How has their history shaped the way they manage racial and religious issues?

Multi-ethnic societies, in contrast to single ethnic societies, integrate different ethnic groups irrespective of differences in culture, race, and history under a common social identity. Two examples of multi-ethnic societies would be Singapore and the USA. Due to the ethnic or cultural heterogeneity present in the society, multi-ethnic societies in general are more fragile and have a higher risk of conflicts. This is also the reason where there is a need to ensure that hosility between the different ethnic groups are eliminated.

Singapore
The 1964 Race Riots were a series of riots took place in Singapore during two separate periods in July and September between Chinese and Malay groups.

July Riots
• 21 July 1964
• 23 people lost their lives, 450 people injured
• There was significant damage to property and vehicles. About 3,000 people were arrested, including 600 secret society members and 256 people arrested for possession of dangerous weapons. The rest were arrested for violating the curfew.

September Riots
• 3rd September
• The race riot ensued in the neighborhoods of Geylang, Joo chiat and Siglap and another curfew was imposed.
• 13 people lost their lives and 106 people were injured.
• 480 people were arrested.


USA
• Tensions between American colonials and the British during the revolutionary period of the 1760s and early 1770s.
• American Revolutionary War, fought from 1775 through 1781.

• Tensions between slave and free states mounted with increasing disagreements over the relationship between the state and federal governments and violent conflicts over the expansion of slavery into new states.

An apparent precondition for the success of a multi-ethnic society is the availability of a common language, as was the case in the Roman Empire, and still is the case in the U.S. Similarly, English is a common language used by all ethnic groups. This led to effective communication hence breaking any possible forms of misunderstandings.
In recent times, the USA has been a more or less successful multi-ethnic society; despite past and current racial and ethnic tensions, the various ethnic groups that make up the United States still manage to live and work together mostly peacefully.
The success of Singapore managing the differences of ethnic groups is measurable through cultural links to India, China, Malaysia, and Indonesia. This gives Singaporeans orientations and loyalties that stretch far beyond the national borders. These differences are superseded by an identification with Singapore as a homeland with wealth and stability. Distance and distinction mark ethnic relations within the country.

-Karen