Transcript Latin American Migration

• To migrate means to move to another country
• To immigrate means to leave one’s own
country
– In other words: I would migrate away from the
United States, but would be immigrating to the
Bahamas!
A migrant in this
bowl…
An immigrant in
this bowl!
• During the 1980s, 8 million immigrants came
from Latin America
– Nearly equal to the total figure of European
immigrants who came to the U.S. during early
1900s
• U.S. Census Bureau states that there are an
estimated 31 million Latinos in the United
States, comprising about 11.2 percent of the
total population
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
Mexico
Dominican Republic
Cuba
Jamaica
Haiti
El Salvador
Colombia
Peru
Push-Pull Factors:
What causes people to move?
• Push Factors: People flee to new regions
because of conflicts, natural disasters
• Pull Factors: People are “drawn” to new
regions because of different opportunities
elsewhere, such as economic or
political/religious freedoms
Main reasons for Migrating
• Push Factors:
– Not enough jobs
– Few opportunities for advancement
– Political fear or persecution
– Poor medical care
– Natural disasters
Main reasons for Migrating
• Pull Factors
– Job opportunities
– Better living conditions
– Political and/or religious freedom
– Education
– Better medical care
– Family links
– Industry
Voluntary or Forced
Migration?
• Voluntary: free choice
• Forced: not your choice
–Slavery
–Refugees
• Many Mexican-Americans can trace their
ancestry not only to Spanish, but also to the
Mestizos who have Native American and
Spanish blood and who settled in the lands
from Florida to California.
– They did not immigrate, but were granted
American citizenship when Mexico was forced to
cede the territory they lived on on after the
Mexican-American war in 1848 (NM, CO, AZ, CA)
• From 1880-1900, the Southwest experienced
an economic boom following the
establishment of the railroads in Mexico and
the Southwest. 127,000 Mexicans were
recruited to work with United States railroad
companies
• In the early 20th century (1910-1919), employers
in the United States continued recruiting and
transporting Mexican workers because:
– Chinese & Japanese immigration had been halted
– Shortage of European immigrants during World War I
– This all changed with the Great Depression and a
“repatriation” of 500,000 Mexican Americans (many
native born) was conducted by President Hoover
Please…
• Read the short article on the trends of Latin
American immigration to the United States.
– For each of the six countries discussed, summarize
the push/pull factors for individuals who chose to
leave the country addressed.