"Focusing on a period of American history marked by a sharp division between Anglo-Americans ("Americans") and non-Anglo European immigrants ("foreigners"), Orm Overland examines the creation of "home-making myths" - stories that weave immigrants into the basic fabric of America by linking them to the pivotal events and ideas of their new homeland. Devised by individual ethnic leaders and spread through ethnic media, banquets, and rallies, these myths were a response to being marginalized by the dominant group and a way of laying claim to a legitimate home in America."--BOOK JACKET.