Colleen's Blog

I thought Colleen's blog was one of the better ones that I had seen all day. I thought that the thing that made her blog stand out was the YouTube video at the end that she made because not only did she make it instead of finding it online, it also has a lot of great pictures and information. I thought it was really good that she had a thesis in the beginning of her presentation, this was something that no one else did in their slide show. One of the things that I thought that she could do for improvement was that I felt like some of the slides in her presentation strayed away from her main point. I thought when she focused on minorities, mainly blacks in schools that it was very strong, but when she started to talk about different things it weakened some of the presentation. Overall I thought it was a very good slide show with lots of good infromation, and I thought that the slideshow at the end really brought everything together nicely.

Chris's Blog

Chris's blog was much different than the last blog that i read because it had many more pictures and videos, and was less text based. I thought that he Incorporated a lot of great pictures and his videos fit very well with his topic. Another thing that was interesting about his slide show was that when most people think of the arts they think of theatre and movies, however Chris took it in a different direction by choosing to write about rap and hip-hop. One of the things that I thought that could have been improved would be by adding a little more text and some more of his own opinoins. Most of the text on his slideshow was on the history of rap and the topic of violence, and I think it would have been a stronger if he would have added a slide at the end of his overall opinoins of the topic. Overall I thought it was a good slide show with a lot of great videos, and for improvement it think that he should have added some of his own opinoins.

Lana's Slide Show

I read Lana’s blog about immigration and I thought that it was very well done. I really liked how she made her slide show look like a manual of how immigration is like in America. Each page of her slide show had a very good amount of information that fully covered the history of immigration. Some of the problems that were in her blog was that there were only pictures. I would have been nice to see some videos and quotes because the pictures got a little repetitive. Another problem with the slideshow was that I think that it would have been better if she would have narrowed down her topic to a specific part of immigration. The presentation had a ton of great history of immigration, however I think that she could have made it stronger if she focused on a specific aspect of immigration. Overall I thought it was a good slideshow, with a lot of great information.

Slide Show Bibliography

"...and the Earth did Not Devour Him":

http://salinasstories.files.wordpress.com/2009/04/the_earth_did_not_devour_him1.jpg

Cesar Chavez Video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e7GCCBIgFaQ

Bread and Roses Trailer:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PI2lGJJnKM0

Marcy Kaptur Quote:

http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/n/nunnallyjo392536.html

Nunnally Johnson Quote:

http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/n/nunnallyjo392536.html

Hate Crime Picture:

http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://mexican-jaguars.tripod.com/sitebuildercontent/sitebuilderpictures/lynchedbyanglos.jpg&imgrefurl=http://mexican-jaguars.tripod.com/id53.html&usg=__wUtz7gmA6arryhexNBqbBK4jCSQ=&h=218&w=360&sz=15&hl=en&start=3&sig2=__fzrbdkL5qqkuoiassJXQ&um=1&itbs=1&tbnid=Lf7HsP_khLqQEM:&tbnh=73&tbnw=121&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dmexican%2Bmigrant%2Bworkers%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26tbs%3Disch:1&ei=jfeBS6jBFYjdnAeZrPiVBw

Rob Paral Article

http://www.unityblueprint.org/_documents/research-and-policy/immigrant-workers/2.AILF-MexImmWorkers&USEcon.pdf

Analytic Essay: Current Event

One of the biggest things that Americans view as a problem today is immigration, mainly immigration from Mexico to the U.S. One group of Americans believe that it is bad that so many Mexican immigrants are coming to America, and invading their country. They think that immigrants cannot benefit America, and only hurt it. However, others believe that Hispanic immigrants can be beneficial to America because they are good workers, and will be able to adapt to America’s culture.
Most Mexican immigrants are coming into the country with no money or possessions, so it is very hard for them to adjust to the new surroundings in America. One of the biggest problems for Hispanics is that when they arrive in the U.S. it is hard for them to receive a good education because of how important it is for them to work. According to the Dallas Morning News, a study showed the affects of how a poor education can lead to a bad job later in life. “The study’s researchers identified education as the biggest hurdle, noting that Hispanics have higher school dropout rates, lower college enrollment and less job training than the overall populating in an economy ever more reliant on higher-skilled jobs, ”(“Study Details challenges for Hispanics, implications for Labor Force”). The Hispanics are dropping out of high school very early because it is important that they get a job and work to provide for their family. By more and more Hispanics dropping out, it leads to very low paying jobs because they do not have a good education. Many Americans believe that it will be very hard for the Hispanics to assimilate into the middle class because they receive such a poor education. “…the study found that Hispanics as a group are losing economic g round relative to non-Hispanic whites because of a large pool of low-skilled workers, many of whom are illegal immigrants” (“Study Details Challenge Implications for Labor Force”). The immigrants’ goal when coming to America is to live a successful life. It is harder to live a successful life in the lower class, which most of the Hispanics are in because of how bad their jobs are. Another thing that people feel the Hispanic immigrants are doing is hurting America because of how much poverty they bring to America. In the article, “Immigration is Responsible for the Rising Poverty Rate,” it talks about how immigration is the main reason for the increased poverty rate in the past years. “Because so many immigrants are Hispanic and Asian and because so many Hispanic and Asian new mothers are foreign-born, the conclusion is obvious: immigration is driving most of the increase in population and poverty,” (Immigration is Responsible for the Rising Poverty Rate”). Americans think that Hispanics are one of the main causes to the poverty problem in the U.S. because of how many of them work in such low paying jobs. The huge amount of Hispanics coming into the country is causing Americans to feel uneasy because Hispanics are starting to take over the culture. However, there are also people that feel that Hispanics can benefit the country.
Many people in America feel that the U.S. was born off of different cultures from the many different immigrants that came into the country. There are a lot of people out there that believe America should stay that way, and one of the best ways to do that is to accept the Hispanics in American culture. In the article “Mexican Immigrants Do Not Threaten American Unity,” the writer talks about how America is supposed to be a mix of different cultures because that is the American way of life. “The American dream is built upon hard work of immigrants and the fundamental value of equal opportunity…We must not go back to a system where one’s race, class or religion determines one’s fate…” (“Mexican Immigrants Do Not Threaten American Unity”). America’s culture is based off of many different cultures, and that is how it should always be. The only way to achieve that is to continuously be accepting other cultures, and in this case it is the Hispanics. Another big reason for why people think that Hispanics should be accepted is because how much they can benefit America’s agriculture. Most of immigrants that come into America work cheap jobs that most people do not want to do. Even though does not greatly benefit the Hispanics, it can really help America’s agricultural industry. The writer believes that Hispanics are a very hard working group that could do great things for America. Unlike the people who believe that Hispanics could negatively affect America, the writer thinks that Hispanics will be able to fit right in with the American culture. “Everything that is traditionally thought of as ‘America,’ Latinos live out fully. They are family-oriented, religious, hard-working and loyal to the U.S” (“Mexican Immigrants Do Not Threaten American Unity”). The writer strongly believes that if America chooses to accept the Hispanics, then great things can come out of it. This is similar to Booker T. Washington’s address because Washington talked to the whites about accepting the blacks as workers because of how useful they had been in the past. This writer is doing the same thing by saying if America accepts the Hispanics, and “cast their bucket down” to the Hispanics, and then this can result in great things for Hispanics and Americans.
One of the biggest themes for Hispanics in current history is trying to become accepted in America. All of the articles that I read focused on both immigration and how Hispanics coming to America would affect the country. Some believe that Hispanics cause a disruption in American culture and do not benefit America. Others believe that Hispanics, if given a chance, can greatly benefit America and fit right into American culture.

Analytic Entry: Short Story

Reading statistics and information on a rough topic only gives one a general jest of what is going on in the topic. In the short story “…And the Earth Did Not Devour Him,” it takes place in Mexican-American family’s home who are trying get past the troubles of being a migrant worker. It is told through the thoughts of a boy whose family are manly migrant workers. “…And the Earth Did Not Devour Him,” gives the reader a full view of the hardships that a migrant worker’s family must go through.
All of the characters in the story, besides the boss of the workers, are Mexican immigrants. Not only are they all Mexican immigrants, but they have all also experienced trouble in their life through working in the farms. The main character, whose entire family were migrant workers, all struggled to get by in America. Early on in the story the reader learns that his aunt and uncle died from sunstroke because they were working in the hot sun for too long. This was one of the first things that struck up surprise. Once believed that it was very uncommon for someone to die from just working in the sun, however it was very different for these migrant workers. It was very common in this story that people would die from working for too long because they worked for so many hours under terrible conditions. If they ever tried to take a break they would be punished by their boss. When the boy’s mother is giving advice about working for so long, she wants to make sure that no matter what he takes a break. “Just drink plenty of water every little while. It don’t matter if the boss gets mad. Just don’t get sick,” (“…And the Earth Did Not Devour Him”). At that time in his family his aunt and uncle had died from sunstroke and his father was starting to get very sick, so it was very important that he would not get sick by any means necessary. The only way for him to do that was accept his punishment because their bosses did not care how their workers felt, he just cared that all the work be done no matter what the conditions were. The boy who was the main character, felt frustrated with how his life was because of how terribly he was being treated and how he was unable to do anything about it.
Helplessness was a very big theme throughout the short story. These workers had no money, and if they lost their job then their family would not be able to survive. For these families it was either die from working for too long, or not be able to support one’s family because they took a break. The main boy complained to his mother about how bad their situation was, and how they were helpless. “How come we’re like this, like we’re buried alive? Either the germs eat us alive or the sun burns us up. Always some kind of sickness. And every day we work and work. For what?” (““…And the Earth Did Not Devour Him”). These immigrants were unable to do anything about their situation because in order for them to survive they had to work, and work would often lead to death. This was a vicious cycle that the workers were unable to control because of their situation.
The short story “…And the Earth Did Not Devour Him,” was trying to express to the reader how terribly treated the migrant workers were. What they had to go through was unbearably, family members dying and living in awful conditions, was wrong and unjust. This story was trying to show the frustration of what they had to go through as an immigrant. The inevitable cycle that lead to many problems of either working till you get sick and possibly die, or taking a break from work and possibly getting fired and become unable to support for one’s family.

Analytic Entry: Background

Hispanics in America are almost like a second generation of blacks in America. After slavery was abolished the blacks had to completely start over their lives. This is similar to the Hispanics because after a Hispanic person immigrates to America, they are too completely starting over their lives. Not only are they completely starting over their lives, but like the blacks, in order to become successful in America they must learn to deal with the discrimination towards themselves.
One of the big events for the Hispanics was during World War I because it offered thousands of jobs for Hispanics in America for them to work in the agriculture. After the war the soldiers came back and the Hispanics became jobless and penniless. However, soon after the war Immigration began to skyrocket because of the “Roaring ‘20s.” This beneficial for the Hispanics because at that time America’s industry was booming so it opened up many new jobs for them. This provided a new opportunity for the Hispanics because it was a job and a new life for them. This was also good for America because the Hispanics provided cheap agricultural workers. With so many Hispanic immigrants coming in, it started to worry the Americans that soon they would be jobless. Once the Great Depression started, it convinced the Americans that they needed to kick out the Mexicans so then more jobs would be open. People in the U.S. also kicked them out because they thought that Hispanics were ruining and invading their culture. “…many Americans felt that people of Mexican descent represented a threat to the racial and cultural integrity of the nation, particularly because of the strength of Catholicism among Mexican immigrants” (“Latinos in America”). Because so many Mexicans were coming into the country, the Americans were viewing it as a threat. They thought that with so many immigrants in the country that it could ruin their culture, and did not realize how helpful the Hispanics had been in the past, and how useful they were. Once World War II started, Americans remembered how good of workers the Hispanics had been, and they decided to bring back all the immigrants that they had kicked out before. Most of Americans were fighting in the war so the U.S. knew that they needed workers, and they turned to the Hispanics. These past event show how selfish the U.S., and how much they used the Hispanics as their pawns in agricultural industry. Whenever the U.S. needed workers they would bring in the Hispanics, however when they felt threatened by them and felt that job opportunities were going down, then they just kicked them out.
One of the most important leaders for the Hispanics was Cesar Chavez because he fought for equality for the Hispanic workers. Every group that has been discriminated against always has a leader, and Cesar Chavez acted as that leader for the Hispanics. Cesar Chavez worked as a grape picker in California that believed that he was being mistreated, and thought they he should do something about it. In 1962, he created a farm workers union called the Nation Farm Workers Association. Most migrant worker strikes failed before, “…strikes had always failed for two basic reasons: the workers did not have enough money to outlast the growers, and the growers could easily replace the striking workers with imported Mexican farm workers,” (“Cesar Chavez”). Workers were paid so little that it was very hard for them to organize a successful strike. Also, the demand for jobs was so high that when one Mexican immigrant was fired he could easily be replaced with another hard working Mexican immigrant. It was different with Cesar Chavez because he organized a large enough group to form a strike for higher wages. He also led a five year, non-violent, boycott of al California table grapes. He finally won in 1970, and he formed a three agreement that provided, “a wage increase, provision for health insurance, and regulations prohibiting use of certain pesticides,” (Cesar Chavez). This is just another example of a leader who fought for what they believed was right, to defeat an unjust law, and do it non-violently.
The Hispanics are a race that have been used as migrant workers for many years. They are still trying to find their place in America as a successful race. It is hard for them to do so when the only thing that they can do is take very hard jobs that pay an extremely low amount. They have to take these jobs because they are starting a new life with nothing. They are immigrants looking for a new opportunity in a country that was made to achieve one’s dreams.

New Citizens Mean Shifting Culture

For a lot of the current events that I have read, I try to think about what will happen in the future for the Hispanics. In the news article, “New Citizens Mean Shifting Culture,” they also focused on the future. They thought that America’s culture would change because of how many Hispanics are immigrating to America. The writer also questioned if it is American citizen’s obligation to try to integrate the Hispanics into American culture. The writer’s main reason for why it would be so hard for the Hispanics to become a part of their culture is because the writer thought that Hispanics are resistant. “…he argues that this recent wave of immigration –mostly from Mexico- is different from past wave because Mexican Americans are particularly resistant to assimilation into Anglo American culture,” (“New Citizens Mean Shifting Culture”). The writer believes that most of the other groups that have immigrated into the U.S. have become successful, however he does not think the Hispanics will because they are not willing to adapt to America’s culture. I think that there are good and bad things to that statement. I think that it is good that the Hispanics want to keep their original culture because it is very important that America has a diverse culture. American is known as a melting pot of different cultures, and I think that part of that reason is because other ethnicities like to keep things from their original culture when they move to the U.S. I also think that it is bad because it is important that when a new ethnicity immigrates to America that they adapt to their surroundings, and try to become united with the country that they are immigrating to, and in this case it is America.

Immigration Is Responsible for the Rising Poverty Race

A problem in America that I do not really notice because of what community I live in, is poverty. In the article that I read, they said that one of the biggest attributes to the poverty problem is the Hispanics. According to the article, “…the Hispanic poor accounted for almost three quarters of the four million increase in America’s poor since 1989,” (“Immigration is Responsible for the Rising Poverty Rate”). The writer of this article seems to look down upon the Hispanics because of how many of them contribute to the poverty problem in America. The writer believes that the main cause for the poverty problem is immigration. Because so many Hispanics are immigrants, the writer came to the conclusion that is the main cause for the Hispanic poverty. I also agree with the writer that one of the major contributors to American poverty would be the Hispanics, however I feel that in the future the Hispanics will be able to make a great contribution to American culture. The writer brings up the point that now the black poverty rate has been decreasing. “Black have a very high poverty rate…but the black poverty rate has been declining,” (“Immigration is Responsible for the Rising Poverty Rate”). When the blacks had to start a new life in America after slavery was abolished, they were part of the lower class. As time moved on they were able to move up more and more because they were no longer new to society. I think that in the future the same thing will happen to the Hispanics because when they immigrate they are looking for a new life, and at first they will be poor, but like the blacks, as time moves on they will start to be a smaller part of the poverty problem in America.

bibliography

"Proclamation of the Delano Grape Wokers," Annals of American HIstory.I http://america.eb.com/america/article?articleld=387418&query=cesar+chavez [Accessed February 1, 2010]

"Study details challenges for Hispanics, implications for labor force." Dallas Morning News. (March 1, 2006): NA. Opposing Viewpoints Resource Center. Gale. Deerfield High School. 22 Feb. 2010 http://find.galegroup.com/ovrc/infomark.do?&contentSet=IAC-Documents&type=retrieve&tabID=T004&prodId=OVRC&docId=CJ142701403&source=gale&srcprod=OVRC&userGroupName=deer63488&version=1.0.

Thom, Linda. "Immigration Is Responsible for the Rising Poverty Rate." Contemporary Issues Companion: Inner-City Poverty. Ed. Tamara L. Roleff. San Diego: Greenhaven Press, 2003. Opposing Viewpoints Resource Center. Gale. Deerfield High School. 10 Feb. 2010 http://find.galegroup.com/ovrc/infomark.do?&contentSet=GSRC&type=retrieve&tabID=T010&prodId=OVRC&docId=EJ3010292212&source=gale&srcprod=OVRC&userGroupName=deer63488&version=1.0.

Green, Josh. "New citizens mean shifting culture." San Francisco Chronicle. (March 2, 2008): M1. Opposing Viewpoints Resource Center. Gale. Deerfield High School. 10 Feb. 2010 &contentSet=IAC-Documents&type=retrieve&tabID=T004&prodId=OVRC&docId=CJ175722392&source=gale&srcprod=OVRC&userGroupName=deer63488&version=1.0>

"Latinos in U.S. society." American HIstory. ABC-CLIO, 2010. Web. 28 Jan. 2010.

http://www.americanhistory.abc-clio.com/.

"Cuban missile crisis." American History. ABC-CLIO, 2010. Web. 31 Jan. 2010.






"Mexican-American War." American History. ABC-CLIO, 2010. Web. 31 Jan. 2010.


Augenbraum, Harold and Margarite Fernandez Olmos. "...And the Earth Did not Devour Him." The Latino Reader. Ed. Tomas Rivera. New York: Houghton Mifflin Company, 1997. 290- 295. Print.



"Mexican Immigrants Do Not Threaten American Unity." Interracial America. Eleanor Stanford. Opposing View Points Resource Center. Detroi: Greenhaven Press, 2006. Opposing Viewpoints Resource Center. Gale. Deerfield High School. 7 Feb 2010. http://find.galegroup.com/ovrc/infomark.do?&contentSet=GSRC&type=retrieve&tabID=T010&prodId=OVRC&docId=EJ30148246&source=gale&srcprod=OVRC&userGroupName=deer63488&version=1.0

Mexican Immigrants Do Not Threaten American Unity

Just like all the other minorities in America, the Hispanics’ goal are just to make it in America, and now that they are starting to no longer be a minority anymore it is important that they do. According to the article “Mexican Immigrants Do Not Threaten American Unity,” the Hispanics’’ future are looking bright in America. This is different than what they said in the other article that I read. They thought that because the Hispanics were getting such a poor education, and this would result in significant lower paying jobs. However, in this article they thought that the Hispanics will eventually become successful because of their will power to do so. “Huntingon criticizes Latinos’ use of Spanish and falsely alleges that Latinos do not want to learn English. The majority of Latinos speak English. Among Spanish-speaking Latinos, poll after poll shows that Latinos want to learn English” (“Mexican Immigrants Do Not Threaten American Unity”). Many people do not believe in the Hispanics, and do not think that they will be able to succeed. The writer however, thinks that because the Hispanics are coming into this country with a goal to start a new life, they will then focus on their education to then become successful in America. One of the reasons why people do not think that Hispanics will be successful in America is because of how segregated things are for the Hispanics. “…as it is still difficult for Latinos to gain equality in white communities, and there is still discrimination in jobs and housing. However, like African Americas, Latinos have been segregated and mythologized as “different,” and subject to unfair criticism, because of their ethnicity” (“Mexican Immigrants Do Not Threaten American Unity”). This is a reoccurring thing in America, and in the past the minorities have been able to overcome oppression and rise above it. I think that in the near future the Hispanics will be able to do the same thing, and become a successful race. Another reason for why I think that the Hispanics will be successful is because of how hard working they are. They are willing to take the jobs that no one else wants. "New York Times poll found that Latino immigrants are hard-working, have strong family values, do not take public benefits, and generally epitomize the American dream" ("Mexican Immigrants Do Not Threaten American Unity"). Because they are so hard working America should try to embrace the Hispanics because they can also help benefit America's economy by people taking jobs that no one wants to do. If America lowers their bucket to the Hispanics, like Booker T. Washington wanted for the Blacks, then not only can it help out the Hispanics, but also America as a whole.

Fund, League of United Latin American Citizens and Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational. "Mexican Immigrants Do Not Threaten American Unity." Interracial America. Ed. Eleanor Stanford. Opposing Viewpoints®. Detroit: Greenhaven Press, 2006. Opposing Viewpoints Resource Center. Gale. Deerfield High School. 10 Feb. 2010 &contentSet=GSRC&type=retrieve&tabID=T010&prodId=OVRC&docId=EJ3010148246&source=gale&srcprod=OVRC&userGroupName=deer63488&version=1.0>.

Current Event: "Study Details Challenges for Hispanics, Implications for Labor Force

Hispanics are becoming a bigger and bigger part of America each year, with their increasing population and influence in America’s job industry. However, according to the “The Dallas Morning News” the Hispanics future does not look very bright. Most of the Hispanics that are coming into America are looking for better opportunities in jobs and not education. “But the study’s researchers identified education as the biggest hurdle, nothing that Hispanics have higher school dropout rates, lower college enrollment and less job training than the overall population in an economy ever more reliant on higher school jobs” (“Study details challenges for Hispanics, Implications for Labor Force”). This results in a downward cycle for the Hispanics. Because the Hispanics are more worried about working and not their education, it results in Hispanics having a poor education, following by a low paying job. This is one of the main reasons for why so many Hispanics are part of the lower class. This is one of the main reasons why it is so hard for the Hispanics to move from the lower class into the middle class. “…the study found that Hispanics as a group are losing economic ground relative to non-Hispanic whites because of a large pool of low-skilled workers, many of whom are illegal immigrants,” (Study details challenges for Hispanics, Implications for Labor Force”). I think that this is a huge problem for the Hispanics because they are becoming one of the main part of America’s population, it is important that part of their population is in the middle class. Because so many immigrants have no money, it is almost impossible for them to not work, so they cannot afford to have an education. They have to immediately start working in order to start over in their new country. It is hard to know when this vicious cycle will end because of how important it is that the Hispanic immigrants get very low paying jobs, that require no education. This is so that they can start to pay for necesities that they need to survive as new immigrants.

"Study details challenges for Hispanics, implications for labor force." Dallas Morning News (March 1, 2006): NA. Opposing Viewpoints Resource Center. Deerfield High School. 7 Feb. 2010.
http://find.galegroup.com/ovrc/infomark.do?&contentSet=IAC-Documents&type=retrieve&tapID=T004&prodId=OVRC&docId=CJ142701403&source=gale&srcprod=OVRC&userGroupName=deer63488&version=1.0

"...And the Earth Did Not Devour Him"

After reading different informational articles about how the Hispanics had to work as laborers, I could not fully comprehend what their working conditions were like. After reading “…And the Earth Did Not Devour Him,” it made me sick to read how horribly the Hispanics were treated as migrant laborers. The short story followed a boy whose family worked in the fields as laborers. It starts out where the reader learns that his aunt and uncle died from heat-exhaustion from working for too many hours in the farm. Later his father starts getting the same symptoms as his aunt and uncle, and both of them died. The main character continuously asks himself and his mother why G-d is doing all of this to his family. The question “why?” is frequently asked in this short story because the main character feels that no one in his family has ever deserved to die. The main character and his mother talk about the death of their family members and the illness of their father. “Why? Why you? Why Dad? Why my uncle? Why my aunt? Why their kids? Tell me, Mother, why? Why us, burrowed in the dirt like animals with no hope for anything.” The main character is very frustrated at the fact that his people, the Hispanics are treated so poorly, and why all of these things had to happen to him. His father, aunt, and uncle are all decent people, who are hard working and do not deserve to die. A big theme of this story was the workers all knew about getting this sunstroke, however they were unable to do anything about it. “Us being so soaked with sweat, we didn’t feel so hot, but I guess that when you’re sunstruck it’s different. But I did tell him to sit down under the tree that’s at the edge of the rows, but he didn’t want to.” These workers were part of the lower class, and for them working was the only way to provide for their family, so they could not stop working or else their families would not be able to survive. Not only that but their working conditions were also very bad, and if they took breaks then their bosses would get very upset. “It don’t matter if the boss gets mad. Just don’t get sick.” The bosses did not care about the workers because if a worker was not working hard enough and they had to be fired, then they could easily be replaced because so many Hispanics were willing to work in America. After reading this story it makes me understand why Cesar Chavez know that he had to rebel against the organizations that were putting these Hispanics in the terrible working conditions that they were in. I will have to research more on how the working conditions are today for Hispanics. Because Hispanics are looking for a new opportunity in America, they will take jobs that are in terrible conditions, and will be treated very poorly.

Augenbraum, Harold and Margarite Fernandez Olmos. "...And the Earth Did not Devour Him."
The Latino Reader. Ed. Tomas Rivera. New York: Houghton Mifflin Company, 1997. 290- 295. Print.

Where I Am Now

So far I do not feel too overwhelmed with the blog and my topic. Originally I did not really want the topic of Hispanics, and I just put it on my sheet as my last choose, however after researching it I'm glad that i got the topic. I think that the Hispanics have a very interesting story, that not many American's care to listen too. I think that the Hispanics story is very similar to the blacks because both groups were greatly mistreated in America, and both groups fought for equality. The only thing that I am a little worried about is the fact that Hispanics is such a general topic because there are so many different kinds of Hispanics in America, so I feel like I will have a hard time focusing one main theme. I think that, that is my only problem, and besides that I feel pretty confident about this project.

Chavez's Speech

Cesar Chavez’s speech reminded me a lot of other great speeches by leaders who fought for change. His speech, like others before him, was meant to rouse up the laborers to continue on with the boycott. “For we are in the midst of a great social movement, and we will not stop struggling ‘til we die, or win!” (“Proclamation of the Delano Grape Workers”). Chavez is saying that this strike is so important that is something worth dying for. This is a very extreme comment, but at the same time freedom and equality is worth dying for, and that is what Chavez was fighting for. Chavez felt that because they, and their ancestors had lived and worked hard in America for so many years, that they deserved equal rights just like everyone else. I think Chavez is definitely right, and I feel like just like before, America was not ready to change yet. The majority of Americans enjoyed being on top, and the Hispanics being on bottom. They were not going to change unless someone stood up for what was right, and Chavez took that role. "Thus exposed, our picket lines were crippled by injunctions and harassed by growers; our strike was broken by imported scabs; our overtures to our employers were ignored. Yet we knew the day must come when they would talk to us, as equals," ("Proclamation of the Delano Grape Workers"). This shows how the Americans were not ready at the time for change and equal rights of minorities, in this case Hispanics. This also shows that like Martin Luther King Jr.'s philosophy, it is important to be patient because things are not going to change immediately, so one must stand tough and wait it out until the change that one wants occurs.

Mexican-American War

When America was a relatively new nation, they were very hungry for power and land, and that is what caused the Mexican-American War. Both Mexico and America were pretty new nations, however America felt that the Mexicans were inferior to them, so they thought that they deserved more land. The land that America wanted the most was Texas, which is right on the border of Mexico and America. At the time however, it was mainly owned by Mexico, and lots of Americans would go to that land and not obey Mexico’s laws. This caused a lot of conflict, and an up rise in Sam Houston’s army. His army defeated Santa Anna, and they were forced to sign the Treaty of Velasco, which made Texas’ border Rio Grande, which was a big difference in land area. The Mexican government did not want to follow this treaty, and they wanted to fight the U.S. The slave owners really wanted to fight because it allowed more land for slaves. Texas accepted the U.S.’s annexation, and became a part of the U.S. This upset the Mexicans, so they pulled out their minister from D.C. and prepared their selves for war. President Polk did not officially start the war, but he did instigate it by setting up troops in Mexico’s borders. When a fight broke out, it sparked Polk to start the war, and it also allowed him to say that he was not the one to start bloodshed. For the war Mexico brought back exiled leader Santa Anna to rebuild their army. He gathered a 20,000-man army, however it was no match for U.S.’s army, and the U.S. ended up winning the war. Mexico had to sign the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, which gave the U.S. New Mexico and California. This was more than half of Mexico’s territory, which they had to give to the U.S. Even though it gave America more land, it also opened up a bigger slave market for the South. The Mexican-American War also lead into the Civil War because of the slave situation, and how to divide a slave state from a free state from the new territory acquired from Mexico.

"Mexican-American War." American History. ABC-CLIO, 2010. Web. 31 Jan. 2010. .

Cuban Missile Crisis

During the Cold War, be associated with communism was like say the word Voldemort at Hogwarts. So when Cuba converted from a dictatorship to a communist government, they then became one of America’s biggest enemies. Before Cuba became a communist government they were run by a dictatorship that treated the lower class very poorly. This caused Fidel Castro to lead a revolution to end the dictatorship in Cuba. The rebels won with the help of Soviet Union leader Nikita Khrushchev because he helped give the recourses that the rebels needed to overthrow the dictatorship. Khrushchev gave the rebels recourses to win because he wanted to expand the communist regime. “Castro’s anti-American stance, admiration for the successes of Soviet communism, and close geographical proximity to the United States made Cuba under his leadership an able pawn for Khrushchev to wield in the Cold War,” (“Cuban Missile Crisis”). Since America were the Soviets biggest rival, Cuba becoming a communist nation was really good for the Soviet Union because of how close Cuba was to America. Cuba becoming a communist country started the Cuban missile crisis. One of Kennedy’s main goals, now that Castro was the leader, was to overthrow Castro in the Bay of Pigs invasion, however the Americans where not successful. Not only did this cause humiliation for Kennedy and the CIA, but it also caused the people of Cuba to rally with Castro, and for Cuba to officially become a communist country. The Soviets started to send nuclear ballistic missiles into Cuba. The worst thing happened was when an American plane was shot down over Cuba. Kennedy was very close to a nuclear war, however Kennedy and Khrushchev ended the crisis by withdrawing the nuclear arms from Cuba. The Cuban missile crisis only went on for thirteen days, however it was the closet America ever came to a nuclear war.

"Cuban missile crisis." American History. ABC-CLIO, 2010. Web. 31 Jan. 2010. .

Cesar Chavez

While reading about Cesar Chavez, it made me think more and more of leaders like Martin Luther King Jr., Gandhi, etc. Like these great leaders, Chavez took the problems into his own hands, and tried to fix them. Migrant Workers played a big roll in America’s agriculture, however they were greatly unappreciated. Even though they were so unappreciated, it was extremely hard for them to strike for two reasons: “The workers did not have enough money to outlast the growers, and the growers could easily replace the striking workers with imported Mexican farm workers,” (Cesar Chavez). These migrant workers were very desperate for a job, and that’s why they got paid so little, and because there were so many people that were desperate for a job, if anyone left, the owners could easily find someone to replace them. When Chavez started his national boycott of all California table grapes, he made the same comments as all the other leaders mentioned before. He thought that the farm workers, mainly Hispanic, should make just as much as the factory workers, mainly whites. “Well, if farm workers are equal, they deserve the same protection of the law that other men enjoy,” (Cesar Chavez). He is making a very logical claim, that if they work just as hard, if not harder as the factory workers, then they should be treated just as equally. Chavez ended up winning the settlement for the table grape growers, which shows that by taking a problem into one’s own hands, can go great lengths.

"César Chávez." American History. ABC-CLIO, 2010. Web. 31 Jan. 2010. .

"Latinos in U.S. Society"

After studying black history for first semester, and now that I have read “Latinos in U.S. Society,” I have been starting to feel more and more ashamed for my country, and how they have been mistreating minorities for hundreds of years. The Hispanics, like the blacks, have a similar story during the mid-1850 through the end of the 20th century. The Hispanics were not brought into America because of slavery; they came to America for a better opportunity. Most of the Hispanics that came into America for a better opportunity were Mexican. After America’s victory over Mexico in the Mexican-American War, the Mexicans living in the region that America gained became Americans. These Mexican-American citizens were automatically sent down to the bottom part of the economic class system, unlike the whites who remained on top. World War I opened thousands of jobs for Mexicans to work on agricultural production. However because of a postwar crisis in farm production during the early 1920’s, many Mexicans become out of work, and left with no money. When things started to look up for America during the “Roaring ‘20s,” Mexican immigration to the U.S. began to skyrocket. This caused the American population to feel very uncomfortable because of how many new immigrants were coming to their country. “…many Americans felt that people of Mexican descent represented a threat to the racial and cultural integrity of the nation, particularly because of the strength of Catholicism among Mexican immigrants.” So many Mexicans were coming into the country, which caused Americans to take this almost as a threat. Not only did they take it as a threat but this change in society frightened them, and caused them to panic. They treated the Mexicans very poorly, and the Mexicans did what the blacks did, and boycotted things like schooling because of segregation. During the Great Depression, many whites were out of work, so the U.S. sent hundreds of thousands of Mexicans back to Mexico. When World War II came around, America needed workers, so they introduced the Bracero Program to bring Mexicans back for work. This is another reason why America’s history has caused me to look down upon them because they kicked out the Mexicans when they became a “threat” to society, and then brought them back when they needed more workers. Mexican immigration is just one aspect to Hispanics relations to America; however it is one of the biggest problems today in the U.S.

"Latinos in U.S. society." American HIstory. ABC-CLIO, 2010. Web. 28 Jan. 2010.
http://www.americanhistory.abc-clio.com.

Sincerely,

The Chosen One

Chronicles of My Quest for Knowledge on Hispanics: The Beginning

I became interested on the topic of Hispanics from Spanish class in middle school. We briefly touched on the topic, however during freshman year we really focused on the topic of immigration. I think that immigration is a very diverse topic because there are so many different sides and situations to the topic. Mexico and the topic of immigration, plays a big part in American culture however this is not the only important Hispanic topic. Countries like Cuba and Venezuela have played a huge role in American history. Because Cuba and Venezuala were, and still are Communist governments during the Cold War, they became enemies of America. Something that I like about this topic is, unlike the other topics like Immigration, Religion, and Education; the topic Hispanics, is very broad and has almost no limits to how I would like to research the topic.

The Chronicles of a Presidents Journey For Greatness

Obama’s main point throughout his speech was that soon change will come, sound familiar? In the beginning of Obama’s speech I thought he started off very strong about how America has been facing their problems since their independence, and that they have always gotten through them and eventually triumphed. He also stated how America has been continuously tested when they are down, and it has never stopped them from being a successful country. Like Obama’s election he preached that he would bring change to America, and help fix the problems that the past President brought upon America. When he did this during the election, I had full confidence in Obama, as many others in America did, that Obama would become America’s “savior.” And here we are today, and Obama is saying the same things, “soon change will come.” I think that the people of America are tired of waiting for this change, and need action. This relates to “Civil Disobedience” because in “Civil Disobedience,” Thoreau talks about if there is a problem, then people should act, however Obama is not acting upon these problems. One of the things that I did like about Obama’s speech was that he addressed how political parties focus more on bashing one another than trying to work together to try to fix their problems. After seeing so many ad campaigns for different political positions, I have noticed that they are all the same, just one politician saying that his opponent is bad, and that he is better. These campaigns should be about how they will help benefit America, not how they are better than their opponent. Near the end of Obama’s speech he showed a lot of energy and motivation for America to succeed. Even though I feel that Obama has not done too much in his first year in office, he is still our president, so I am rooting for him in his goal for change, and to help fix America’s problems.

Sincerely,

The Chosen One

The Chronicles

My parents abandoned me at age four, where I was found by a pack of wolves, and raised as their own. I lived my life as a wolf, and at age fifteen I was sent into the wild to become a man. Not the forest "wild," the "wild" of civilization. And here I am today....The Chosen One