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== Cuban American culture ==
== Cuban American culture ==
=== Political beliefs ===
Cuban Americans tend to be significantly more conservative politically than other Latino groups in the United States and form a major voting block for the [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican Party]] in the state of Florida. Many Cuban Americans are deeply resentful of the Castro [[regime]]. As such, they are more in tune with the strong anti-communist stance of the [[GOP]].

The failed [[Bay of Pigs invasion]], and its association with [[John F. Kennedy]], left many Cubans distrustful of the [[Democratic Party(United States)|Democratic Party]]. [[Ronald Reagan]], on the other hand, is particularly popular in the Cuban exile community (there's a street in Miami named for [[Ronald Reagan]]). The return of [[Elián González]] by the [[Bill Clinton|Clinton administration]] contributed to the community's Republican-oriented political views.

=== Food ===
=== Food ===
{{see also|Cuban cuisine}}
{{see also|Cuban cuisine}}

Revision as of 04:14, 17 February 2008

Cuban American
Cubano Americano

Regions with significant populations
Florida
(Miami; Hialeah; Key West; Orlando; Tampa)
New Jersey
(Union City; West New York)
New York
(New York City)
North Carolina
(Raleigh; Charlotte)
Languages
American English & Spanish
Religion
Predominantly Roman Catholic;
with Jewish, Protestant, Santeria, Atheist and Agnostic minorities
Related ethnic groups
Spaniards · Italians · Portuguese · Hispanics
Afro-Cuban · Jewish Cuban · Chinese Cuban
Part of a series on
Hispanic and
Latino Americans
National origin groups
History
Americans by ancestry
Political movements
Organizations
Culture
Languages
Ethnic groups
Lists

A Cuban American is a United States citizen who traces his or her ancestry to Cuba. Many communities throughout the United States have significant Cuban American populations. However, Miami, Florida stands out as the most prominent Cuban American community, in part because of its proximity to Cuba. It is followed by North Jersey, particularly Union City and West New York. More recently, there has been substantial growth of new Cuban-American communities in places like Hazleton, Pennsylvania; Raleigh, North Carolina; and Palm Desert, California. [citation needed]

Immigration

Prior to the Louisiana Purchase and the Adams-Onís Treaty of 1819, all of Florida and Louisiana, were provinces of the Captaincy General of Cuba. Consequently, Cuban immigration to the U.S. has a long history, beginning in the Spanish colonial period in 1565 when St. Augustine, Florida was established by Pedro Menéndez de Avilés, and hundreds of Spanish/Cuban soldiers and their families moved from Cuba to St. Augustine to establish a new life. Thousands of Cuban settlers also immigrated to Louisiana between 1778 – 1783 and Texas during the period of Spanish rule.

Many early Cubans migrated to New York City, St. Augustine, Florida, Key West, and Tampa, Florida. Many Cubans were absorbed into the mainstream of American culture after the United States claimed Florida from Spain in 1821.[citation needed]

In the late 1800s, a Cuban entrepreneur named Vicente Martinez-Ybor started a cigar making business in Tampa. Soon, other Cuban businessmen {Fuente, Villazon, Garcia, and Vega} followed Ybor's example. Within several years, Tampa had a thriving cigar-making industry. Numerous Cuban families lived and worked in the area known as Ybor City near Tampa, and there are many third and fourth generation Cuban Americans who trace their Cuban heritage directly to this early immigration.

Smaller waves of Cuban emigration to the U.S. occurred in the early 20th century (1900-1959), mostly settled in Florida and the Northeast U.S. The majority of an estimated 100,000 Cubans arrived in that time period usually came for economic reasons {1929 depression, volatile sugar prices}, but included anti-Batista refugees fleeing the military dictatorship, which had pro-U.S. diplomatic ties.

US communities with high percentages of people of Cuban ancestry

The top 25 US communities with the highest percentage of people claiming Cuban ancestry are:[1]

  1. Westchester, Florida 65.69%
  2. Hialeah, Florida 62.12%
  3. Coral Terrace, Florida 61.87%
  4. West Miami, Florida 61.61%
  5. University Park, Florida 59.80%
  6. Olympia Heights, Florida 57.65%
  7. Tamiami, Florida 56.63%
  8. Hialeah Gardens, Florida 54.31%
  9. Medley, Florida 51.91%
  10. Sweetwater, Florida 49.92%
  11. Palm Springs North, Florida 43.59%
  12. Miami Lakes, Florida 42.28%
  13. Kendale Lakes, Florida 38.58%
  14. Fountainbleau, Florida 37.29%
  15. Miami, Florida 34.14%
  16. Miami Springs, Florida 31.83%
  17. Richmond West, Florida 29.30%
  18. Coral Gables, Florida 28.72%
  19. Virginia Gardens, Florida 26.11%
  20. South Miami Heights, Florida 25.70%
  21. Kendall, Florida 21.31%
  22. Miami Beach, Florida 20.51%
  23. Surfside, Florida 20.15%
  24. Country Club, Florida 19.97%
  25. West New York, New Jersey 19.64%

1960 - 1980

Political upheaval in Cuba created new waves of Cuban immigrants to the U.S. In 1959, after the Cuban revolution led by Fidel Castro, a large Cuban exodus began. From 1960 to 1979, hundreds of thousands of Cubans left Cuba and began a new life in America, often forming the backbone of the anti-Castro movement. Most Cuban Americans that arrived in the United States came from Cuba's educated, upper and middle classes. Like many immigrants, the Cuban Americans often had little money, which was further exacerbated by Cuban government measures taken to prevent removal of wealth from Cuba.

In order to provide aid to recently arrived Cuban immigrants, the United States Congress passed the Cuban Adjustment Act in 1966. The Cuban Refugee Program provided more than $1.3 billion of direct financial assistance. They also were eligible for public assistance, Medicare, free English courses, scholarships, and low interest college loans. Some banks even pioneered loans for exiles who did not have collateral or credit but received help in getting a business loan simply because they were of Cuban descent. These loans enabled many Cuban Americans to secure funds and start up their own businesses. With their Cuban-owned businesses and low cost of living, Miami, Florida and Union City, New Jersey (dubbed "Havana-on-the Hudson"[citation needed]) were the preferred destinations for many immigrants, and soon became the main centers for Cuban American culture. Miami was particularly attractive due[citation needed] to its similar climate, geography, and architecture; Union City for the opportunities offered by the embroidery industry. However, Westchester, Florida within Miami-Dade County, stands as the area most populated by Cubans and Cuban Americans in the United States, followed by Hialeah, Florida in second.[1]

1980s

Another large wave (an estimated 120,000 people) of Cuban immigration occurred in the early 1980s with the Mariel boatlifts. Many of the "Marielitos" became prosperous, through their own efforts, with government assistance and assistance from earlier immigrants, relatives and charitable organizations.

Assimilation

Many Cuban Americans have assimilated themselves into the mainstream American culture, but in the city of Miami and its surroundings, there is a uniquely molded Cuban American community.

Since the 1980s, Cuban Americans have moved out of "Little Havana" to the suburbs of Miami, such as Hialeah and Kendall as well as the more affluent Coral Gables and Miami Lakes.

Many new South and Central Americans, along with new Cuban refugees, have replaced the Cuban Americans who have relocated elsewhere in Florida (Fort Lauderdale, Orlando, Tampa Bay and West Palm Beach) and dispersed throughout the nation.

Cuban Americans live in all 50 states, Washington, D.C. and Puerto Rico, which received thousands of anti-Castro refugees as well in the 1960s, and Cuban American population growth is found in California, Georgia, Illinois, New York, North Carolina, Virginia and Indiana.

Cuban Americans have been very successful in establishing businesses and developing political clout by transforming Miami from a beach retirement community into a modern city with a distinct Caribbean flavor.

Cuban American culture

Political beliefs

Cuban Americans tend to be significantly more conservative politically than other Latino groups in the United States and form a major voting block for the Republican Party in the state of Florida. Many Cuban Americans are deeply resentful of the Castro regime. As such, they are more in tune with the strong anti-communist stance of the GOP.

The failed Bay of Pigs invasion, and its association with John F. Kennedy, left many Cubans distrustful of the Democratic Party. Ronald Reagan, on the other hand, is particularly popular in the Cuban exile community (there's a street in Miami named for Ronald Reagan). The return of Elián González by the Clinton administration contributed to the community's Republican-oriented political views.

Food

See also: Cuban cuisine

Cuban food is varied, though rice is a staple and commonly served at lunch and dinner. Other common dishes are arroz con pollo (chicken and rice), pan con bistec (steak sandwich), platanos maduros (sweet plantains), lechon asado (pork), yuca (cassava root), flan, batido de mamey (mamey milkshake), papayas, and guava paste.

Cuban versions of pizza contains bread, which is usually soft, and cheese, toppings, and sauce, which is made with spices such as Adobo and Goya onion. Picadillo, ground beef that could be sauteed with tomato, green peppers, green olives, and garlic is another popular Cuban dish. It can be served with black beans and rice, and a side of and a side deep-fried, ripened plantains.

Beverages

File:Materva.jpg
Materva is a yerba mate soft drink popular among Cuban Americans.

Cubans often drink a small cup of coffee called a cafecito, which is traditional espresso coffee, sweetened, with a sugar foam on top called espumita. It is also popular to add milk, which is called a cortadito for a small cup or a cafe con leche for a larger cup.

A common soft drink is Materva, a Cuban soda made of yerba mate. Jupina, Ironbeer and Cawy lemon-lime are soft drinks which originated in Cuba. Since the Castro era, they are are produced in Miami.

Demographics

The ancestry of Cuban Americans comes primarily from Spain, with many others being of French, Portuguese, Italian, Russian descent [2] During the 18th, 19th and early part of the 20th century, large waves of Canarian, Catalan, Andalusian and Galician emigrated to Cuba. Much of Haiti's white population migrated to Cuba after the Haitian War of Independence in the early 18th century. Also, minor but significant ethnic influx is derived from diverse peoples from Middle East nations such as Lebanon and Palestine. There was also a significant influx of Jews, especially between the World Wars, from many countries, including Sephardic Jews from Turkey and Ashkenazic Jews from Poland, Germany and Russia. Other Europeans that have contributed slightly include Italians, Germans, Swedes, and Hungarians.

In the most recent census in 2000 there were 1,241,685 Cuban Americans, both native and foreign born and represented 3.5% of all Hispanics in the US. About 88% of Cuban Americans identify themselves as being Caucasian or White Cuban, mostly Spanish.

Economics

The median household income for Cuban Americans is $36,671, a figure higher than other Hispanic groups, but lower than for non-Hispanic whites.

In contrast, US-born Cuban Americans have a higher median income than even non-Hispanic whites, $50,000 as compared to $48,000 for non-Hispanic whites.

Education

25% of Cuban Americans have a college education, about twice the average of all other Hispanic groups, and lower than that of non-Hispanic whites, of which 30% are college graduates. [citation needed]

However, 39% of US-born Cuban Americans have a college degree or higher, as compared to only 30% of non-Hispanic whites, and 12% for all other Hispanic groups. [citation needed]

Religion

Being primarily of Spanish extraction, most Cuban Americans are Roman Catholic. However, there are many Protestant (primarily Pentecostal), spiritualist (involved in Santeria), nonreligious, and Jewish Cuban Americans.

Immigration policy

Before the 1980s, all refugees from Cuba were welcomed into the United States as political refugees. This changed in the 1990s so that only Cubans who reach U.S. soil are granted refuge under the "wet feet, dry feet policy". Cuban immigration also continues with an allotted number of Cubans (20,000 per year) provided legal U.S. visas.

According to a U.S. Census 1970 report, Cuban Americans as well as Latinos lived in all 50 states. But as later Census reports demonstrated, the majority of Cuban immigrants settled in south Florida. A new trend in the late 1990s showed that fewer immigrants arrived from Cuba than previously. While U.S. born Cuban Americans moved out of their enclaves, other nationalities settled there.

In late 1999, U.S. news media focused on the case of Elián González, the 6-year-old Cuban boy caught in a custody battle between his relatives in Miami and his father in Cuba. The fiasco ended on April 22, 2000, when INS agents took Elián González to the Cuban Interests Section in Washington, D.C. From there, his father took him back to Cuba.

Political Representation

There are now four Cuban American members of the United States House of Representatives and two Senators (Mel Martinez of Florida, and Bob Menendez of New Jersey) in the United States Senate, as well as the Cuban American Secretary of Commerce, Carlos M. Gutierrez.

In 2006 Marco Rubio became Speaker of the Florida House of Representatives. Eduardo Aguirre served as Vice Chairman of the Export-Import Bank of the United States in the George W. Bush administration and later named Director of Immigration and Naturalization Services under the Department of Homeland Security. In 2006, Eduardo Aguirre was named US ambassador to Spain. Cuban Americans have also served other high profile government jobs including White House Chief of Staff, John H. Sununu.

Cuban Americans also serve in high ranking judicial positions as well, Danny Boggs is the current chief judge of United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit and Raoul G. Cantero, III, is a Florida Supreme Court justice.

See also

References

  1. ^ a b "Ancestry Map of Cuban Communities". Epodunk.com. Retrieved 2007-12-23.
  2. ^ Etat des propriétés rurales appartenant à des Français dans l'île de Cuba from http://www.cubagenweb.org
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