Historical Background (I)
The history between Hispanics and the United States began a long time ago, when firstly America was discovered by Christopher Columbus[i] in 1492. After many years of colonization of new lands by Spanish colonists and conquerors, and also many kills of Native Americans[ii], the Spaniards, including priests, started to settle there, creating new families. Their children were known as mestizos[iii], and most Hispanics nowadays are direct descendants of them.
During the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, a good number of English, Spanish and French colonizers occupied American territories and established a significant number of colonies, mainly in the north of the continent. North America and the United States would not exist without these migratory waves that reached this part of the world before the American nation existed as such. Many of these first colonies and which would later become the United States were linked to the English crown[iv], which sponsored the expeditions in order to find merchandise to export back to Europe.
The thirteen colonies flourished for several decades, establishing their own government and local elections. England sought to have more control over the colonies and the colonists resisted and fought for their independence in what would be known as the American Revolution[v]. This group of thirteen colonial officials officially declared their independence in 1776 and that was how a group of colonial migrants founded the United States of America.
Once the United States was established as an independent country, people from different parts of the world began to migrate in search of opportunities in the new nation (it is important to highlight here that most of the Hispanics were already located here). In the 18th century, many European and Hispanics immigrants arrived in the new nation under the promise of jobs and prosperity. During this period, the country's population tripled due to the influx of migrants. Between 1836 and 1914, more than 30 million European migrants arrived in the United States. During this time, many other Hispanics became part of the United States due to the conflict between Mexico and Texas, who finally, in 1845, became the 28th State of the country.
In 1846, conflicts between Mexico and the United States[vi] did not end … lands known as Utah, California, New Mexico, Arizona, Nevada, Colorado and Wyoming became part of the United States. In 1898, the Spanish-American War[vii] took place, and it ended with the treaty which allowed United States to take control of Cuba and Puerto Rico. Consequently, many of the Hispanics living in these territories later became citizens of the country.
By 1910, there were already more than 13.5 million immigrants living in a nation with a population of 92 million.
Unfortunately, not all migration to the United States has been under the promise of self-determination. Between 1625 and 1866, about 388,000 slaves were forcibly brought to the United States to be sold as slaves and to participate in forced labor. Once they arrived, many families were separated and sold before being forced to serve under brutally harsh conditions in the developing nation.
The legal figure of slavery was officially abolished throughout the country with the signed Emancipation Proclamation[viii] signed in 1865.
[i] Christopher Columbus (1451-1506) was an explorer and colonizer who completed four trips across the Atlantic Ocean that opened a new world for the European colonization of the Americas. Although his goal was to sail west to China and India, he discovered a new continent. He died never realizing he had found a new territory.
[ii] A Native American is defined as the person member of any indigenous peoples of North, Central and South America.
[iii] Name given to a man or a woman of mixed race, especially one having Spanish and indigenous descent.
[iv] The symbol of the power of the British monarchy.
[v] War fought from 1775 to 1783 and won by the thirteen American colonies to achieve independence from Great Britain.
[vi] The Mexican-American War was a conflict between Mexico and the United States, fought from 1846 to 1848.
[vii] The Spanish-American War was a conflict between Spain and the United States, fought in 1898.
[viii] The Emancipation Proclamation was an executive order issued by President Abraham Lincoln, freeing all slaves held in geographical areas in rebellion against the United States.