The Harvest Of Empire By Juan Gonzalez

During the mid and late twentieth century a major Mexican immigration Boom happened. With many job opportunities in the agricultural field in the United States and an economy in mexico that was growing but only benefited the rich. Many poor Mexicans migrated to the United States. According to the book, “Mexican Immigrants In The United States” by Portes, Alejandro, Bach, Robert L. Between 1960 and 1970 the Mexican economy was growing at a rapid rate with only the top 5 percent benefiting from it. Unemployment and underemployment began to spread and income inequality got even wider. These events led to a migration of legal and illegal Mexican immigrant into the United States. Mexico became an economic paradise for those who were already wealthy. The rest who were left behind had no other choice than to

Hispanics have been immigrating to America since the beginning of the Spanish Colonial era. Up until the 1920’s Mexican Americans have boomed in rural places in america. The 1920’s was meeting the beginning of a renaissance, a better promised life for both native americans as well as immigrants. Businesses were booming, wages were higher, and the industry was creating a bright future for America. However, Mexican Americans continued to face hardships as well as few successes leading up to the 1920’s. Whether these were Native born Americans with a Hispanic background or newly immigrated Mexicans, Mexican Americans faced the hardship of poverty, discrimination, segregation, and struggles during the 1920’s.

“Hispanics and the American Dream” from Imprimis starts off with a description on how Hispanics are one of the biggest and fastest growing races in the United States. Even though Hispanics are growing at an alarming rate, it was noted that their economical history could have been seen as the worst out of all the minority groups. Hispanics were seen to be at the bottom of society and reaching the American Dream was farfetched. This is the image many individuals in society see, and it is the image that covers up the success that many middle class Hispanics have had on the economy and culture.

Early in our history immigrants could move from a hard lifestyle, such as government corruption or famine to America . Where life was perceived to be perfect and had so much more opportunity. However, as the people changed in positive and negative ways the American Dream was altered as well. The overall idea of the American Dream has changed from ideas and freedoms to more tangible things. For example people used to move to America to have rights and to have a voice. Now some believe that if you wear expensive shoes and spend more money on your car than your house you have fulfilled the dream.

Eleanor Roosevelt said, “the future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams.” That statement holds strong for immigrants in America. Equal access to opportunities allows immigrants to achieve the American dream. Their success correlates with America’s success because of the contributions immigrants provide to America. Unfortunately, the current immigration policy in America denies many immigrants the American dream. It is crucial to understand the historical context of immigration in America. Initially, most immigrants were from Europe and were not restricted by any immigration laws. Now, most immigrants come from Latin America but are restricted to severe immigration laws. The Latino/a community is one of the most

In Harvest of Empire’s “Mexicans: Pioneers of a Different Type” Juan Gonzalez outlines how Mexican descendants contributed to U.S. prosperity and culture. Gonzalez’s assertion is that the Mexicans and their culture have been in the United States long before the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, the establishment of settlements and trade along the Rio Grande by Mexican pioneers, and the important factor Mexican-American workforce had in the nation. He supports his argument using historical records, individual’s stories and local papers. Respectively, Gonzales provides information that Mexicans greatly affected the economic uprising and culture of United States across the border.

Thesis: Although Mexican-Americans are legally considered white, the inequalities and discrimination they face show how they fail to receive the social benefits that come along with this label.

Negotiating Conquest is a scholarly work written by Miroslava Chavez-Garcia, which analyzes women 's roles in history, and discusses how the political system has affected their roles. It covers the period between the 1770 's to the 1880 's, the periods before and after American Conquest. Likewise, this book is divided into two sections, chapters 1-3 discusses "Women in Spanish and Mexican California," and chapters 4-6 discusses "Women in American California." This work analyzes the major ideas present within each period and how it affected women 's roles and power. The time and effort put into this book, is something that the author enjoyed, calling it a "labor of love." Overall, she then claims that her purpose in writing this work is to, "honor and recognize woman of all ethnic backgrounds, social classes, and regions, who established households, nurtured and reared families, and rose above personal adversity in societies that often ignored, overlooked, and rendered them invisible."

The definition of the “American Dream” by James Truslow Adams, “life should be better and richer and fuller for everyone, with opportunity for each according to ability or achievement” this means that no matter your social class, dilemmas, or circumstances at birth one will overcome and make their dream come true. This is a misconception brought upon by us in order to bring more workers to justify a social class clearly. Many immigrants come to the US thinking there will be a better life for them. It is the place where dreams come through. They know it will not be easy and are willing to put the hard work and

Inequalities within minorities is not limited to economic unfairness but also social inequity. The second story that shows how inequality within minorities is “The Myth of the Latin Woman” by Judith Ortiz Cofer. “The Myth of the Latin Woman” is an essay based on the real life experiences of Judith Ortiz Cofer. The story talks about the racist inequalities she has went through as a women of Hispanic descent. “a young man, obviously fresh from a pub, spotted me and as if struck by inspiration went down on his knees in the aisle. With both hands over his hearts he broke into an an Irish tenor’s rendition of Maria from West Side Story”. The author retells one of her experiences from earing graduate credits one summer and she is met by someone whom ignorantly makes racists remark simply because she is Latina. Furthermore in the story Cofer mentions how people gave the man a round of applause. “amused fellow passengers gave his voice the round of gentle applause” (Page 61). This shows that it is acceptable to generalize an ethnic group into a character from West Side Story. In addition to the unfair generalization, Cofer is confronted unfair expectations. I thought you Latin girls were supposed to mature early”. This is unfair assumption made to Cofer. She is treated like a vegetable rather than a girl who traditionally grows into womanhood. This also generalizes Latin women to be matured at a young age. Which is incorrect just because Latinas fall into a small category in society

Although Mexican Americans have struggled with various segregation acts and racial discrimination while adapting to the American lifestyle, many achieved the American Dream by countless job opportunities provided by America 's industrial and agricultural sectors.

Social injustice can range from anything such as; immigrants being depicted in the U.S, to a women getting yelled out by a man because of her social position. Social injustice can be seen all over our society. However, with the exception of some situations being greater then others, it can be agreed that social conflict is everlasting and ever-changing in our society.

Have you ever wondered why Latin immigrants come to the U.S.? Do they have any experience with any jobs? Why is the population of Latin immigrants increasing? Many Latin immigrants have moved into the United States which means the Latin Americans population of the immigrant in the United States is increasing. “The Mexican-born population in the U.S., which had been growing earlier in the decade, was 11.5 million in early 2009” (Passel & Cohn 2009) they have come from different countries, such as Salvador, Guatemala, Mexico and Honduras. There are millions of immigrants in the United States and all these millions of immigrants come here to get better lives and also to look for a job. Latin Immigrants have been coming here to get a good

The American Dream can mean a number of different things to number of different people. Over the years this ideal has evolved and its definition will continue to change for many more years to come. What has not changed is the desire to achieve this dream. For decades now, people from all over the world have immigrated to the United States with hopes of obtaining this dream. However it seems that, to many immigrants the American dream has a very different and more modest definition. To many foreigners it means having the basic necessities in life and giving their children opportunities and life they ever had. Immigration can be a good and a bad thing. On one hand the overall standard of living is better but on the other hand it is almost

Still, people are willing to risk their lives’ to enter the United States. Some may succeed, while some will be unsuccessful and get deported back to their own country. They sacrifice everything in order to provide a sense of hope for their family. This is what the American Dream represents; being able to prosper, raise a family, and live the means of a good life. Illegal immigrants long for a day where their offspring will develop into a successful individual, rather than growing up in an environment of poverty and despair. Imagine your child working in the fields of Mexico only earning 50 to 60 pesos a day ($5-$6). He/she is planting crops under the blazing sun getting blisters on their feet. The heat consumes the dream and hopes they aspire. People experience many difficulties while seeing more than they desire. Although immigrants approach the U.S. longing for wealth, in reality wages are less than the average salary of Americans. Even so, immigrants gain strength to continue through the encouragement of their family.