History of the Latino American

History of the Latino American

The history of Latin Americans is long and rich and is dated back many centuries before the Europeans discovered them. The Latinos in America in the 16^th century were civilized and consisted of the Maya, Inca and Aztecs even before being colonized by European settlers-Portugal, and the Spanish.

Latinos occupies the southern part of U.S and are closely related to the Mexican-Americans with two in every three Latinos being Mexicans. Mexicans are one of the oldest settlers in the United States and at the same time representing the largest number of new immigrant that are arriving in United States.  Therefore, there population is increasing at a faster rate when compared to other Latino groups combined. Both the Latinos and the Mexican-Americans contribute to the economic, political and cultural forces that are continuously changing the national identity of United States (Vargas 22).

History of the Latinos American has changed over time. The Latinos being minority have faced a lot of challenges from the mainstream ethnic groups including discrimination especially in terms of access to education, employment and other public utilities.  Apart form these; the history of the Latinos is also formed from their social processes which shapes their gender, race, labour, culture, political activity and issues to do with ethnicity and identity.

Race and racism and American law are some of the issues over the years that have faced the Latinos.  The issue of racism and discrimination on the Latinos and Mexicans was evident in 1946 in the case between Mendez v. Westminster school districts in the orange county. The defenders represented by Mendez claimed that the constitutional amendment provided a window of discrimination on their children at the elementary school age. The laws and the regulation denied children from Latino and Mexican-American ancestry an opportunity to go to school that were reserved for Anglo-Saxon or white children (Richard 3). The Latinos and Mexicans cried fouls of segregations and therefore agitated for equal rights for their children. The constitution was to be changed so as to allow their children to equal access to education like their white children counterparts. The Latinos and Mexicans finally won their case when the constitution amendment was made to allow equal access to education by their elementary children in public schools.

The Mexico American, formerly were concentrated in states that belonged to the Mexico but after the World War I they secured employment opportunities in the steel producing and industrial cities. Earlier, the Mexican-Americans settled in informal settlement and a majority of them were peasant farmers (Vargas 20). Through the changes and amendment of the constitution, Latinos and the Mexican Americans have been incorporated in the mainstream social community. They contribute in the economic, cultural and political wellbeing of the country. Many of the Mexico immigrants have been incorporated in the labor force in industries like meat packing, in the construction companies, agriculture, hotels and other service throughout the country.

The social identity of the Mexican Americans has also undergone some transformation over the past years.  For example, they are now allowed to participate in voting process .they had earlier on campaigned for this opportunity but in vain. This platform has enabled them to be part of the political process that governs them hence given than an opportunity to be part and parcel of the government. The Latinos and the Mexican Americans have also managed to stand against any educational discriminations, ethnic discrimination, and employment biasness and defended or stood for their social and economic development.

The Latinos and the Mexican Americans have also managed to safeguard their community identity. For instance, there have been several occasions where these minority groups have disagreed on the possibility of integrating or separating from the larger Anglo society (Vargas 23).

Therefore, in conclusion, the history of Latinos is rich and it has undergone many changes. The Latinos and the Mexican-American community despite being minorities, they have always been committed to ensuring the laws and regulation fosters equality in all facets of the society be it economic, political, and in educational system.

Works Cited

Richard, Valencia. The Mexican American Struggle for Equal Educational Opportunity in             Mendez v. Westminster: Helping to Pave the Way for Brown v. Board of Education, Teachers College Record 107 (3) (March 2005): 389-423; Mendez v. Westminster School        District (1946), 20 May. 2009. Web. 11 April 2012.

Vargas, Zaragosa. Crucible of Struggle: A History of Mexican Americans from Colonial Times to   the Present Day. New York: Oxford University Press, 2011. Print.

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