Hispanic American Diversity - Research Paper Example

Hispanic American Diversity Introduction The United s is primarily a country of immigrants. From the time Christopher Columbus discovered the new land, the land of opportunity has been the target of settlement among various races starting from the ‘pilgrims’. The initial exodus from England and Europe was followed by forceful transfer of slaves from Africa and later by people from South America and Asia. Many immigrants found the country as a land where life could be made worthwhile and meaningful whereas life in their home lands was unbearable and miserable due to political, economic, and social reasons. The end result is that the inhabitants of the country, whether legalized citizens or otherwise can now be classified into several distinct groups such as Whites, Hispanics, African Americans, and Asians. Hispanics now constitute the second largest classifiable ethnic group in the United States after Whites. This paper reviews the second largest ethnic group in the country, namely the Hispanics, or the Latinos as they are often commonly referred to. The Hispanics are primarily Spanish speaking immigrants from the regions south of the United States, and include immigrants from countries such as Mexico, Cuba, Puerto Rico, and the Dominican Republic. They have a lot in common even though many factors prevent a uniform classification. The cliché ‘unity in diversity’ may not hold good here because the political, social, economic, religious, and family factors within each of these immigrants vary. Hence, this paper will also study the diversity and commonality among Hispanic groups with focus on the above mentioned factors. Political factors Every immigrant population will have a history or reason for migration to another land. In this case, history has played a diverse and decisive role in each of the above group’s large scale presence in United States’ soil. Some of them had moved because of political unrest while others have moved to exploit the better economic and social conditions that prevailed in the United States. Of the four major ethnic groups in the USA, only Mexico shares a geographical border which is nearly 2.000 miles long. Patrolling the border is a problem especially due to movement of illegal immigrants from Mexico. Schaefer (2006) in his book ‘Racial and Ethnic Groups’ records that “in the war-ending Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, signed February 2, 1848, Mexico acknowledged the annexation of Texas by the United States and ceded California and most of Arizona and New Mexico to the United States for $15 million” (258). This resulted in an ironical situation in the sense that many ‘Mexicans’ became American citizens without moving an inch from their lands, becoming the first Mexican Americans as a result of politics. The proximity and length of the shared (and mostly open) border still results even today in legal and illegal immigration into US soil. This is mainly due to the immigrant laborer’s willingness to work at cheaper rates than their American counterparts. The immigrants are largely comprised of farm and relatively unskilled labor. The well-established of the lot do no take kindly to new immigrants in most instances unless they are close family members, resulting in lack of political unity among them. Only one serious attempt at unionization exists under the leadership of Cesar Chavez, through the National Farm Workers Association. Other examples of political unity are the Chicanismo, and the La Raza Unida, mostly by the younger generation. There is no need to call this ethnic group Puerto Rican Americans because all citizens of the country are naturalized citizens of the United States. The Spanish American war in 1917 resulted in the country being part of US territory and remains so till date (Puerto Rico: The World Fact Book 2009). This ethnic group has no restriction of entry into the US even though their passports and background are scrutinized much more because of other South Americans passing off as Puerto Ricans. It is more of a territorial migration rather than a cross-border one in this case. They do not have any notable political groups as in the case of Mexican Americans even though they form the second largest Hispanic group in the United States. The Cuban Americans whose exodus into the US started primarily after Fidel Castro came to power forms the third largest Hispanic ethnic group in the country. Probably due to convenience and geographical proximity to Cuba, this ethnic group has settled mainly in Florida, unlike other groups who have spread their presence in various cities. Political differences in ideology with Cuba had resulted in Americans welcoming any Cubans who wished to flee the living conditions under Castro’s rule. Due to this situation the Cuban immigrant is viewed more favorably by Whites in the US, who usually tend to see other ethnic groups as inferior. Schaefer (2006) mentions the following with regard to this perception – “Cuban refugees have a special advantage over other refugees in terms of public opinion” (249). Politically, the Cuban Americans have formed an organization called Cuban-American Nationalist Foundation primarily aimed at denouncing the Communist Government of their homeland. They have taken an active role, not in US internal politics, but mainly in opposing any US move to be more cordial towards Cuba. The Cuban immigration initially was politically motivated rather than for economic considerations. But this is changing as more and more of the groups are moving to the US for better prospects and living conditions. The Dominican Americans are the smallest in terms of numbers among the major groups discussed here. Like other ethnic groups, the immigration has been for economic betterment. The majority are settled in New York, similar to Cubans in Florida. Interestingly, they are still actively involved in their homeland politics rather than the politics in their adopted country. Even though all the groups have some common characteristics (language and geography) they remain isolated in terms of political power. There have not been any major move to unite; rather they prefer to remain separated for the fear of losing their individual identities. The one area in which progress towards commonality, has been the recognition of Spanish as an official language in the United States. Politicians also play the Spanish card in an effort to woo their votes during elections. But for all other purposes, they have not been able to successfully emerge as a major political force despite their large numbers. Social, economic, religious factors and family life One factor that is resented to by each of the Hispanic ethnic groups is the fact they are all seen as South American immigrants by the majority of the whites. Each of them would be recognized by their home nation identity which does not usually happen. This is more evident with the older generation and new arrivals rather than those who have been second generation immigrants. It can be said that there is a unity among Hispanics to remain diverse without any particular need to have a common meeting ground. One reason could be that they have more important matters like finding a livelihood and adjusting with an alien culture on their minds. Among the more settled immigrants, they have the moral responsibility of helping fresh immigrants from their home country settle in. the Cubans have even evolved a sentence in Spanish to establish their own identity in the US. Author Sheila L Croucher mentions that this sentence is often seen in bumper stickers which goes like this – “No me Digas Hispano, Soy Cubano” [Don’t call me Hispanic, I’m Cuban]” (Croucher, 1997, P.56). Croucher goes on to say that the once cohesive groups of Cuban immigrants have now become fragmented to large extent and that they view new immigrants with hostility or at least unfriendliness. In almost all the ethnic groups there is also something referred to as color gradient by which whites and members (of ethnic communities) view the acceptance of another to be a part of the American society. The darker the person, the more distant he or she feels among the same ethnic group. It is also reflected in assimilation of that person into the social structure in USA, say through marriage to a white person. According to Kurt C Organista, “using inter marital assimilation rates as one index of ethnic prestige and interpersonal acceptability, we find that although over 50% of Japanese, Chinese, Filipino, and Cuban Americans are married to non-Hispanic whites, the figure is about 30% for Mexican Americans, and amazingly low 3.5% for African Americans” (Organista, 2007, P. 45). Cubans are seen more acceptable in US social and cultural milieu rather than Mexican Americans. Puerto Ricans too have considerable variances in skin color and are perceived by the local population as either White or Black. This is uncomfortable to this ethnic group who want to be seen as Puerto Ricans in an attempt to preserve their identity (Rodríguez & Korrol, 1996, p. 30). Interestingly many immigrants, especially the younger generation prefers the word Latino to Hispanic. David Gonzalez, in an article in the New York Times, writes that “HISPANIC Heritage Month ended recently. But someday -- if some "Hispanics" are to be made happy -- it may be Latino Heritage Month. Or perhaps Colombian-Dominican-Cuban-Mexican-Puerto Rican-and-Other Heritage Month” (GONZALEZ 1992). Another feature about acculturation (not necessarily though inter-racial marriage) among Hispanic groups is that youngsters tend to do this faster when compared to older ones. Familial ties and duties are stronger within Hispanic groups and are evident in the US also. For example, girls are supposed to take an active role in household chores, while boys and men can use their free time to earn money through part-time work. Proficiency in English is another area of diversity. As expected, Puerto Ricans (being US citizens) are most comfortable with the language, followed by Mexican and Dominican immigrants. Immigrants from the Dominican Republic were the latest entrants among the four groups. This is primarily because of the length of residency and association with the US in general. In terms of economic and education, it is the Cuban immigrant who comes better off when compared to others. Mexican and Dominican Americans also tend to visit their homeland often, the former due to proximity, and the latter to re-settle back in their homeland and also to start some business or invest in property. Most Hispanics are Catholics, especially within the Puerto Ricans and Mexicans. Moreover, religion is seen as an important part of socio/cultural life. This has resulted in the growth of the Catholic Church while the US mainstream Protestant faith has not seen any significant growth. Apart from Mexicans who are predominantly farm hands, most of the others have preferences as skilled, semi-skilled and unskilled workers. Conclusion It is difficult to describe in any detail, the vast amount of information that is available about Hispanic presence in the United States. Even after decades of presence, they prefer to keep their national identities and have done very little to organize themselves politically. Politicians in the US have seen this potential and have tried to woo their votes by using techniques like talking in Spanish, their one common bond. It appears that they are either unaware or do not care for a political strength. They also have their own personal issues to solve which gives them little time or other resources to be an organized political force. Most of them have migrated due to poor economic conditions back home while others (Cubans) primarily came due to political ideologies. Even the economic and social status among the groups varies. Some are better settled and better equipped while others (Dominicans) find adjusting very difficult. Fresh immigrants from all the groups also find adjusting to the social and cultural milieu in the US very difficult. A more detailed study can give more figures and statistics about the various issues faced by the Hispanics. This paper is only intended to provide a general view of the political, social, economic, religious, and other relevant factors among these groups. But it can be concluded that life in the United States will be better at least in terms of livelihood even though the time taken to settle down varies from group to group and individual to individual. Works Cited Croucher, S.L. (1997). Imagining Miami: ethnic politics in a postmodern world. Illustrated Edition: University of Virginia Press. GONZALEZ, DAVID. (1992, Nov 15). IDEAS & TRENDS; Whats the Problem with Hispanic? Just Ask a Latino. Retrieved May 17, 2009, from The New York Times Company Website: http://www.nytimes.com/1992/11/15/weekinreview/ideas-trends-what-s-the-problem-with-hispanic-just-ask-a-latino.html?pagewanted=all Organista, K.C. (2007). Solving Latino psychosocial and health problems: theory, practice, and populations. Illustrated Edition: John Wiley and Sons. Puerto Rico: The World Fact Book. (2009). Retrieved May 17, 2009, from CIA website: https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/rq.html Rodríguez, C.E and Korrol, V.S. (1996). Historical perspectives on Puerto Rican survival in the U.S. 3rd edn: Verlag für die Deutsche Wirtschaft AG. Schaefer, R. T. (2006). Racial and Ethnic Groups. 10th edn. Prentice-Hall: Pearson Education, Inc. Read More