Mexican Immigrant Identity

Paper Summary:

The paper examines the terms used for Mexican immigrants which reveal the sensitive tensions existing between them and the American people as a whole. The paper discusses the notion of "Spanish" people, "Californios", "Mexican Americans", "Latinos" and "Chicanos". The paper concludes that these terms are useful for presenting the landmarks of the history of the Mexican presence in the United States.

From the Paper:

"The history of the Mexican immigration is dated from the 17th century, even before the actual constitution of the United States. In this sense, it is considered that "Mexicans first arrived in present-day New Mexico in 1598 and founded the city of Santa Fe in 1610" (Immigration, 2005). This was one of the first places in which Mexican immigrants are registered on the territory of the present day US. However, one of the most important aspects of the Mexican immigration is the 19th century war with Mexico and the US's eventual victory which certified the adherence of California, Texas, and New Mexico to the US territory. From this point on, the history of the Mexicans in America represented a struggle for identity and emancipation as a distinct presence inside the American nation."

Sample of Sources Used:

• California Historical Eras. N.d. 6 March 2008 http://calrepublic.tripod.com/history.html#californio
• Five Views: An Ethnic Historic Site Survey for California. A History of Mexican Americans in California: The Chicano Movement. 2004. 6 March 2008 http://www.nps.gov/history/history/online_books/5views/5views5e.htm
• Immigration. Becoming Part of the United States. 2005. 6 March 2008. http://memory.loc.gov/learn/features/immig/alt/mexican2.html
• Jenkins, P. (1997). A history of the United States. New York: Palgrave.
• Mexican History Study Guide. Are Chicanos the same as Mexicans? 2003. 6 March 2008 http://www.mexica.net/chicano.html

More papers on Mexican Immigrant Identity:

• Analytical Essay # 35401 : "Mexican Immigration"
• Analytical Essay # 141724 : "Mexican-American Male Immigrants"
• Book Review # 65569 : "Becoming Mexican-American"

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