A brief summary of the linguistic, political, social, economic, religious, and familial status of the Mexican American, Puerto Rican American, Cuban American, and Dominican American ethnic groups.
Mexican, Puerto Rican, Cuban, and Dominican Americans all have very much in common, yet remain separate ethnic groups, descended from various ancestors. Many come to the United States for political asylum, but many immigrate to the United States in search of the American Dream. Traditionally, Americans have not initially been accepting of immigrants upon their arrival to the United States, but many ethnic groups have successfully been able to carve out their own niche on American soil, and while acceptance is not readily given to new arrivals, tolerance of different ethnic groups appears to be increasing.
Mexican Americans are a diverse people who have attained socioeconomic, linguistic assimilation, and legal status. Most are in pursuit of the American Dream and working hard to escape the humble status of the earlier generations, who are excluded from this attempt due to not having attained legal status in the United States. Alba states that Hispanics who are born in the United States or have lived in the United States for 10 years speak English well; English is the dominant language by the second generation; and by the third generation monolingualism is common. The apparent predominance of Spanish use by Hispanics is due to recent immigration. Mexican Americans do not have many entrepreneurships or a wide-spread ethnic economy like the Cuban Americans established in Miami. Throughout the history of immigration to America, Mexicans seem to have made little progress in moving up from immigrant status to mainstream social status, partly due to the amount of discrimination and the poor educational systems provided to them. (Alba, 2006)
Puerto Rican Americans
The majority of Puerto Ricans are Roman Catholics, mixed with various denominations of Protestant faiths. Puerto Ricans speak Castillian Spanish, which originated from ancient Latin. English is taught in most elementary schools, but Spanish remains the primary language in Puerto Rico. Puerto Rico is a Commonwealth of the United States, with its own constitution, legislature, and governor, subject to the executive authority of the United States; due to this commonwealth status, all Puerto Ricans are American citizens, as such, they are considered migrants versus immigrants. In the political arena, there is much debate whether Puerto Rico should maintain the Commonwealth relationship with the United States, advocate for full United States statehood, or fight for complete independence of the United States. Puerto Rican American assimilation has been both successful and distraught with problems. Twenty-five percent of Puerto Ricans living in the United States and 55% of Puerto Ricans living in Puerto Rico are still experiencing serious problems, and though American citizenship presumably carries many advantages, Puerto Ricans continue to struggle with problems such as drug-use, crime, lack of educational opportunities, and the breakdown of the familial structure. (Green, n.d.)
Cuban Americans
The Cubans exiled from the Caribbean Island after the 1959 revolution changed Miami, Florida into what many have deemed the capital of Latin America. During the Cold War many political refugees sought asylum in the United States where they happily accepted the benefits offered here. The Cuban Americans significantly changed many things in Miami, including reversing the typical progression of assuming American culture and societal assimilation. Instead of replacing Spanish with English and assimilating American cultures, they brought about what has been termed “reverse acculturation”, meaning Miami residents had to become accustomed to the Cuban economical impact and political domination. However, unlike the Cuban immigrants, Haitian immigrants, derogatively referred to as “the boat people,” faced insurmountable racism and alienation for their entry into the United States. Haitian immigrants changed the typical assimilation by concealing their heritage and adapting the dress and attitudes of the African American inner city youths. (Cato, n.d.)
Dominican Americans
Dominicans speak Spanish as their native language, although reportedly more are also speaking English. Dominicans practice primarily Roman Catholicism; however, Protestant, Jewish, and Afro-Christian religions exist as well. The Dominican American communities are primarily recent. Many Dominicans maintain a vital interest in the Dominican Republic and many migrate back to their country of origin to establish businesses on the island. Many Dominicans enter the United States through the “back door,” primarily entering Puerto Rico then moving to the mainland United States. American values are popular and copied by many Dominicans, so when immigrating to the United States they are already familiar with much of the United States culture; however, being one of the newer cultural communities in the United States, Dominicans are somewhat resistant to assimilation, never having abandoned their home country and culture or completely embracing the new country and culture, thus they are still developing their own Dominican American culture and community. The 1990’s demonstrated an increase in poverty among Dominican Americans; single-parent homes headed by women in particular relied more heavily on public assistance. Though the familial unit remains important, it is different in America versus the Dominican Republic, notably families tend to decrease in size. (Buffington, n.d.)
Mexican Americans, Puerto Rican Americans, Cuban Americans, and Dominican Americans each have a distinct cultural identity–rich in familial ties, but each has been grouped in the Hispanic American category on the basis of language. Though these groups share the Spanish language, each has a different dialect and origin. Although Roman Catholicism is the primary religion of each group, there also exists in each ethnic group a variety of religious beliefs. While each group values familial connections, several groups show a change in family dynamics upon immigrating to the mainland United States. Cuban American seems to have made the most progress on the social and political front, while Puerto Ricans have made the most impact on their homeland in the economic realm. While some groups resist assimilation into American culture, others have readily embraced it.
References
Alba, R. (2006). Mexican Americans and the American dream. Political Science & Politics. American Political Science Association. Click here.
Buffington, S. (n.d.). Dominican Americans. Click here.
Cato, J. (n.d.) Becoming American in Miami: Reconsidering immigration, race and ethnic relations. Center for Latin American Studies, University of California, Berkeley. Click here.
Green, D. (n.d.) Puerto Rican Americans.Click here.
