Hispanic American Diversity - Research Paper Example

edly larger percentage of people of color and visible minorities within key social institutions such as government office – President-elect Barack Obama is perhaps the most obvious example today but there is also increased representation of visible minorities across the country in all aspects of public office – the police services and the education sector, just to name a few. Changing worldwide immigration patterns have led to an increased flow of people from around the world to the United States, facilitating interracial and intercultural communication.

American society has quickly become far less homogenous and cultural institutions are beginning to reflect this. Today, 1 in 3 Americans identify themselves as Hispanic, African-American, Native American, Asian America or Pacific Islander. It is predicted that by the year 2050, more than half of the American population will be identified as minorities. The growth of Hispanic communities in the United States has been profound over the last century and this paper proposes to undertake a thorough analysis of the various Hispanic communities in the United States today.

Contrary to popular opinion, the Hispanic community in the United States is not a monolith and is composed of various Spanish-speaking groups which may share various commonalities but also differ in a variety of respects. Accordingly, this research paper aims to explore the linguistic, political, social, economic, religious, and familial conventions and/or statuses of the four major Hispanic groups living in the United States. In short form, these groups include Mexican-Americans, Puerto Ricans, Cuban-Americans, and Spanish-Americans.

Following a brief yet comprehensive overview this essay will conclude by summarizing major differences and commonalties apparent among the groups. We now turn to an introduction to the Mexican-American community (Gans 1995). Mexican-Americans speak Spanish as their mother tongue and include both an older