OPPapers.com

Mexican Americans

Mexican Americans, Puerto Ricans, Cuban Americans and, Central and South Americans all belong to the Hispanic American group of people. They are a large group made up of very distinct characteristics. They are also a group which is linked to a heritage of common language. Hispanics are defined by the federal government “as a person of Mexican, Puerto Rican, Cuban, South or Central American, or other Spanish culture or origin regardless of race.” (United States Census, 2000). It is said that the Hispanic Population in the United States was raised from 22.4 million people in the year 1990 to 35.3 million in the year 2000, making it an increase of almost 60%. For every five Hispanics that come to the United States, two of them were born abroad. As of the year 2000 Mexicans have made up three-fifths of the United States Hispanic population, totaling about 20.6 million people. With 3.4 million people Puerto Ricans were the second largest group in the United States. The third largest group of Hispanics living in the United States is Cubans. According to the United States Census Bureau, Hispanics will make up approximately one-third of the country’s population by the year 2001. (United States Census, 2004).
Although everyone may think that all Hispanics speak their native language which is Spanish, that fact is fictional. Not all Hispanics speak the Spanish language all the time, in fact some of them don’t even know the language at all. In the year 2000, a language other than English was spoken in 75% of Hispanic households. Over three-fourths of Hispanics spoke a language other than English at home. “In 2000, 18 percent of the country’s population aged 5 and over spoke a language other than English at home, and the majority of them spoke Spanish at home. Over 75 percent of Hispanics spoke a language other than English at home.” The highest rate among Hispanics that spoke the English language was Dominicans and Central Americans, with over 9 of every 10 of the...