Hispanic American Diversity

Mexican Americans - Mexican Americans could probably trace their history farther than any other Hispanic group . The first Mexican Americans would be those living in Mexican lands which were annexed by the growing United States including the states of California and Texas Today , Mexican Americans comprise 66 .9 of the Hispanic population in the United States (US Census Bureau , 2003

Of all the Hispanic groups , Mexican Americans show the lowest level of English language knowledge . In the 2000 Census , only 24 of Mexican immigrants said that they spoke only English or speak English

very well This is lower than the 39 average of the Hispanic community . However the rate of English adoption grows with succeeding generations According to the same census data , 50 of second generation Mexican Americans already spoke English well . This rate of linguistic assimilation was higher than any other immigrant group

Politically , Mexican Americans are relatively assimilated thanks largely to their long history in the United States and Mexican-American leaders who pushed for equality and civil rights . Mexican-American governors have been elected in some southwestern states such as Govs . Jerry Apodaca and Bill Richardson of New Mexico and Gov . Raul Castro of Arizona

Today , Mexican immigrants usually fill in for low paying jobs in America that the majority does not want . These jobs are usually blue collar jobs or menial service occupations such as dishwashers , gardeners , house maids etc . The constant threat of deportation usually prevents illegal Mexican Immigrants from availing of social programs and benefits available to American citizens . Stereotypes of Mexican Americans also abound in the public psyche

Mexican Americans are at an economic disadvantage . While Hispanic-Americans are an economic minority , Mexican Americans as a whole are even more so . Twenty-six percent of all Hispanic workers have annual earnings of 35 ,000 or more in 2001 , compared with only 23 .6 of Mexican Americans who achieve the same . There are also a greater percentage of Mexican Americans living below the poverty line - 22 .8 than the Hispanic average of 21 .4 and even higher than the average for non-Hispanic white people who only have 7 .8 of their population living under the poverty line

The dominant religious tradition among Mexican Americans is Roman Catholicism with 74 of Mexican Americans professing to be Catholic Twelve percent of Mexican Americans identify as Evangelicals , 4 as mainline protestant , and 7 as secular (Pew Hispanic Center , 2007

The family remains a strong institution in Mexican American society and serves as the basic unit of social structure . The father still remains a strong authority figure but women are still revered . Extended families are also given equal importance with the immediate family (Franklin 2006

Puerto Rican Americans - In 2002 , there were around 3 .2 million Puerto Rico Americans living in the United States which accounted for 8 .6 of the can trace their ancestry to the Tanno Indians , the native inhabitants of the Puerto Rican islands . Immigration from Puerto Rico into the United States has happened through the many relationships that the...