Hispanic Americans - Research Paper Example

The Hispanic Americans in United States consists of four particular groups. They are the Mexican Americans, Puerto Ricans, Cubans and Central / South Americans. Mexican Americans Mexican Americans, as of July 2009, constitutes 10 . 3 % of the United States population. They “ comprise 66 % of all Hispanics and Latinos in the United States ” ( “ Mexican American” ) . United States houses the second largest Mexican community in the world right after Mexico itself. Mexican Americans as a race is a general agglomeration of Native Mexicans, Spaniards and other Hispanicize European settlers.

Their history in the United States ranges for over four hundred years. By 1900 their settlements were mainly focused in the New Mexico, California and Texas. As a matter of fact Californios were strictly Spanish speaking citizens of present day California, who later became associated with the society soon after the California Gold Rush. Presently the Mexican .Americans have a substantial population in the cities of Los Angeles, Culver City, Long Beach, La Puente, Chicago, Houston, Phoenix, Dallas, San Francisco Bay Area, Denver and more.

In order to avoid racial classification, the United States Census Bureau in 1970 tried to classify Hispanics by “ Spanish speakers and persons belonging to a household where the head of household was a Spanish speaker” Persons by Spanish heritage by birth location or surname Persons who self – identified Spanish origin or descent ” ( “ Mexican American ” ) Spanish continues to be the main language of the Mexicans since the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo. English was of minor importance because of proximity of southwestern U S to Mexico.

In the beginning of twentieth century, with the second and third generations now on track, English became necessary with different work professions being available. But still in 1980s there were 100 Spanish news papers, with around 500 radio stations and 130 television stations. Since 1960s, there had been a huge influx of illegal Mexican immigrants in the United States which had heavily increased the cheap labor work force of the country. As the prospect of deportation is a constant threat they are highly subjected to exploitation by the employers, who often take a “ don’t ask ”, “ don’t tell ” attitude towards them.

The immigrants are racially dubbed as “ Wetbacks ” which is a lucid approach just like “ nigger ” to African – Americans. Mexican Americans as a whole mainly form the nucleus of blue collar occupations in the U S. this includes from working as restaurant workers, truck drivers, janitors, gardeners, construction labors and metal moving workers. Several incidents of tensions had often aroused between Mexican immigrants and other ethnicities and also between Hispanic Americans and cheap Mexican labors over the sustainability of working – class jobs.

“ However, according to a survey conducted by the Pew Research Center in June 2007, 63 % of Americans would support an immigration policy that would put illegal immigrants on a path to citizenship if they “ pass background checks, pay fines and have jobs, learn English ” ” ( “ Mexican American ” ) , Socially, immigrants from Mexico come from lower stratus of social ladder and are involved in low skilled jobs by generations. Usually they are form rural areas. Strictly speaking,