At the turn of the 20th century the U.S. found itself in the midst of an identity crisis. Millions of eastern and southern Europeans (Italians, Ashkenazi Jews, Russians, etc.) poured into the U.S. Unlike earlier immigrants from Germany, Scandinavia and Ireland, most of the new arrivals, hailing from the periphery of Europe, did not possess only Indo-European features. The traits of Sicilians reflected the hundreds of years their island had Punic and Arab rulers. Russians and Hungarians often possessed physical characteristics similar to Finno-Ugric and Turkish peoples. The Greeks who filed through Ellis Island did not resemble the blond, blue-eyed people of the age of Pericles, thanks to numerous invasions and over half a millennium of Ottoman rule. Whereas a properly attired Irishman or German without an accent could pass as a Bostonian Brahman, a Jew or Italian could not.
The newcomers caused much anxiety amongst America's white population. Many intellectuals of the time saw these "mongrels" as a major threat to the future racial makeup of the United States who could ultimately cause the demise of the Republic. This xenophobia led to the creation of numerous societies intent on protecting "whitedom" and played a key role in the revival of the Ku Klux Klan. Throughout the country, immigrants found themselves on the receiving end of nativist abuse. Indeed, the Deep South proved nearly as dangerous a region for Jews and Italians as for African Americans.
This intense discrimination continued for decades, even as late as the 1950s as Italians, Jews, Greeks and Slavs struggled to enter America's most prestigious universities. Yet during the baby boomer generation these groups found themselves accepted into "white" America. Today demographers clump the descendents of the Ellis Island immigrants with the United States' white population. While a Silverman or Gambino might not be mistaken for a WASP, any claims by either of them of being a minority would undoubtedly cause a great deal of laughter.
How did these ethnic groups go from "mongrels" to "whites"? Two factors seems to have played a critical role in this transformation: All these nationalities possessed cultures that stemmed from Western civilization, and they all enjoyed a high degree of social mobility that allowed them to move out of inner-city ghettos and into suburbia where they could more easily mesh with "white" America.
So do Latinos fit this profile?
Well for starters, Latinos are already Westerners. Our story really begins with the crossing of the Atlantic, not the Bering Strait: The brutal Iberian conquests, coupled with unprecedented epidemics, effectively wiped out most Amerindian cultures. The indigenous military and religious elites either perished or quickly assimilated with into the Spanish and Portuguese colonial structures, leaving behind dazed peasants and hunter-gatherers who over the centuries abandoned their traditional customs in lieu of those of their new masters. The language, religion, concept of property and family structure of Latinos all closely resemble those found in the homelands of Cortes and Pizarro. But make no mistakes, your average Mexican or Salvadoran would feel much more at home in Cadiz or Salamanca than in some indigenous hamlet in Chiapas.
Latinos also enjoy a high degree of social mobility in America. This success can be seen in their changing voting patterns. In 1996 a mere 26 percent of Latinos voted for the Republican presidential candidate, a number that increased to 33 percent in 2000 and 41 percent in 2004. The ferocious social conservatism found in Hispanic society can only partly attribute this drift towards the GOP. Equally important has been the flow of Latinos out of the inner cities, where the Democratic political machine dominates, to the suburbs, as well as the explosion of Latino business and homeowners, two groups that tend to overwhelmingly support the Republican party. Indeed, within 20 years of arriving to the United States, the solid majority of Hispanics own their homes.
There is no guarantee that Latinos will ultimately join white America. Continual waves of immigrants could prevent a consolidation period necessary for full integration. However, projecting immigrations numbers often proves extremely unreliable. We truly do not know if the current rate of immigrants entering from Latin America will continue. Security concerns may force Washington to beef up border security, or the states of Latin America could experience Pacific Rim-like economic growth that would surely decrease the number of people heading for "El Norte."
It appears highly likely that Latinos, with their Western culture and social mobility, will follow in the footsteps of the Ellis Island immigrants and become part of "white" America. Or they might not. Regardless, their impressive work ethic ensures that Latinos will greatly strengthen this nation and help pave the way for a new American century.
Baca can be reached at mwbaca@amherst.edu