Hispanic_American_Diversity

Hispanic American Diversity Axia College of UOP/ETH 125 In the year 2000, Hispanic Americans reported around one in eight people of the United States. 12% of the Unites States (U.S. Census Bureau, 2000) were made up by Hispanic Americans, which calculated 32.8 million that lived in the United States. By the year 2007 these numbers had revealed a major increase. (U.S. Census Bureau, 2007) the population jumped from 32.8 million to 45.5 million dramatically just after seven years. Being the largest minority group in the United States, Hispanic Americans also are the greatest growing minority group from all other races and ethnic groups. Mexican Americans Mexican Americans in the United States trace their ancestry to Mexico. They are one of the largest Hispanic American crowds in the United States. Spanish being their first language, the mainstream of the Mexican American people are of Spanish descent. About seventy percent of Mexican Americans are bilingual and speak both Spanish and English, although there are some who only speak their first language of Spanish (MSN Encarta, 2008). When in business and educational atmospheres, English is normally spoken. The phrase spanglish has been used many times to identify the amount of influence the English language has had on customary Mexican Spanish. Approximately ninety percent of Mexican Americans are said to have come to live in the United States as a result of emigration from impoverished rural areas of Northern Mexico during the twentieth century. The remaining ten percent trace their ancestry back to the 17th and 18th century colonists that settled Mexican territories that are now known as part of the Southwestern United States. California, Texas, and New Mexico are a few of these territories. Most Mexican Americans still live primarily within these Southwestern States. Some have also established relatively large Mexican American communities within urban cities like Chicago and New York City. The Mexican Americans are a multiracial group. Mexican Americans consist of white; Native Americans; mestizos, which are people of mixed Native American and European descent; and mulattoes, which are those of mixed African and European ancestry (MSN Encarta, 2008). Many Americans categorize Mexican Americans based upon their outward appearance, but in actuality Mexican Americans have highly varied physical features. For the most part, Mexican Americans consider themselves members of the Roman Catholic Church. Some are also Jews of Sephardic background. There has been a recent rise in Evangelicalism, which has resulted in some Mexican Americans converting to Protestantism. The Catholic Church affects various aspects of Hispanic American culture. When compared to White Americans, Mexican Americans are considered to have higher unemployment rates, higher rates of poverty, and significantly lower income (Schaefer, 2006). Mexican Americans are generally viewed as a poor culture. Another thing that may contribute to the Mexican Americans being viewed as a poor culture is that many illegal Mexican Americans work for extremely low wages. Although these wages seem minimal to other American citizens, these illegal immigrants are able to make more working illegally in the United State than they are able to make in their home land. Mexican Americans are becoming more active in politics as the years progress. The Chicano Movement is an important piece of Mexican American politics. This movement was led by Cesar Chavez, along with various others, and its goal was to secure civil rights and economic opportunity for the Mexican American people. The Chicano Movement is an important landmark in Mexican American history. As the Mexican American community grows, so does their political influence in the United States. Puerto Ricans Puerto Ricans make up the second largest Hispanic American group in the United States. Many Puerto Ricans migrated in the 1960’s from the Puerto Rican countryside. Puerto Rico is a commonwealth of the United States, so the Puerto Rican community is eligible for more federal benefits than other groups may be. Although Puerto Ricans have more federal benefits than other groups, they are also considered a poor community. Many native Puerto Ricans migrate to the United States due to a declining economy in Puerto Rico. Some Puerto Rican farm workers migrate to the United States on a seasonal basis, and then return to Puerto Rico after working in the United States. The official language of Puerto Ricans is Spanish, but like Mexican Americans, many speak English as well. Puerto Ricans also vary in race, much like the Mexican Americans. Most Puerto Ricans use a scale to place people into either a “lighter” or “darker” category. As will all other minority groups, Puerto Ricans experience a certain amount of prejudice. Majority of Puerto Ricans have strong Catholic beliefs. Another religion that is practiced consists of a blend of Catholic traditions and pagan religious beliefs from the West African Slaves that had been brought to the Island of Puerto Rico in the sixteenth century. This paganism has been referred to as Santeria. Many Puerto Ricans also believe in espiritismo, which is the belief that the entire world is populated with spirits who have the ability to communicate with the living through dreams (Green, 2008). Puerto Ricans face many difficult issues regarding politics. The most recent issue that has been addressed is whether or not Puerto Rico should remain a commonwealth, seek statehood, or declare its independence. Majority of Puerto Ricans voted to remain a commonwealth, but statehood took a close second (Schaefer, 2006). Most aspects regarding this decision were based upon economic stability. Many Puerto Ricans believe that it would economically beneficial to remain a commonwealth of the United States. Cuban Americans The third largest group of Hispanic Americans is Cuban Americans. Cuban Americans trace their ancestry to Cuba. Around three-fourths of all Cuban Americans were actually born in Cuba; many migrated to the United States after Fidel Castro created a Communist dictatorship over Cuba. Most Cuban immigrants don’t consider themselves as typical immigrants, but rather as political exiles from their own country (MSN Encarta, 2008). Over half of Cuban Americans live in a part of Miami known as Little Havana. Cuban Americans also live in cities like New York City, Los Angeles, and New Jersey. Little Havana has become popular for Cubans because of its proximity to Cuba, and because of its warm climate. Compared to other Hispanic American groups, Cuban Americans are doing relatively well. Spanish is the dominant language for Cuban Americans. Within Little Havana, Spanish is the most common spoken language. Like other Hispanic American groups, English is also a language that Cuban Americans have come to familiarize themselves with, but they still prefer to use their native language more than other Hispanic Americans. Many Cuban Americans had to flee their country unwillingly due to political issues, so there is an extremely strong sense of culture and heritage within the Cuban American communities. As the older generations pass and younger Cuban American generations rise, the traditional Cuban values seem to slowly fade. Younger Cuban Americans often marry outside of their culture, which was highly frowned upon by traditional Cuban American culture. These young Cuban Americans are beginning to relate more to American culture than to that of their Cuban culture. Central and South Americans The fourth Hispanic American group consists of immigrants from Central and South America. This group is not as well heard of as the previous three Hispanic American groups. While Spanish is a language spoken by this group, some also speak Portuguese and even French. Central and South Americans are more racially and ethnically diverse than the other Hispanic American groups. Unlike the other three groups Central and South Americans are not easily placed into a certain group with an identifiable culture and background. Due to war and economic struggle many immigrants fled to the United States from El Salvador, Nicaragua, and Guatemala to escape the troubles of their own country. Majority of Central and South Americans are considered illegal immigrants. This group has struggled economically within the United States. The struggle to assimilate into the United States both culturally and economically has proven to be difficult for this particular group. All four of these Hispanic American groups share differences and commonalities. All have had to assimilate into American culture, and for certain groups it has proven to be easier than others. Spanish is definitely a dominant language for these Hispanic groups, and for the most part English has become a common second language. Although all four groups are considered Hispanic Americans, each group has its own unique culture and beliefs, much like any other minority group in the United States. References Green, D. (2008). Puerto Rican Americans. Retrieved May 10, 2010 from http://www.everyculture.com/multi/Pa-Sp/Puerto-Rican-Americans.html Infoplease. (2007). Hispanic Americans by the numbers: From the U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved May 10, 2010 from http://www.infoplease.com/spot/hhmcensus1.html Mexican Americans. (2007). Retrieved May 10, 2010 from May 10, 2010 http://www.mexicanamericans.com/ MSN Encarta. (2008). Mexican Americans. Retrieved May 10, 2010 from http://encarta.msn.com/encnet/refpages/RefArticle.aspx'refid=761587500 MSN Encarta. (2008). Cuban Americans. Retrieved May 10, 2010 from http://encarta.msn.com/encyclopedia_761587474/cuban_americans.html Schaefer, Richard T. (2006). Racial and ethnic groups (10th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Prentice Hall. U.S. Census Bureau. (2000). The Hispanic population in the United States. Retrieved May 10, 2010 from http://www.census.gov/population/socdemo/hispanic/p20-535/p20-535.pdf