A Colonized State of Mind
One cannot truly understand the present unless they take the past into account. Having read the introduction and first chapter of Juan Gonzalez’s Harvest of Empire: A History of Latinos in America, one can piece together some interesting points about the early history of Latinos, as well as the colonization that occurred several hundred years ago. Upon analyzing the early stages of the Spanish conquests and considering the social issues Latinos faced throughout history, one can draw the conclusion that the colonization of the indigenous people is what predetermined Latinos’ place within society. Because these colonists’ unceasing efforts to spread their religion and reinvent the indigenous people of the americas, they …show more content…
With the upcoming election and a certain candidate’s proposed policies regarding Latino immigrants, as well as the xenophobia surrounding that campaign, one can’t help but wonder about the placement of Latinos within American society today. Although racial segregation is a thing of the past, there still exists a prominent social chasm between Anglos and Latinos, as observed in an earlier part of this essay. This has been the case for hundreds of years, and divide only seems to deepen as this colonized state of mind forces a social hierarchy based on race. While the future may look bleak, many Latinos around the country are taking action and reclaiming their Latinx identities, despite adversity, and are determined to fight for change. As Gonzales (2011) analyzes in his book, the numbers of Hispanics participating in elections is continually increasing (Gonzalez, 2011, p. XIV). This can be translated into the idea that more Latinos are becoming aware and are demanding real change within society, now becoming avidly involved in politics and spreading the word to fight for equality. Much of this was demonstrated in the social movements of the 1950s and 1960s, but it is these victories that continue to inspire Latinos, and will eventually pave the way out of this colonized mindset that forces them through a minefield of obstacles in order to share the same rights and
One cannot truly understand the present unless they take the past into account. Having read the introduction and first chapter of Juan Gonzalez’s Harvest of Empire: A History of Latinos in America, one can piece together some interesting points about the early history of Latinos, as well as the colonization that occurred several hundred years ago. Upon analyzing the early stages of the Spanish conquests and considering the social issues Latinos faced throughout history, one can draw the conclusion that the colonization of the indigenous people is what predetermined Latinos’ place within society. Because these colonists’ unceasing efforts to spread their religion and reinvent the indigenous people of the americas, they …show more content…
With the upcoming election and a certain candidate’s proposed policies regarding Latino immigrants, as well as the xenophobia surrounding that campaign, one can’t help but wonder about the placement of Latinos within American society today. Although racial segregation is a thing of the past, there still exists a prominent social chasm between Anglos and Latinos, as observed in an earlier part of this essay. This has been the case for hundreds of years, and divide only seems to deepen as this colonized state of mind forces a social hierarchy based on race. While the future may look bleak, many Latinos around the country are taking action and reclaiming their Latinx identities, despite adversity, and are determined to fight for change. As Gonzales (2011) analyzes in his book, the numbers of Hispanics participating in elections is continually increasing (Gonzalez, 2011, p. XIV). This can be translated into the idea that more Latinos are becoming aware and are demanding real change within society, now becoming avidly involved in politics and spreading the word to fight for equality. Much of this was demonstrated in the social movements of the 1950s and 1960s, but it is these victories that continue to inspire Latinos, and will eventually pave the way out of this colonized mindset that forces them through a minefield of obstacles in order to share the same rights and