Scholars and practitioners in the field of multicultural education need a historical perspective on the role of cultural pluralism throughout U.S. history. This paper begins by tracing the role schools have played in socializing people to assimilate to an Anglo-Saxon society and discussing the rise of the ideals of cultural pluralism in U.S. schools. Rising nationalism after the Revolutionary War and the War of 1812, combined with the growing need for a work force in the Industrial Revolution, spurred the rise of common schools in the 1800s. Large, diverse urban populations made educators more aware of the role of schools as a unifying force. As a result, all of the states had compulsory education laws by 1930, the core curriculum being strongly influenced by the Anglo-Saxon interpretation of Americanism. The paper describes Banks' model of ethnic revitalization, using it to frame an understanding of assimilation efforts in New York and Minnesota in the early 1900s, then discusses possible reasons why the multiethnic movement of the 1970s failed to replace Eurocentrism with democratic cultural pluralism. The following suggestions are made for those in the field of multicultural education: (1) provide equal access to benefits for all members of society, shifting from a win-lose to a win-win philosophy; (2) recognize the diversity between and within cultures and not rely on polarized education programs; (3) understand oneself as a cultural being; (4) recognize and counter deficit models of achievement; and (5) increase skills necessary for a culturally diverse society. A list of 45 references is appended. (CJS)