Hispanic American Diversity p.

Lisa Williams

Axia College

ETH 125
Hispanic American Diversity p. 2

Mexican, Puerto Rican, Cuban, and Dominican Americans all have very much in common, yet they all
remain separate ethnic groups, descended from various ancestors. Many come to the United States for
political asylum, but just as many immigrate to the United States in search of the American Dream.
Americans have not always accepted immigrants to the United States, but many ethnic groups have
successfully been able to build their own foundation on American soil, and while acceptance is not
readily given to new immigrants, tolerance of various ethnic groups appear to be steadily increasing.

Mexican Americans

Mexican Americans are diverse people who have attained socioeconomic, linguistic assimilation,
and legal status. Most are in pursuit of the American Dream and are 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.
Most Hispanics who are born in the United States or have lived in the United States for
approximately 10 years or more learn to speak English very well; English is the dominant language by
the second generation; and by the third generation monolingualism is common.
The apparent predominance of Spanish used by Hispanics is due to recent immigration. Mexican
Americans do not have many entrepreneurships or a wide-spread ethnic economy such as the Cuban
Americans in Miami, Florida.
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 vast majority of Puerto Ricans are Roman Catholics, mixed with various denominations of
Hispanic American Diversity p. 3

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 rather than immigrants. In
the political arena, there is much debate over 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 unsuccessful 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. 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.
Unfortunately, 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 more are also speaking English.
Dominicans practice primarily Roman Catholicism; however, Jewish, and Afro-Christian religions
Hispanic American Diversity p. 4

exist as well. 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. (Eldridge,n.d)
Many Dominicans enter the United States through the "back door," primarily entering through
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 often resistant to assimilation, never having abandoned their home country and culture
or completely embracing the new country and culture, they are still developing their own Dominican
American culture and community.
The 1990's study performed by the United States Immigration Bureau showed 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.)

In Conclusion
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 Cathlicism 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.
No matter what's the reason, rather for political refuge or just for a better life, one fact for sure is; the
United States of America has become and will consistently become home to many ethnic groups
acquiring the “American Dream”.
Hispanic American Diversity p. 5

Works Cited:

Alba, R. (2006). Mexican Americans and the American dream. Political Science & Politics.
American Political Science Association.

Buffington, S. (n.d.). Dominican Americans.

Cato, J. (n.d.) Becoming American in Miami: Reconsidering immigration, race and ethnic relations.
Center for Latin American Studies, University of California, Berkeley.

Eldridge, Q.(n.d). Dominican Americans