Hispanic Americans have become very prevalent in American society for some time now. Mexican culture has made an impact in a variety of different areas and economies. The language barrier has been the largest setback for Mexican-Americans until the last couple of decades. At first, it was very difficult for Mexicans to succeed in American because of the language barrier. Now, the majority of schools offer bilingual education to help Hispanic children have a chance at succeeding in their schooling. In certain areas around the country, street signs have English and Spanish languages on them. Many companies are changing the way their businesses are accessed by the public. For instance, AOL now offers customer service options in Spanish, as well as many other companies that offer services over the telephone. Many commercials are now directed at Hispanic-Americans and the Mexican-American work force is now larger than ever and growing at an astonishing rate. More then one of every eight people in America are of Spanish decent. (236 Shaefer)
In their speeches, politicians now address the needs of Hispanic Americans and many decisions are made with their very large and diverse culture in mind. Federal law now requires there to be multilingual voting ballots in districts which have five percent or more do not speak English. There are Hispanic Senators in American government. But, many of these non-English voters are in this country illegally and were not allowed to vote, for the constitution does not allow anyone who is not an American citizen to vote. Even now, many Hispanic Americans do not even make an effort to vote because they feel like they are not taken seriously by the government, except for Latin American officials.
Socially, Mexican Americans do not really blend well with other Americans. This is very understandable. When large groups of the same people move to a different area, even if they are accepted, they will stay with their own group until they feel comfortable enough to start mingling with other groups. Economically, Mexican Americans have not gotten over the proverbial hump, yet. Mexican Americans receive about 70 cents on the dollar compared to what non-Hispanic whites receive. Although, inflation has caused an increase in their income, many Mexican American families are still below the poverty line. From my own experiences, (my step-father and uncle are of Mexican decent) many Mexican Americans are Catholic and as pious as any other group in the world. Their family life is still very traditional with the men going to work and the women stating home to raise children and do things around the house.
Puerto Rican’s lifestyles are very similar to that of the Mexican American. Puerto Ricans that move here tend to take low end jobs that allow them to produce very little income compared to that of non-Hispanic Whites. Until recently, most Puerto Ricans that migrated to America lived in New York City. Now, many Puerto Ricans are spreading out throughout the South and the East Coast. The size of the Puerto Rican racial group in America is not half as large as that of the Mexican American, but their language barrier still prohibits them from acquiring the “American Dream”. Puerto Ricans do speak a different form of Spanish than Mexican Americas by implementing some English words in a language called “Spanglish.
Many politicians also keep the Puerto Rican population in mind when making decisions in the areas in which they are prevalent. They are allowed to vote, as well. The Jones Act stated that Puerto Ricans that were born after 1898 were considered United States citizens. But, only Puerto Ricans living within America and not in Puerto Rica can vote. Puerto Ricans tend to stay with other Puerto Ricans like the Mexican Americans, which is very normal. Many Puerto Ricans are Christians, although there are some Jewish and Islamic groups within their racial group. Many Puerto Ricans families still keep to their traditional values with the males leaving to earn a living and provide for the family and the females staying home to raise children or to do things around the house.
Cuban Americans have had a very long history in America for there are traces are Cuban inhabitants in Florida as far back as 1831. Many of these early settlements were small and compact, mostly made up of a small enterprise, such as a cigar-making business. Since Fidel Castro took control over Cuba in 1959, many more Cubans have been making, and trying to make, their way into America. Many of the Cuban immigrants have settled in ad make their home in Miami, Florida. These days, Cuban Americans are doing generally alright. Their college completion rate is more than two times more than that of the rest of the Hispanic American’s. Cuban Americans have a median income range and their unemployment rate and percentage living under the poverty line is smaller than that of other Hispanic Americans. Their social acceptance among the other Hispanics in America is, overall, very good. The Cuban influence in Miami is as strong as any one race in a city in the world.
Their religion is mostly Roman Catholic, but there are many that follow Pentecostals and some Jewish Cuban Americans, also. Cubans are mainly conservative in terms of a political nature. Many Cuban families are just as traditional as other Hispanic American families. Many Cubans speak a type of Spanish that is very broad and with a great deal of slang.
Central/South Americans are usually referred to as “other” by the census and many of the different nations from the area have little to nothing in common with each other. Many of these people are of African, indigenous and European decent. This wide range of ancestry results in a wide variety of different colors between the nations, but they are usually light to dark skin color. This called a color gradient. Their language diversity can range from Spanish to Portuguese and from French to Dutch. This diversity mixed with their color gradient affects their social classifications. There are many different religions that are studied throughout these cultures and they typically do not form large groups, such as other Hispanic Americans. They tend to stay in small groups or on their own. Immigrants from these areas usually take a little time to cope with the social circles in America, but not always because they are not accepted. Columbians have been known to open grocery stores that cater to other Columbians in order to make a living. Many large families stay together and split their income between the household in order to survive in America. Politicians know that they still need these Central and South American’s votes, so they try to keep them in mind when planning or at public speaking events.
In conclusion, many of the Hispanic Americans live the same kind of life. Most of them keep menial jobs and have to combine incomes in order to provide for their families. Most of them stick together with their own nationalities and the number of Hispanics in America will continue to grow over the next century. Although many Hispanic Americans are here illegally, they still make a wonderful contribution to our country’s economic status. As time goes by, these groups will begin to implement themselves into American culture on a much more mainstream basis. After all, Hispanic Americans will be the majority in America before long.
Works Cited
Shaefer, Richard. Racial and Ethnic Groups. Chapter 9. Tenth Edition. Prentice-Hall. 2006.
