Eth125_Week_7_Assignment

Freedom and a chance at a new life, is what everyone dreams of when coming to America. Mexican Americans, Puerto Ricans, Cuban Americans, and Dominican Americans all have this dream in common. Even though these groups might be culturally different, they all have so much in common. A Spanish speaking person, from Mexico Spain, and from Central America to Cuba is presented as Latino or Hispano. The population of Hispanics in the United States grows every year, and has become a big part of the American society. The Hispanic population offer support to the economy as well as supporting the work force. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, as of 2009 Hispanic groups made up 15.8%, and this number will grow every year. Below is a review of political, linguistic, social, economic, religious and familial principles of four Hispanic American groups and how they added to the affluent variety of American culture. Mexican, Puerto Rican, Cuban, and Dominican represent the fastest growing portion of Hispanic population in the U.S. and are characterized by differences as well as similarities in various life aspects. Mexican Americans are the largest group of Hispanics in the United States. Many Mexican Americans speak both Spanish and English, with every new generation born; the use of Spanish language has been slowly being diminished. Mexican Americans live mainly in the south-west area of the United States mainly in areas like California and Texas. The high population of Mexican Americans in the same area allows for a greater number of community events for Mexican Americans. The close proximity to Mexico has been a factor in the slower cultural change among Mexican Americans. The family size of Mexican Americans is higher compared to the other Hispanic groups. The males are the authority figure in many of the Mexican American household, where the women are considered the housewives. The authority has changed over the course of time mainly for women who have grown custom to the American culture. Women are in charge of household matters but are also submissive to the men. A high percentage of Mexican Americans practice the religion of Catholicism. Many festivals of Spanish Mexican catholic origin represent an important part of Mexican Americans. One of the most important celebrations for Mexican Americans is the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe on December 12th. (Mexican Americans, 2008) Mexican Americans are involved in politics much of the voting behavior have been democratic. The Mexican-American legal Defense and Educational Fund (MALDEF) has been established to protect the rights of Mexican Americans. The Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund have been involved in illegal employment practices, voting rights, educational segregation, and biased testing in schools. Puerto Ricans are American citizens. Puerto Ricans are the second largest population of Hispanics in the United States. Many Puerto Ricans migrated to the northeast and Midwest area of the United States, but with a high percentage concentrated in New York. Women are responsible for child rearing and domestic duties. Men have been assuming more responsibility in the household due to women in the workforce. Puerto Ricans value family and because of the high number of families headed by women, they rely on extended family members for financial and emotional support. Many Puerto Ricans are catholic and adhere to the Catholic Church. Other religions have played a prominent role such as Evangelical Protestantism. Puerto Ricans have also been known to practice Santeria, a religion which originated in Africa. Puerto Ricans are highly involved in politics and government. State and local organization have been created to serve the need of Puerto Ricans in the United States. Some institutions address issues that affect Puerto Rican on the island and the mainland. Some organizations are; the National Congress for Puerto Rican Rights and the National Puerto Rican Coalition. Both, Spanish and English, are the official language among Puerto Ricans in the United States and in the island. English is widely spoken among Puerto Ricans, but Puerto Ricans remain a predominantly Spanish speaking society many of the second and third generations in the United States do not speak Spanish fluently. Cuban Americans living in the United States live in metropolitan areas. Two thirds of the Cuban Americans live in Florida, Miami-Dade County. (Perez, 2002). Cubans make up the third largest group within the Hispanic population. Many immigrant groups are composed by young generations and men. Among the Cuban Americans the women to men ratio is higher than other Hispanic groups. Cubans speak Spanish. There is a difference in the use with Spanish as the first or second language among generations. For many years the United States has been the principal destination for Cubans. Many Cubans left the island for political reasons. Beginning 1960 to1994 approximately 600,000 Cubans migrated to the United States through air-lift, or freedom flights, sponsored by the United States. (Perez, 2002) The city of Miami is considered an ethnic enclave in regard to the Cuban community. Florida is one of the states with highest number of Hispanic owned businesses. Cubans in Miami can live as if they are in Cuba because a large part of the community is made up by Cubans. Many of the businesses are owned and operated by Cubans. By the late 1990’s Cuban Americans also had a political influence in Miami, many of the mayors, commissioners, county administration, police, public school systems where headed by Cubans. The marital statuses of Cubans in the United States are proportioned by divorced, married or widowed. There is a low percentage of Cubans whom where never married. Many of the marital conflict have to do with the family work ethic. Women are responsible for the household chores and employment as well. Divorced women tend to return to the parental home which creates a three-generation family relatively common in a Cuban American household. Many Hispanic groups practice Roman Catholicism; however, the church has not played a major influence in Cubans. The principal institution of an organized voluntary activity among Cubans is political and economic, not religious. (Perez, 2002) Dominican Americans have been unstudied in the United States. Since the 1980’s immigrants from the Dominican Republic to the United States have risen remarkably. The number of Dominicans which entered the united states within the last decade has been greater than number of Cubans: greater than any other Hispanic group except Mexican immigrants. The Dominican family in the United States is different than those in the Dominican Republic. Families are smaller than those in the Dominican Republic. Gender roles in the family seem to have changed trough the migration process to the United States. In the Dominican Republic males have control over the household, while women are responsible for the domestic duties in the house. Dominican American women with the new role of the co-breadwinners have challenged men for more authority in the household. Education does occupy an important place in the Dominican world view. Dominicans have fought political battles over education in the Washington Heights neighborhood of Manhattan (Buffington, 2000). The Dominican American communities have been involved in politics and government in the 1970’s an organization was created to fight for rights, called Council of Dominican Organization. A second group was created called National Association of Absent Dominicans, this organization fought for right of migrants to vote in Dominican elections. (Buffington,2000 ). Dominicans speak Spanish as a first language. The Dominican Republic has traditionally practiced Roman Catholicism. Some Dominicans also practice Santeria which combines some catholic beliefs with West African. Other groups such as Cubans and Puerto Ricans are associated with this religious belief called Santeria. A difference between these groups is the process of assimilation. All groups speak Spanish but each group uses a different dialect just as English from the United States is not the same as the English spoken in England. There are more similarities than there are differences. Hispanic women have the double burden of domestic responsibilities and sustain a full time job. Hispanics are mainly working class citizens and have a higher percentage of people living in poverty compared to other groups. Other similarities are religious beliefs Catholicism is very common in the Hispanic community. One last interesting statement: Hispanics are also known for their hospitality, friendly and expressiveness to strangers. References Buffington, S T (2000). Dominican Americans. In Jeffrey Lehman (Ed.), Gale Encyclopedia of Multicultural America , Vol. 1(2nd ed., pp. 525-533). Detroit : Gale. Retrieved January 30, 2011, from Gale Virtual Reference Library via Gale: http://find.galegroup.com/ips/start.do'prodId=IPS Mexican Americans. (2008). In William Darity, Jr. (Ed.), International Encyclopedia of the Social Sciences, Vol. 5(2nd ed., pp. 119-126). Detroit : Macmillan Reference USA . Retrieved January 30, 2011, from Gale Virtual Reference Library via Gale: http://find.galegroup.com/ips/start.do'prodId=IPS PÈREZ, L.. (2002). Cuban Americans. In Melvin Ember, Carol Ember, & Ian Skoggard (Eds.), Encyclopedia of World Cultures Supplement, (pp. 92-95). New York : Macmillan Reference USA . Retrieved January 30, 2011, from Gale Virtual Reference Library via Gale: http://find.galegroup.com/ips/start.do'prodId=IPS U.S. Census Bureau. (2011). http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/00000.html. Retrieved January 30, 2011