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Not knowing,
the way they look at you
the schoolteachers
the way they look at you
the city hall clerks
5 the way they look at you
the cops
the airport marshals
you don´t know if it´s something you did
10 or somethimg you are
( Tino Villanueva; from Discover..Hispanics in America, Page 16 )
Contents
1. A short introduction about the
United States of America
...................................................................................3
2. The Hispanics in the USA
e.g. in Miami,Florida
...................................................................................3
3. Language and cultural identity
- The bilingual education
...................................................................................4
4. Immigration and the border
- The Cuban Adjustment Act
....................................................................................5
5. The Elian Case ;
- how much influence does a minority have
....................................................................................6
6. Sources
...................................................................................7
7. Timetable ...................................................................................8
1. A short introduction about the United States
The USA is still the country of endless opportunities . Many immigrants see in the USA their only chance for a better life. They dream a special dream , like from rags to riches , to start as a hard working dishwasher and become a millionaire . For this reason people from hole over the world are coming to the USA. The USA is now , what we are calling a "melting pot" :
in which all races and cultures are coming together .
2. Hispanics in the USA
Miami,Florida.
I´ve you are traveling through big American cities like Miami in Florida , a city with about 362 000 inhabitants , it´s like if you are in a foreign counrtry . No place in the United States is quite so international as Miami . In some districts the buildings and the people on the street , look like if you are in a former Spanish colony . If even the signs on the street are in Spanish , you are probably in "Little Havanna". Little Havanna is the biggest cuban district out of cuba . From 1,2 million cubans in the USA , the half of them are in Florida ( county of Miami-Dade ) .Because it´s so close to Cuba. There are so many Cuban Americans in Miami that the Miami Herald, the city\'s largest newspaper, publishes separate editions in English and Spanish. .
Hispanics are coming to the USA because of one big reason : work !
There are higher wages in the USA than in their home countries .
For exampel the average worker in Mexico comes out to about $50 , while in the USA he can make $350 a week.
In total , Hispanics represent between 4 % and 42 % of residents in 28 states .
In Calfiornia we have the highest rate ,( 11.0 million residents ), Texas ( 6.7 million residents)
About 75 % of the Hispanics live in seven states :
California, Texas, New York, Florida, Illinois, Arizona, and New Jersey.
Top ten places of 100,000 or more population with the highest percent Hispanic, 2000
Place and state
Total population Percent Hispanic of total population
1.East Los Angeles, Calif. 124,283 96,8 %
2.Laredo,Tex. 176,576 94,1%
3.Brownsville,Tex. 139,722 91,3 %
4. Hialeah,Fla. 226,419 90,3 %
5. McAllen,Tex. 106,414 80,3%
6.El Paso,Tex. 563,662 76,6%
7. Santa Ana,Calif. 337,977 76,1%
8.El Monte, Calif. 115,965 72,4%
9.Oxnar,Calif. 170,358 66.2%
10.Miami,Fla. 362,470 65,8
Imagine you are a Latino , who is living in the USA. You can´t hardly understand the English language . Where do you want to stay ?
Of course in areas where many people of your ethnic group and your language are located .Big cities with a high Hispanic rate attract of course more Hispanics. And where you can follow your culture . Hispanics are a very loud , very passionate , and very exuberant people .
Demographic data show that in the next century the majority in the United States will no longer be white .
The Hispanics are going to take over the USA!
3. Language & cultural identity
the bilingual education
The difference between the Hispanics and other minorities in the USA is their language. Different from Blacks which have integrated very fast , the Hispanic have still integration problems . Therefor the Department of Education had founded a system of bilingual (Eng./Span.) school education.
Until 1998 Spanish-speaking pupils were thought for several years primarily in their native tongues.
Famous Mexican-Americans let raised fears , that their children will have education problems and weren´t learning English in the elementary classes. Because of bad test scources and a high dropout rate among Hispanics , a state-wide movemant began about the whole purpose of the bilingual education , and if it works in practice .
Today the parents have a choice in which way they want their children are taught.
Opposers of the bilingual education say , that if you are learning a new language , it may rob you of your cultural background .
4. Immigration and the border
Across two borders immigrants can mainly arrive in the Unites States .
On the on hand we have a 2100-mile long Mexican-American border , where we have a massive illegal immigration. Of course there is a Border Patrol , also known as la Migra (Span.), without these patrol the illegal immigrants (also called : aliens) might very fast swamp the USA.
Each day about 1200 illegal immigrants were catched by the U.S. Border Patrol.
About 3 million of the 8.5 millian Mexican-born people stay illegal in the USA.
On the other hand illegal immigrants from Cuba , who flee from political reason , the reason being the dicatorship of Fidel Castro have to cross a 145 kilometres long seaway where they risk their lives , and many refugees died on the journey .
The Cuban Adjustment Act
The Cuban Adjustman Act is a law passed by the Clinton gowernment which comprised that refugees (also called balseros ) which were catched by the Coast Guard have to send back to Cuba .Where they mostly go to jail.
In July 2003 , eleven Cubans tried to sail to the USA in a speciel green ´51 Chevy pickup.
Unfortunatly they were catched by the Coast Guard.
They were sent back to Cuba. Now they are sitting in prison for at most ten years . What a wrongful law!
5. Without the Elian case , we would have another President in the White House!
Who is Elian ?
Elian Gonzales , is a six year old Cuban boy who was rescued on Nov. 25, 1999, off the Florida coast. He and other Cubans tried to reach the U.S. coast in a small refugee raft . The raft sank and his mother and eleven other Cubans died. A struggle began between some of Elian´s Cuban relatives in Miami , who wanted to keep him , and the democratic US Government .
Finally Elian was send home to Cuba to his father.
The Cuban lobby was dissatisfied with the Government.
And in the presidential election in 2000 , the normally Democrats voting Cubans gave only 18% percent of their votes to the Democrats. So the Democrats lost Florida and maybe on this account Al Gore lost the presidential election. Out of it you can see how much influence a small minority have !
7. Sources
Books :
Discover... Hispanics in America Publishing house : Ferdinand Schöningh (71 sites published 2002 by Veronika Kaiser & James Martin )
ISBN 3-14-040044-6 Best source i´ve found, a lot of information about Hispanics , their culture, billingual education , immigration and the border ,
Materialienhandbuch English , Band 3 ; Minorities Publishing house : Aulis Verlag Deubner & Co KG ( 411 sites published 1996 by Klaus Brandes,Herbert Kaußen , berd Kroner , Rudi Renne,Heinz Simons )
ISBN 3-7614-1877-9
School library : Nen 2 Mat
Useful sites about Hispanics : from 358 till 362;
Very difficult language, shows old census facts , not very useful !
Internet :
Freitag
Die Ost-West Wochenzeitung https://www.freitag.de/2003/38/03380801.php
Author : Bert Hoffmann
Article : September 12, 2003
German site.Shows information about Cuban emmigration, Elian case ,
Brad Messer radio talk host , San Antonio,Texas https://www.bradmesser.com/
commentary/2003_0725_Cubans.html
Commentary from : Brad Messer
Friday, July 25, 2003
English site. Information about the truck escape from Cuba .
Hispanic Genealogy https://home.att.net/%7EAlsosa/page2.htm
Author : Al Sosa A discussion on the meaning of the words Hispanic and Latin.
Very unilateral against the word Latino.
College of Saint Benedict & Saint John´s univercity
Fast forward youth programme https://www.csbsju.edu/ffyp/CLH_defined.htm
Author : unknown
Very good site about the difference between Latinos and Hispanics, and other Spanish- speaking ethnic groups ( chicanos ...)
Infoplease.com
All the knowledge you need
Online enzyclopedia https://www.infoplease.com/spot/hhmcensus1.html
https://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0779064.html
https://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0904147.html
Very good online enzyclopedia, with the US Census facts from 2000
Useful tables
U.S embassy ,
U.S. diplomatic mission in Germany https://www.usembassy.de/usa/society-hispanics.htm U.S. Society > Hispanic Americans .
A small overview about the topic . Useful information how the word Hispanic was generated.
Also links to census facts.
8. Timetable
Week before autumn holidays: I searched for books about my topic on www.amazon.de
I found the book "Discover..Hispanics in Amercia" ( see source information , for more details)
During the autumn holidays I was mainly occupied to read in the topic .
I took the first notes.
Tuesday after the autumn holidays I went to the school library for more information. I borrowed :
the book : Materialenhandbuch
Englisch Band 3
the video : Telekolleg II (alt) -
Minorities in the
United States.
From Nov. 12, until Nov. 26 I made the handout and the presentation summary
From Nov. 28 , until Dec. 4 I´m going to practice the presentation , drawing maps , printing transparencies..... .
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