Eth_125_W7_Day_7_Hispanic_American_Diversity

Hispanic Americans can be found all over the United States. Many of the Hispanic American immigrants suffer great discrimination and persecution. The reason why is because they are different and some Americans fear what is different and then lash out toward people to be safe. If Americans would only expand their minds and find out about the different cultures and backgrounds of these people they would find they are not much different than you and I. Here is a summary of the linguistic, political, social, economic, religious, and familial conventions of the Mexican Americans, Puerto Rican Americans, Dominican Americans, and Cuban Americans. Mexican Americans are Americans from Mexico. They migrated to Texas in the 1820s. They came to America mostly looking for the American dream. Today Mexican Americans can be found in many states though. Mexican Americans are very hardworking people who will work for very little money. Mexican Americans speak Spanish. The longer they live in the United States though the more they began to learn and speak English. The ones who are born in America learn English and Spanish so that makes the bilingual. Mexican Americans are not moving forward in status socially very well or quickly. They tend to stick to their own kind and do not socialize outside their families very often. They are very humble so they don’t thrive to do better they just accept what they have and continue to be poor. They are poor in the fact that their status is low-income compared to the average American home. Their social status is still low and they are considered immigrants. The religion of most Mexican Americans is Catholic. Puerto Rican Americans speak Spanish. Their ethnic identity is from three different traditions: Spanish colonial, Afro-Caribbean, and North American. When they came to the United States they began to learn English and in the schools their children are taught English. Puerto Rican Americans feel very strongly about their homeland and their history. Their religions are mostly Roman Catholic but some are Protestants. Puerto Rico is a Commonwealth of the United States. Even though they are considered citizens they still call themselves Puerto Ricans mostly. Their political status is good but is still in question whether or not they should become a state or separate fully on their own. Because it is a commonwealth this makes Puerto Ricans American citizens. The social status of Puerto Ricans in America is good but some still have problems with becoming citizens. The reason is because of their known behavior with crime they sometimes cannot be trusted. Dominican Americans come from the Dominican Republic and speak Spanish. Spanish is their native language but they now speak English because they migrated to the United States and need to fit in with the crowd. Their religion is Roman Catholic, Protestant, Jewish, and some Christian religions. The social status of the Dominican Americans is reserved I would call it. They know a lot of American cultures and resist some of the changes to their culture. Dominican Americans value their culture and heritage very much so. They usually live in the United States but travel back and forth to the Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico to care for their businesses that they have established. Because of their resistance to assimilation to the American culture they have alienated themselves from developing into all they can be. They have become poor and rely on the government to help their families with their problems. Cuban Americans come from Cuba. Cuba is run by a president Fidel Castro and is an island in the Caribbean Sea. During the Cuban American migration to the United States many died in the sea. The Cuban Americans were seeking help from for the United States from the terrible life by their president Fidel Castro in Cuba. The Cuban Americans settled in Miami and then were able to succeed in making a home for themselves and even become accustomed to American culture. The Cuban Americans were welcomed and helped out by Americans. Cuban Americans native language is Spanish but they have become accustomed to speaking English. Cuban Americans encourage their children to speak English so they will do well in school and be more socially accepted. The Cuban American religion is Roman Catholic and over half of Cubans have no religious affiliation at all. Cuban Americans have greater success then many other Hispanic groups. Cuban Americans have become highly educated and this has led to their success over other Hispanic groups and has made them more like an average American family. Cubans are considered to be conservatives for the Republican Party. Cuban Americans are registered to vote and have been exercising their rights to vote. Mexican Americans, Puerto Rican Americans, Cuban Americans, and Dominican Americans all have very different cultural traits but each is considered Hispanic Americans because they speak the same basic languages. They all speak Spanish and they also all share the same religion which is Catholicism. Each group has a different culture that they feel is important and each group values their culture differently. Out of all the Hispanic groups listed the Cubans have done the best for themselves in America by establishing businesses and becoming successful in the social and political world in America. Even though they are all Hispanic they are very different and made an impact in the United States all in a different way. References Lambert W and Taylor D.M. (1996). Language in the Lives of Ethnic Minorities: Cuban American Families in Miami . http://applij.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/content/short/17/4/477 Buffington. Countries and Their Cultures. http://www.everyculture.com