Hispanic-Americans in America Today

Paper Summary:

The paper is a discussion on the origins of the peoples comprising the Hispanic Americans and notes that this term is a generic term used to describe immigrants to America that come from all parts of Latin America. The paper discusses and compares the affiliations, education levels, and cultural and political issues of these different peoples.

From the Paper:

"Although the term 'Hispanic-American' is often used as a generic term, this is not necessarily an accurate linguistic portrayal of this demographic group in terms of its economic, social, political and cultural diversity. Hispanic-Americans are Spanish-speaking people or people with Spanish-speaking origins who trace their roots Cuba, Mexico, Puerto Rico, other countries in Central America and South America and Spain (Therrien & Ramirez, 2001). But Hispanic-Americans, especially recent immigrants may not perceive themselves as 'Hispanic' because of their many differences from those who are subsumed into the same census category. Rather, some Hispanic-Americans may see themselves as Cuban-Americans, Mexican-Americans, Dominican-Americans, or Puerto Ricans. "Thirty years ago immigrants from Latin America who settled in the United States were perceived in terms of their home nation--as, for example, Cuban-Americans or Mexican-Americans, just as European newcomers were seen as Italian-Americans or Polish-Americans ("Inventing Hispanics," 2001, The Brookings Review) The immigrant influx from Central and South America, which has grown substantially, in recent years, may be most erroneously referred to as generically Hispanic, given the profound tensions and cultural differences that can exist between individuals from different nations from the region."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Corral, Oscar. (5 Apr 2004). "Hispanics and Cuban-Americans varying political views yield surprises." Miami Herald.
• Inventing Hispanics." (Winter 2001). The Brookings Review. 20 (1): 10. Retrieved 15 Sept 2007 http://amitaietzioni.org/documents/B374.pdf
• Therrien, Melissa & Roberto Ramirez. (2001). "Diversity of the Country's Hispanics Highlighted in U.S. Census Bureau Report." Census.gov. Retrieved 15 Sept 2007. http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/2001/cb01-41.html

More papers on Hispanic-Americans in America Today:

• Essay # 61092 : "Hispanic American Cultural Diversity"
• Essay # 33557 : "Hispanic American Theater in America"
• Persuasive Essay # 106611 : "Hispanic American Diversity"

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