Though the United States has long taken pride in itself as a land of newcomers, adventurers, and people willing to embrace change, creating this nation from its many different peoples has always involved conflict and dissension. Especially in times of national crisis, the newest Americans have repeatedly labored to prove their patriotism and shield themselves from ethnically- and racially-motivated harassment. The continuing public discussion of loyalty has kept the meaning of "American" an active and evolving topic. “Strangers in the Land of Strangers” looks at the ways distinct groups have tried to claim and prove that they belong, and at the changing meanings of "American", from the American Revolution through the 20th-century Civil Rights Movement.