Colonized by Mexican Americans - Essay Example

? Colonized by Mexican Americans Ronnie J. Brickey Colonized by Mexican Americans One of the major minority groups in the United s today is Hispanic Americans; and by country of origin, the largest group within Hispanics is Mexican Americans. According to Joseph Healy (2006), ...Mexican Americans are more than 7 % of the population (and about two thirds of all Hispanic Americans…as a single group, however, Hispanic Americans is 12.5% of the total population, and they became the largest U.S. minority group, surpassing African Americans, in the spring of 2004. (p. 303) Being a major minority group, Mexican Americans are now facing different challenges coping with contemporary American society, given that the nation is still fairly divided regarding the policies on ethnic minorities and immigrants in the United States. As stated by Healy (2006), “Of all the challenges confronting the United States today, those relating to minority groups continue to be among the most urgent and the most daunting” (p. xix). In this case, this paper aims to look into the different issues faced by Mexican Americans in the United States, in the context of them being a major minority group in this ethnically-diverse country. Specifically, this paper would try to glance into the following controversial issues: the historical background of Mexican colonization in the United States; of Mexican immigration into the United States (both in “legal” and “illegal” immigrants); major socioeconomic indicators of Mexican Americans (especially poverty), and the conditions of Mexican culture and ethnicity in the context of a multiracial society. In order to understand better the social context of Mexican American minority groups in the United States, it is important to look at the historical context of Mexican colonization and immigration in the country. Mexico, a country located south of the United States, was a former colony of Spain who declared independence in September 27, 1821 (Geographia.com, 2008). When Mexico declared independence, the southwestern part of the United States (including parts of present-day California, New Mexico, Arizona and Texas) actually belonged to the country, and Mexico only lost this part of its territory when “One of the first Mexican presidents, the former rebel general Santa Ana” actually lost it “to the United States after a two-year war that ended in 1848” (Geographia.com, 2008). This may be one reason why, even up to the present, most Americans of Hispanic descent lives in this region, and why most Mexican Americans choose to migrate in the southwestern part of the United States. One of the main motivations why dominant group Americans conquered this area in the 19th century is because they actually needed a “cheap labor force in agriculture, ranching, mining, railroad construction, and other areas of dominant group economy in the Southwest” (Healy, 2006, p. 306). Also, because of the proximity of Mexico to the United States, there was a constant population movement across the border (Healy, 2006, p. 306). It can be seen therefore that the presence of many Mexican Americans in the American southwest, as well as their continued immigration into the area, has been largely due to both historical circumstances and economic conditions as major motive factors. This would continue to the trend as Mexican legal immigration, as well as “illegal immigration” into the United States, would continue well into the present. Concerning the immigration of Mexican Americans into the United States, Healy (2006) actually argues that By and large, the policies of the federal government have responded to these (immigration) conditions and have encouraged immigration during good times and clamped down during bad times (p. 310). As described in the history of Mexican Americans in the United States, dominant groups actually had the initiative of conquering parts of Mexico in the Mexican-American War (which later became the American Southwest), and used its population to serve as cheap labor in dominant group economies in the region. In this time, there is proof that the United States have been soft on immigration, especially in the early 20th century where cross border movement between Mexico and the United States was largely “unrestrictive and informal” (Healy, 2006, p. 310). Especially in the 1910s and in the 1920s, where the United States was involved in World War one and restrictive immigration laws to Europeans and Asians were applied, immigration was actually tolerated and even encouraged to provide a steady supply of cheap labor (Healy, 2006, p. 310). During the Great Depression of the 1930s, due to widespread unemployment at home, labor demand decreased, starting the restrictions and even repatriations of Mexican Americans from United States soil, sometimes even by force (Healy, 2006, p. 310). In fact, at this time, the federal government of the United States actually initiated repatriation laws that violently restricted immigration across the border and even expelling native born Mexican Americans out of the border (Healy, 2006, p. 310). This campaign actually led to a 40% decrease of Mexican population in America at that time (Healy, 2006, p. 310). At the end of the Great Depression, and especially when the United States again entered into war (World War II), demand for labor from Mexicans again increased. This actually came in the form of hiring contract laborers (also known as “braceros”), and this scheme attracted not only legal immigrants from Mexico, but also illegal immigrants as well (Healy, 2006, p. 310). Of course, the demand for labor had its price for Mexican Americans, for they were usually paid much less than American workers of white descent; this also lead to why Mexican Americans are more likely to be afflicted by poverty, as compared to dominant groups or even white minority groups (Healy, 2006, p. 310). This trend continues until the present. However, due to the more restrictive immigration policies by the United States today, illegal immigration by Mexicans is on the rise, especially in the state of California (2010 Immigration Support, 2010). While Healy contends that demand for cheap labor has been one of the main motive factors why Mexicans actually immigrated to the United States, there are also views wherein Mexicans themselves actually risk their lives just to immigrate to the United States, in the hope for a better life (2010 Immigration Support, 2010). In fact, there are also cases wherein illegal immigrants who have crossed the border actually help other illegal immigrants to do the same (2010 Immigration Support, 2010). According to government statistics, there are actually 12 million illegal immigrants in the United States today, 3 million of them in the state of California where majority are Hispanics of Mexican origin (2010 Immigration Support, 2010). It is said that one reason why illegal immigration continues to be a major problem because there are groups who actually support them, especially those firms who are gaining a major competitive advantage when hiring Mexican workers at a much lower rate than white American workers (2010 Immigration Support, 2010). Aside from that, it is also seen that Mexican American workers are more likely to take menial jobs which are not likely to be filled in by white American workers. However, anti-immigration groups actually contend that illegal immigration actually harms the economy in a number of ways, due to the fact that they add competition to the American labor market, in that they do not pay taxes, and that continued immigration, even legally, would only mean higher government costs, especially in social services. Many studies actually suggest that Mexican Americans are lagging behind in terms of major socioeconomic indicators, which is typical for a minority group according to Healy (Healy, 2006; Public Policy Institute of California, 2002). According to a study, Mexican Americans actually lag behind in schooling, which is also a major reason why they are more likely to have low paying jobs, and a lower standard of living as compared to other minority groups (Public Policy Institute of California, 2002). In the context of graduating from high school, it is actually seen that children of Mexican descent between 19 to 21 years old only has a 28% completion rate, as compared to the 78% completion rate of United States born black children of the same age, and an 87% completion rate of United States born children of the said age bracket (Public Policy Institute of California, 2002). According to this study, such a low level of educational attainment usually leads to low paying jobs (Public Policy Institute of California, 2002). According to another study, “A total of 29.2 million Hispanics of Mexican origin resided in the United States in 2007,” and most of them also lags behind in major socio-economic indicators (Pew Hispanic Center, 2008). This study actually found out those almost four out of ten citizens of Mexican origin actually lives in California, and one in four lives in Texas (Pew Hispanic Center, 2008). In addition, only nine percent of Mexican Americans are able to have a bachelor’s degree, that twenty percent (20%) of people living in poverty has a Mexican descent (as compared to a 11.9% percentage on the general United States population), and that Mexican Americans has only a 51.2% rate of home ownership (as compared to a 67.2% of the general United States population) (Pew Hispanic Center, 2008). These indicators clearly show that Mexican Americans are more likely to be under poverty, to be homeless, to have a low educational attainment, and to earn a lower income, as compared to both dominant majority groups and the national population average. In this case, it is actually argues that it is more difficult for Mexican Americans to actually assimilate with American society, given such socioeconomic barriers (Valdivieso, 1990). With regards to the ethnicity and culture of Mexican Americans, it is actually argues that they have maintained their distinct culture, as well as the Spanish language, to a large extent. According to Healy (2006), “Population movement across the border was constant, and Mexican culture and the Spanish language were continually rejuvenated, even as they were attacked and disparaged by Anglo-American society” (p. 306). In this case, while American citizens of Mexican descent may have experienced harsh cultural attacks and degradation from other dominant groups, constant immigration and cross boundary cultural ties, both by legal and illegal immigrants throughout the years, have helped Mexican Americans retain some part of their Mexican cultural heritage, as well as the Spanish language of their homeland. Such distinct cultural practices retained until the present includes the Roman Catholic religion, and as well as food and traditional “fiestas” celebrated (Healy, 2006, p. 306). However, throughout history, Mexican Americans also have been under attack by stereotypes imposed upon them by dominant groups, including being lazy, weak, ignorant, fatalistic, backward, and having a weak work ethic (Healy, 2006, pp. 306-307). Thus trend also included the degeneration of the term macho, which has different meanings on white and Latino contexts (Healy, 2006, p. 308). However, despite these attacks, due in part to historicity, proximity, and the lack of social mobility, they have been able to preserve their unique cultural practices as compared to other minority groups (Healy, 2006, p. 316). References Geographia.com (2008). Mexico History and Culture. Retrieved from http://www.geographia.com/mexico/mexicohistory.htm Healy, J. F. (2006). Race, Ethnicity, Gender, and Class: The Sociology of Group Conflict and Change, 4thed. London: Sage Publications. Pew Hispanic Center (2008). Hispanics of Mexican Origin in the United States, 2007. Retrieved from http://pewhispanic.org/files/factsheets/49.pdf Public Policy Institute of California (2002). Research Brief. Retrieved from http://www.ppic.org/content/pubs/rb/RB_502JGRB.pdf Valdivieso, Rafael (1990). Demographic Trends of the Mexican American Population: Implications for Schools. Retrieved from http://www.ericdigests.org/pre-9217/trends.htm. 2010 Immigration Support (2010). U.S. Immigration Support: Your Online Guide to U.S. Immigration. Retrieved from http://www.usimmigrationsupport.org/immigration-articles.html Read More