Hispanic American Diversity - Essay Example

Hispanics share the heritage of the Spanish language but many do not speak Spanish at all. Among the Mexican Americans, 23 percent speak English, 26 percent are bilingual and 51 percent are Spanish dominant. The society is concerned about their immigrant status and is often confused whether their stay is legal or illegal. The Mexican Americans comprise of the affluent as well as poor peasants. They usually come from low income background and have less formal education. They have made gain in formal schooling but still lag behind most Hispanics.

Family and religion are a great source of strength to the community. They have religious preference for the Catholic Church. The court of law does not provide protection for the poor, Spanish-speaking. The community has a culture of poverty as they have no future planning, no commitment to marriage and no work ethic. They prefer to adhere to their Mexican culture. As the number of Mexican Americans is growing, they have become conscious voters. Thus subgroup is politically conscious and when they did not get any response from the established politicians, they set up their own party.

The Mexican Americans are eligible for dual nationality. Even if their children are born in America, they can claim Mexican nationality, although dual nationality does not give them voting rights in Mexico. They can be found in large number in New York. Puerto Ricans are English-oriented with about 39 percent being English-dominant and 40 percent of the population being bi-lingual. Only 21 percent of the Puerto Ricans are Spanish-dominant. This subgroup too, is challenged by the immigrant officials but they have the same voting rights as other Americans.

Puerto Ricans are no longer concentrated in New York but are dispersed throughout New Jersey, Illinois, Florida and California. They are more familiar with the US culture and the English language. Unemployment among the mainland Puerto Ricans is high. They have a vibrant