Hispanic American Diversity

Hispanic American Diversity

The United States has always been a country that has many diverse racial and ethnic groups. The United States has the highest and fastest growing minority group, the Hispanics. The population of Hispanics continues to grow every year and they have become a big part of the United States. I believe Hispanics play a major role in the United States and they have a lot to offer. The Hispanic population helps to support the economy and the work force. Hispanic groups have always played an important part in the growth of the United States.

The first Hispanic group that I will be talking about is the Puerto Rican group. The Jones Act of 1917 made Puerto Ricans living in the island of Puerto Rico and the mainland American citizens. Puerto Ricans are a Spanish speaking group that maintains a close relationship with their ethnicity. Puerto Ricans consider themselves to be Americans, but they are still proud of their culture and where they come from. Puerto Ricans are very nice people and they always make one feel at home. Puerto Ricans usually greet people with a hug and kiss on the cheeks (Schaefer, 2006). Family life and the amount of time they spend with their family are very important to the Puerto Rican society as well as other Hispanic groups.

Puerto Ricans usually call themselves Boricuas. Puerto Ricans usually live close to family members and attend activities such as going to church, which is a very important part of their culture. Education is another thing that is very important for Puerto Ricans. However compared to the White American they still fall short and that is mainly because they are a bilingual speaking group. There are several programs out there that encourage bilingualism to help the Hispanic community. However these programs can't keep up with the constant increase of the Hispanic population, there simply are not enough programs out there.

The Second Hispanic group I will be writing about is the Mexican American group. Many Mexicans immigrated to the United States because they wanted a better life for themselves and their families. During World War II when Americans were fighting overseas, Mexicans were welcomed in the United States because of the great help they provided along with the cheap labor. Even today Mexican Americans continue to play a big role in supporting and working in the United States farms doing work that most Americans are not willing to do.

The Spanish language is a big part of the Mexican American culture and helps to unify the culture. Most Mexican Americans did not give up their native spoke language, but instead learned English as well, making them bilingual. Most Mexican Americans are Roman Catholics and they have a strong belief in their religion. Political views are of great importance for most Mexican Americans and they make a strong effort to be more involved in the American government. By becoming more involved in their local and national governments, Mexican Americans are proving themselves to be a political force, and have demanded attention from politicians who now fight for the votes of Mexican Americans. By becoming more involved in the political process, Mexican Americans are making an effort that creates for a better future for Mexican