Integration (society)

Integration (society), incorporation of disparate ethnic or religious elements of the population into a unified society, providing equality of opportunity for all members of that society. In such a society, an individual's attainment of an education, access to any public or private facility, opportunity for employment, and ownership of property are neither denied nor limited by reason of race, religion, or national origin. In the United States, complete integration of minorities, especially black people, into a predominantly white society, has been sought through legal and administrative steps by civil rights activists since the ratification of the 14th Amendment to the Constitution in 1868.