Racial Groups
The Hispanic
The Hispanic people are of any race who are of mixed race of African origin, Native American, and who come from a Spanish speaking culture in America. The people from Mexican Heritage are the largest among the Hispanic constituted in the UHS as being 66.9% in total. The Puerto-Ricans (8.96%) and the Cubans (3.7%) another group of the Hispanics are those coming from South and Central America such as the Nicaraguans, Costa Ricans, Panamanians, Salvadorans and the Honduras who make up a total of 14.3% of the total Hispanic group. I fall under the Mexican group. The history of the Hispanics dates back to five hundred years old marked by a variety of colonial experiences. They did not cross the bounder into their current territories but the borders crossed them.
Material culture is the product of the people whose culture is derivative of Spanish Culture. The Spaniards brought their manifacts and artifacts with them to America from a variety of regional backgrounds. They brought with them their technologies, education, skills and value styles which reflect to material culture that make up significant American landscape of the South west. Their culture enabled them to prosper and survive in the new hostile environment. They have now built an environment which stands as their monument of their persistence, courage and creativity. The Hispanic culture has had a great influence in North America. The Anglo American, Native American, Spanish and Mexican interaction has had a primary impact on the development of south western culture.
Discrimination against Latin Americans
Since there is a wide variety of ethnic an d racial ,backgrounds of the Hispanic community , not all Latinos are distinguishable as racial minority. Discrimination of The Mexicans started after the Mexican American War of 1846 to 1848 leading to the US annexing most part of the Current Southwestern Region. All the Mexican s residing in that territory was subject to discrimination. Over 597 Mexicans were lynched between 1848 and 1928. the lynched Mexicans were art a rate of 27.4 per 1000,000 in the years between 1880 and 1930. During the great depressions, the government of US sponsored Mexican Repatriation program which was a program to encourage Mexican workers immigrating to the US to voluntary return to Mexico. Many of the Mexicans were however returned forcefully to against their will. More than one million Mexican people were deported yet Sixty percent of those individuals were actually US citizens. Colonization of the Americas by the Spain has negatively marked the history of the Hispanic and the Latino in the US. Five hundred years later the Hispanics continue to live the consequences of history of colonization and conquest in which most of their living standards have not improved. This applies to the Latin both in America and the Mexicans Racial violence against Mexican- Americans was also seen in the Zoot Suit Riots in Los Angeles in 1943.
Naval servicemen who were stationed in a Latino neighborhood conflicted with youth in the dense neighborhood. There was frequent confrontation between individuals and small groups which intensified into several days of rioting. Large mob of service men entered civilian quarters with the intension of attacking Mexican American groups youths. Some of the service men wore Zoot Suits which were distinctive exaggerated fashion that were for the Mexican youths . The disturbance continued unchecked and was assisted by the local police for several days before based commanders declared down town Mexican American and Los Angeles neighborhood off limit to servicemen.There was discrimination in mainstream businesses, institution and home owners associations for they had policies to exclude Mexican Americans. School Children of Mexican American descendent were subjected to racial discrimination in the school system. Mexican Americans in many counties were excluded from serving a s juros in court cases especially those involved in Mexican American defendant. The Mexican Americans in many areas across the South west lived in separate residential areas because of the real estate company policies and laws.(Takeaki, 1993,p 277-283).
Conclusion
Discrimination based on race in the US has been a major issue since the colonial era. Heavy burden of racism in the country falls under Native Americans Asia Americans , Mexican Americans American Muslim an other immigrant groups and their decedents among others
Reference
Ronald Takaki, A Different Mirror: A History of Multicultural America, New York: Little, Brown & Co., 1993,p 277-283.
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