U.S. People & Places - Miscellaneous, Hispanic Americans/Latino Studies
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Overview
Mexican Americans are the largest and fastest-growing immigrant group in the United States: According to the 2000 U.S. census, nearly 21 million people of Mexican descent called the United States home. Approximately 73 percent of these individuals have arrived in the United States since 1980, but Mexican immigration is hardly a recent occurrence. The first large-scale migration occurred during the Mexican Revolution (1910-1920), when 250,000 Mexicans fled their homeland and established barrios, or communities, throughout the United States. In 1942, the U.S. and Mexican governments created the Bracero Program, which allowed Mexican agricultural laborers to come to the United States as contract workers. Although the Bracero Program was terminated in 1965, the influx of Mexican immigrants continued, and today Mexican Americans make up 59 percent of the Latino population of the United States.About the Author:
Michael J. Schroeder is assistant professor of history at Eastern Michigan University where he specializes in U.S. and Latin American History
Editorials
Children's Literature -
As Mexico borders the United States, immigration from Mexico has been an issue in the United States for many years. One of the most famous Mexican immigrants was Cesar Chavez, who fought for years for the rights of immigrant workers. He and his sister Rita are just two of many Mexican immigrants who came to this country seeking work and found many obstacles to overcome. Since the nineteenth century, Mexicans have been subjected to discrimination by the United States, sometimes after crossing the border, and sometimes after the border itself moved. Despite Mexican-Americans making up a significant portion of the population, they were often treated as second-class citizens. This discrimination did not begin with the founding of the United States, but rather goes back to the time of the Spanish explorers. Over the past century, the rights of Mexican-Americans have advanced, but the rights of recent and illegal immigrants are still in question. In recent years, the steady influx of Mexican immigrants has been a very hot political topic, especially in the wake of the September 11 terrorist attacks. While this book has some very good information and presents the topic in an intelligent manner, the order of the chapters is very confusing. It starts with Cesar Chavez, moves to the American-Mexican conflicts of the nineteenth century, on to the Spanish conquering of Mexico, then back to modern-day United States. Aside from the confusing order, this book does offer a good examination of the history and issues surrounding Mexican-Americans. Part of "The New Immigrants" series.Book Details
Published
June 10, 2026
Publisher
New York : Chelsea House, c2007.
Pages
152
Format
Binding
ISBN
9780791087855