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Assignment: Hispanic American Diversity Shannon Shoulder Eth 125 September 25, 2011 Jon Vandiver

2 Assignment: Hispanic American Diversity According to the Census Bureau, as of 2006 there is an estimated 44.3 million Hispanics in the United States. They account for 14.8% of the total population in the United States. Hispanic Americans are encompassed of several different groups. Mexican Americans, Puerto Ricans, and Cubans are the largest groups that make up the Latin race. They each migrated to the United States from different areas of the world for different reasons. All the groups have lots in common, but they still have their differences that distinguish them from one another. Yet within the United States they are all mistakenly categorized as nothing but immigrants. Mexican Americans are the largest recorded Hispanic group in the United States and makeup 64 percent of the Hispanic population. Although their cultural background suggests that their native tongue is the Spanish language, the fact remains that some dont even know the language at all. As of 2002, about 23 percent of Mexican Americans are English dominant, 26 percent are bilingual, and 51 percent are Spanish dominant (Schaefer, 2006, p 241). Mexican Americans do not have much political participation in the United States. The fact that a large number of the Hispanic population is not yet a citizen makes them ineligible to vote. Their political participation is also affected since the majority of them live in poverty. They have less concern and no belief that their vote can impact the political outcome. There has not been much improvement in their economic or social status within the United States. According to the Public Policy Institute of California (2002), Mexican Americans also constitute one of the most economically disadvantaged groups in the United States, with an average household income more than 40 percent below the comparable average for non-Hispanic whites. Since the majority of them live in poverty and maintain immigrant status, they remain at the bottom of the social status. Their economic status is dependent on the

3 education that they receive. Most of the Mexican American population does not obtain adequate education. Studies showed that the younger the youth that migrated to America were more likely to complete high school than those that migrated at an older age. Puerto Rico is an island that actually belongs to the United States. It is often mistaken that its inhabitants are immigrants to the United States. However, the truth is that all Puerto Ricans have U.S. citizenship. The political status that they hold is almost similar to that of those citizens residing in the U.S. They serve in the military, are subject to federal laws, and are represented in the House of Representatives. (Garrett, 2007). They also have different methods and policies of voting even though they are U.S. citizens. They may participate in the presidential nominating process, but they are not allowed to vote in the general election. Any source of income that they earn within the United States is subject to federal tax, but this paying of taxes is not required in Puerto Rico. Religion is a significant factor to Puerto Ricans. There are many religions on the island, but the two main religions in Puerto Rico which are practiced are the Catholic faith, which holds the majority with 85% of the population, and the Protestant faith, which is followed by only about 8% of the people (Puerto Rico Channel, 2011). They take pride in the celebrations of religious and political holidays. This Hispanic group speaks the language of both Spanish and English. Spanish is the primary language for them, but they also teach English as a secondary language in their schools. Puerto Ricans are more English-language oriented due to the excessive migration back and forth between America and Puerto Rico. Cuban Americans is another Hispanic group within the United States. They have specific qualities that distinguish them from their Hispanic counterparts. Cuban Americans have great political influence within the United States. Fully 78 percent of Cuban Americans had

4 registered to vote in 1989 and 1990, compared to 77.8 percent of non-Hispanic white Americans (Buffington, 2011). This significant political influence is due to the vast amounts of Cubans in America. They are also benefiting more economically than other Hispanic groups. Not only are they bringing in more income, but also 17 percent of them have completed college. Just as the majority of other Hispanic groups, Cuban Americans have a developed religion in the Roman Catholic Church. Others have some kind of religion in Protestantism or have no religion at all. The Spanish language is also of course the native language for Cubans. A considerable amount of Cuban Americans have the ability to speak both the Spanish and English language equally. The Cuban family has some differences from the Cuban American family. With the Cuban American family, the women have more authority. They are more likely to join the workforce than taking care of their home. The children have more freedom in America than they would if they have lived in Cuba. Overall, the patriarchy, strong parental control over children's lives, and the importance of non-nuclear relationships for the nuclear family are of less importance to the Cuban family in the United States (Buffington, 2011). Dominican Americans originate from the Dominican Republic. They are the fifth largest Hispanic group within the United States. It was not until the end of the 1900s that the Dominican migration began to escalate. Some may describe them as being African American, but they view themselves as Hispanic descent because of their ethno-linguistic heritage. Therefore being a Hispanic group, they too speak the Spanish language. Upon entering the United States, they struggled with the English language barrier. Dominican Americans refused to assimilate with the United States, maintaining their cultural origin of their country. Since migrating to America, there has been some change in the Dominican familial status. Families

5 have tended to become smaller and more nuclear as migrants remain in the United States longer (Buffington, 2011). As far as economic status in the Dominican home, there has been an increase in poverty and single-parent homes relied more greatly on public assistance, specifically single mother homes. This separation of families is blamed on the immigration process. When husbands leave their home, the women are left with no job skills and little capability of speaking English. They usually obtain employment in low wage, low prestige jobs. The only political status they have attained in America is education, the status of undocumented migrants in the United States, citizenship status, and police violence against (Buffington, 2011).

6 References Buffington, S. (2011). Cuban Americans. Retrieved from http://www.everyculture.com/multi/Bu-Dr/Cuban-Americans.html Buffington, S. (2011). Dominican Americans. Retrieved from http://www.everyculture.com/multi/Bu-Dr/Dominican-Americans.html Garrett, R. S. (2007, June). Political Status of Puerto Rico: Options for Congress. Retrieved from http://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/row/RL32933.pdf Puerto Rico Channel. (2011). Puerto Rico's Religion Practices. Retrieved from http://www.puertorico.com/culture/religion/ Schaefer, R. (2006). Racial and Ethnic Groups (10th ed.). Chicago, IL: Prentice-Hall. The Economic Progress of Mexican Americans. (2002, May). Public Policy Institute of California, 1(59). Retrieved from http://www.ppic.org/content/pubs/rb/RB_502JGRB.pdf