People’s Democratic and Republic of Algeria Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research Larbi Ben M'Hidi University -Oum El Bouaghi- Faculty of Letters and Foreign Languages Department of Letters and English Language Hispanic Minority’s Threat to American Identity: Fact or Fiction A Dissertation Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for a Master’s Degree in English Literature and Civilization Submitted by: Alligui Amina Bouzid Safia Board of Examiners: Supervisor: Ms. Badi Rima Chairman: Mr. Dalichaouch Abderrahmane Examiner: Ms. Merah Fahima 2019/2020 DEDICATION I dedicate this work: To my beloved mother and my dear father for their love, devotion, and unlimited sacrifice. To my sisters, my brothers, and my friends for their support and encouragement. To my friend Safia, who shared this thesis with me. May Allah bless you all. Amina My successes are because of her and my failures are because of me, to my biggest supporter, to my mother. Also I would like to thank my little family especially my father for his engorgement, patience and assistance over the years, he always kept me in his prayers. To my darling sisters Sarra, Ahlem and Nihal. To my beloved brothers Abdrahmen and Yaakoub. Without forgetting my two angels Zaid and Ayoub Taim Allah. And to my dear colleague Amina, for her continuous support and her beautiful spirit. Safia I ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS First, we thank Allah who gave us the strength and success in writing this work. We would like to thank our supervisor Ms. Badi for her invaluable remarks, as well as her encouragement, enduring support, and wise advice throughout this year. We are very grateful to all the teachers who taught us throughout our educational life. We also express our deep appreciation to all English language teachers at Larbi Ben M‟Hidi University. Our special thanks are reserved for the chairperson and the members of the jury who have devoted much of their precious time to read and assess this work. II ABSTRACT This study aims at studying whether the Hispanic minority's threat to American identity is a fact or fiction. Due to its short history, and being a mixture of religious and ethnic groups, America is very different from the rest of European countries. Therefore, the American identity is exceptional. The huge number of Hispanic immigrants to the United States, their density, linguistic homogeneity, and other characteristics that distinguish them constitute a threat to the American identity. As they seek to divide the country into two cultures: Anglo and Hispanic, and two languages: English and Hispanic. So, some studies claim that this threat is fact, while others insist that this threat is fiction. Ultimately, and based on numerous studies, the emergence of a self-sufficient subgroup that primarily speaks Spanish does not pose a serious threat, and Greater America remains an indomitable nation, identity, and entity. Also, English remains its original language which cannot be affected by any foreign language. III RÉSUMÉ L'étude vise à savoir si la menace de la minorité Hispanique à l'identité américaine est réelle ou imaginaire. L'Amérique est très différente par rapport aux autres pays européens, grâce à sa courte histoire et le mélange de groupes religieux et ethniques. C'est pour cela l'identité américaine est exceptionnelle. Le grand nombre d'immigrants hispaniques aux États-Unis, leur densité, leur homogénéité linguistique et d'autres caractéristiques qui les distinguent constituent une menace pour l'identité américaine. Ils cherchent à diviser le pays en deux cultures: anglo-protestante et hispanique, et en deux langues: l'anglais et l'espagnol. Certaines études affirment que cette menace est réelle, tandis que d'autres insistent sur le fait que cette menace est imaginaire. En fin de compte, et selon nombreuses études, l'émergence d'un sous- groupe autosuffisant qui parle principalement l'espagnol ne constitue pas une menace sérieuse, et la Grande Amérique reste un pays, une identité et une entité indomptable. Et l'anglais reste sa langue d'origine qui ne peut être influencée par aucune langue étrangère. IV ملخص تهذف انذساست إنً يعشفت يا إرا كاٌ تهذَذ اﻷقهُت انهُسباَُت نههىَت اﻷيشَكُت حقُقت أو خُال. إٌ أيشَكا يختهفت تًا ًيا عٍ بقُت انذول اﻷوسوبُت، َظ ًشا نتاسَخها انقصُش ، وكىَها خهُ ًطا يٍ انجًاعاث انذَُُت وانعشقُت. نزنك فإٌ انهىَت اﻷيشَكُت إستخُائُت. إٌ انعذد انهائم يٍ انًهاجشٍَ انهُسباٍَُُ إنً انىﻻَاث انًتحذة ، وكخافتهى ، وتجاَسهى انهغىٌ ، وخصائص أخشي تًُزهى تشكم تهذَ ًذا نههىَت اﻷيشَكُت. حُج أَهى َسعىٌ إنً تقسُى انبﻻد إنً حقافتٍُ: أَجهى بشوتُستُتُت وهُسباَُت ، ونغتٍُ: اﻹَجهُزَت واﻹسباَُت. نزا ، تقش بعض انذساساث أٌ هزا انتهذَذ حقُقت ، بًُُا َصش انبعض اِخش عهً أٌ هزا انتهذَذ خُانٍ. فٍ انُهاَت ، وبُاءا عهً انعذَذ يٍ انذساساث ، فإٌ ظهىس يجًىعت فشعُت يكتفُت راتًُا تتحذث اﻹسباَُت بشكم أساسٍ ﻻ َشكم تهذَ ًذا خطُ ًشا ، وﻻ تزال أيشَكا انكبشي دونت وهىَت وكُاًَا ﻻ َقهش. أَ ًضا ، تظم انهغت اﻹَجهُزَت نغتها اﻷصهُت انتٍ ﻻ ًَكٍ أٌ تتأحش بأٌ نغت أجُبُت. V List of Abbreviations and Acronymes ACS American Community Survey CEOs Chief Executive Officers GDP Gross Domestic Product ITINs Individual Texpayer Identification Numbers NATO North Atlantic Treaty Organization NDAA National Defense Authorization Act NFL National Football League PhD Professional Hight Education SOS Save Our State UCLA University of California at Los Angeles US United States VI List of Figures Figure 1: U.S. Hispanic Population by Origin, 2010.………………………………...…..……7 VII Table of Contents Dedication..……………………………………………………………………………………...I Acknowledgments...……………………………………………………………………………II Abstract in English…………………………………………………………………………….III Abstract in French…….……………………………………………………………………….IV Abstract in Arabic…………………………………………….………………………………..V List of Acronyms……...………………………………………………………………………VI List of Figures..………………………………………………………………………………VII Table of Contents……………………………………………………………………………VIII Introduction...……………..………………………………………..……………..…….……..1 Chapter One: Hispanic Minority in the American Society: Historical Background.….…4 1. Who are the Hispanics ?..…………………………...……………………………………….5 2. Race and Origin.…………………………...…………...……………...…………………….5 3. Hispanic Immigration...………………………………………………..…......…………….10 3.1. Contiguity..…………………………………………...………………………………..10 3.2. Scale..……………………………..…………………………………......……………..11 3.3. Illegality.……………………………………..…………………...…..….…………….12 3.4. Regional Concentration.……………………………..…………………….…...……...13 3.5. Persistence....……………………………..……………...…………...…………...……14 3.6. Historical Presence...……………………………………………………………..…….14 4. Hispanic Population...………………………………………………………………..……..15 5. Barriers and Challenges Facing Hispanics in the United States...……….…………..……..16 VIII 5.1. Language, Religion and Education..………………………………………...…..….….17 5.2. Healthcare and Mental Health..…………………..………………………………..…..19 5.3. Immigration and Acculturation..……..……………………………………………..….20 5.4. Voting Rights and Criminal Justice..………………………………………………..…21 5.5. Employment and Discrimination..……………………………………………………..22 6. Hispanic Contributions to American Society..……………………………………………..23 6.1. Economy..…………………………………………………………….………………..23 6.1.1. Tax Contributions..…………………...……………………………………………23 6.1.2. Entrepreneurship..………….………………………………………………………24 6.1.3. Workforce Contributions..…………………………………………………………25 6.2. Politics..……………………………………...…………………………………………26 6.3. Defense.……………………………………...………………………………………...27 6.4. Science and Technology..……………………...………………………………………28 Chapter Two: Hispanic Minority's Threat to American Identity: Is it a Fact or Fiction ?.....................................................................................................................................31 1. The Concept of Identity..…………………………………………………...………………32 2. American Identity..………………………………………………………...……………….33 3. Hispanic Minority's Threat to American Identity is a fact...……………..………………....36 3.1. A History of Hispanic Achievement in America: Hispanics Become an American Minority..………………………………………………...…………………...……………….36 3.2. The Hispanic Challenge to American Identity..………………………………………..38 3.2.1. Spanish as the Second National Language of the United States...………………....39 3.2.2. Hispanic Contributions to American Culture..…………………………………….41 IX 3.2.3. Hispanic Intermarriage...……………………………………...……………………43 3.2.4. Hispanic Occupation and Income...………………………………………………..45 3.3. National Hispanic Heritage Month…..…………………………………………...……47 4. Hispanic Minority's Threat to American Identity is Fiction..………………………………49 4.1. Language..……………………………………………………………………………...49 4.2. Identity..………………………………………………………………………………..52 4.3. Education..……………………………………………………………………………..54 4.4. Citizenship..……………...…………………………………………………………….57 Conclusion………………………………………………………………..…………………..59 Works Cited………………………………………………………………………………….63 X 11 Introduction From every corner of the globe, Americans have been grouped through a variety of historical conquests, colonialism, slave trade, land acquisition, and voluntary immigration. So, The symbolic notation of a nation of immigrants is deeply engraved in the character of the American nation. Historically, immigrants from a broader group of countries and cultures have continued to flow on the American shores to start their lives again in searching of political refuge, economic opportunity, or religious freedom. The US differs from other European countries in that its history is short, its people are a mixture of ethnic groups, and it does not have the same kind of religious or ethnic divisions. American identity is therefore „„exceptional.‟‟ During periods