Historical Report on race Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Historical Report on race - Research Paper Example Today, you hear people speaking Spanish in very street you walk through in the cities of the United States of America. Hispanic Americans or Latinos originated in the Latin America and Spain. Hispanic American refers to the people of Spanish-speaking ancestry, while Latino refers to the people of Latin American origin. The history of Hispanic Americans in the US dates back to 16th century when Spanish ships sailing through Pacific Coast to Oregon. Hispanic Americans were the first racial group to reach the Mississippi River, the Appalachian Mountains and Great Plains. Spaniards created the first local settlement in continental America at St. Augustine in Florida in 1565 while other settlements in Virginia, Plymouth Colony, San Antonio, San Diego and Los Angeles followed later in the century (Jim, 2011). During the American Revolutionary war, Spain aided America since Spain held about half of the continental America territory. Through treaties, diplomacy and the Mexican-American War, United States increased its territory at the expense of Spain and most Hispanic Americans were pushed to the Southwestern States (Jim, 2011). Hispanic Americans account for about 17 percent of the total US population which translates to over 50 million people. Hispanic Americans is the fastest growing racial group with a population growth rate of 28.6 % which is about four times the national average of 7.2 % according to 2010 statistics. Majority of Hispanic Americans live in Puerto Rico, East Los Angeles, Texas, Miami, California and Colorado. Hispanic Americans form the second largest are the second largest racial group in the US after the White Native Americans. Hispanic Americans are still a minority group. Most Hispanic Americans originated from Latin American countries like Salvador, Colombia, Cuba, Mexico and Dominica (Jim,