Ethnic Foods: Ethnic Groupings in the United States

Ethnic membership is sometimes voluntary, and many people acknowledge multiple heritages. At many times in American history, people have denied their ethnicity or kept it secret. The U.S. Census has repeatedly changed categories and as a matter of law has not been allowed to record religious affiliation. For much of American history African Americans were those with one great-grandparent of African descent. Full-blooded Native Americans were sometimes excluded from counts on the basis of tribal enrollment. Sub-ethnic divisions were ignored among African Americans and emphasized among Native Americans.