Mexican Immigrants: A Qualitative Study

I was born in Southern Los Angeles and lived in a conserved community of predominantly hispanic immigrants seeking socioeconomic prosperity for their families and an adequate education for their children. My family was a part of this community and as such, I was always met with a high standard for education and was taught to fully appreciate the benefits that followed it. I would constantly be reminded of these benefits when I would continuously witness not only my own family struggle, but when neighbors and friends also struggled to provide essential payments for their utilities, food, or rent. These financial struggles stubbornly persisted to haunt my family and in 2008 we were in no position to maintain our home and consequently lost it. This drastically strained family

The article, “Immigrant America: A Portrait” written by Alejandro Portes and Ruben G. Rumbaut, discusses the many trials and tribulations immigrants have faced throughout the history of America, dating back to the Great European Wave In the 19th and 20th century. The Great European Wave, was the time in which 23 million European immigrants migrated to the U.S. mainly due to agricultural and industrial changes in their native countries that forced them out of their homes and in search of work.

While some Americans cannot accept Mexicans in America because they believe they are stealing their “jobs” or just come here to cause trouble, others contend that Mexicans should have an acceptance in America because no race should be singled out to be judged upon where they came from and why they’ve migrated here.

I have lived in two different worlds. The duality of the immigrant experience is a battle that every first-generation child has to wage. As I conquered my language barrier, a whole new world full of traditions and customs opened up. Seeking acceptance from my peers, it was hard not to adopt their culture and ignore my own in the process. However, abandonment was not an option in a family with a strong cultural identity. While there was nothing wrong with either culture, finding middle ground proved to be an ongoing journey.

Americans were outraged over the border dispute at the Nueces and the Rio Grande rivers, and Mexicans were irate with America’s annexation of Texas. President James K. Polk availed in the atmosphere of animosity, hurrying to place troops on conflicted land. On May 9, 1846, he found his cause for war. Mexican and American troops had engaged in combat on April 24, which led American blood spilt on contended soil. However, through all their fighting spirit, the Americans faithfully ignored their own mistreatment of the Mexicans. They ignored the original reason of the enmity, which was the annexation of Texas, and the actual uncertainty of border uproar. This brings into question; were the Americans as justified as they believed in their cry against

In 2009, the U.S. Census gathered that there were over thirty-three million second-generation immigrants living in America. America is a melting pot, and in this melting pot, it isn’t uncommon for these children, myself included, to lose sight of what our lives could be–and the struggles that our parents faced to ensure that we have more opportunities than they had. As I write this essay, I’m stressing over the things any other American high school sophomore faces– grades, social drama and statuses, and my follower count on Twitter and Instagram. These “problems,” if even that, are minute to what others our age face around the world. Young adults in Sudan are starving, and young adults in Syria live in the middle of a war zone. As far away They raised two kids: my 19-year-old brother, who is currently a freshman at the University of Georgia, and myself. Thanks to their hard work, I’m able to worry about the things I do. Never have I worried about not having food on my plate, about being denied my education, or being forced to leave everything I know and abandon my dreams. It’s easy to forget what my parents have done for me, for the opportunities and doors they have opened for me. There’s no way to understand your life–the privileges you hold–without understanding the past. You must be thankful for all the things your loved ones have done for you, and I’m sure that I am. I can’t imagine my life if I were in my parents’ shoes, if I faced the struggles and hardships they did, and I know I wouldn’t have the courage to be as decisive as they were and are. Their perseverance and determination make me content with my life now, knowing that it could be much worse. Their experiences motivate me to capitalize on what they gave me–to become something. I want to be sure that my parents know I’m thankful and know that I will work hard to become what they didn’t have the opportunity to. 11th Grade Columbus High School Anjali Patel 5th

Segmented assimilation is a sociological model that shapes the lives of many children with immigrant parents. Raised in a different environment from their parents, these children have a choice to either pick on new cultural values or leaving some of their parent’s culture behind. In many of the cases immigrant parents have a big role in their children 's life to maintain cultural values over new cultural values being adapted from the new society they now live in. This brings upon a mixture of confusion and loss of identification between the two cultures that surround the children 's life, affecting their way they perceive themselves. Struggling to keep the culture they are raised in and the new culture they now live in can create a

Knowledge is sometimes passed on, learn by experience, or sometimes by curiosity observed. As a Mexican-American part of my knowledge of Mexicos- food, music, and exotic places has been passed on to me or by my travel experience. Different experiences thought me about my cultural background and in this essay we shall be discussing my knowledge of the foods eaten during the holidays to the beautiful state of Aguascalientes, Mexico.

Chapter one outlined historic dates ranging from the 17th century to the 1900s and how these dates impacted Mexicans in the United States. In 1610 the town of Santa Fe, New Mexico was founded and in the 17th century became the number one location for settlement. Cities such as Albuquerque, Nacogdoches, San Antoni, San Diego, Tucson, San José and Los Angeles became settlement centers in the 18th century. Moving forward into 1802 the Louisiana Purchase became a catalyst for expansion. One of the most important events of the 1800s occurred in 1821 when Mexico became independent from Spain. Furthermore, in 1820 and into 1821 the Santa Fe Trail was created which accelerated expansion into the west and encouraged

This book explores the relational forces of the Latino migrant movement and the homeland security state. From 2001-2012, the intensification of deportations towards the Latino community increased from 180,000 to 400,000+ deportations. Although the book frames this period as a time of great state repression and violence, it has been categorized as a time of great resistance, organization, and mobilization and analyzes the 2006 Mega Marches. The author takes a Gramscian approach to illustrate how the struggle for immigrant politics occurs at both the state level and that of civil society. Gonzales expands on the role of immigrant right activists and the ways they have framed their rights claims. He also explores the causes that have limited the

This book was written by Juan Gonzalez and he explained the struggle of being a Latino/immigrant. Journalist Gonzalez takes a look at how many immigrants lives are being affected due to a U.S Economy and military interests, that in return is causing a flood of immigrants, which are changing the U.S landscape, and its economy. He also digs deep in order to provide interesting detail, of the rarely talked about success of the Latino community, and the many sacrifices Latinos have to undergo in order to succeed in this country despite all the hate and alienation of those that oppose them. “The scorn of the neighbor who does not know us is our greatest danger...Through ignorance it might even come to lay hands on us. Once it does know us, it will

According to Section 217 of the New York Worker’s Compensation Act of 1910, employers were required by law to compensate their employees if a personal injury were to result from their occupation. However, this law only applied to specific types of dangerous labor, including “demolition, blasting, tunneling, electrical construction, and railroad operation.” In 1910, making shirtwaists was not considered a dangerous activity, so victims’ families of the fire could not expect to receive any compensation from the accident. The Charity Organization Society of the City of New York Red Cross Emergency Relief Committee published a report, showing a detailed account of everyone they gave aid to. In all, they ended up helping one hundred sixty-six people

In 2013, Mexican immigrant returns back to the United State making a total of 29 percent (178,371), while deportation comprised 71 percent (438,421)—an all-time high for deportation. The number of removals has generally increased since 1996 when there were 68,657 removals. At the same time, the number of returns has declined, from 1.57 million in 1996 to 178,371 in 2013 (the lowest since 1968), as the government has prioritized using the more formal removals, which make deportees ineligible to return to the United States for at least five years and subject to criminal penalties if they do re-enter.

The article “The making of a Mexican American Dream” mentions that Americans have this notions that immigrants ultimately need to assimilate in order to fit the mold of the “American dream”. Sarah Menkedick, the author of this article, cites Milton Gordon’s book, Assimilation in American life: The Role of Race, Religion and National Origins, to offer an example of this idea and how immigrants are expected to adapt to the American way of life. Mekedick states, “according to Gordon, assimilation depended first upon acculturation: the immigrant group’s willingness and ability to learn English, and to adopt white, Protestant, Anglo-Saxon, middle-class customs, after which point its members would ultimately identify with and marry into the dominant

The term Research Methodology refers to a set of procedures, methods & techniques that are put together by the researchers to obtain a solution to the problems they confront during the collection of data. The researchers look for the most crucial data which is inevitable for the research. Generally there are three kinds of approaches or research methods namely Qualitative, Quantitative and Mixed. These methods are used to gather data and resolve issues that emerge during the process of data gathering. The researcher can bring forward his findings either in the form of quantitative or qualitative or mixed research methodologies only when the data is collected based on the preliminary data gathering process and the secondary data gathering process.