend in education in the United States has been to equate a college degree with higher paying, more prestigious jobs. Generally speaking, this ten...