Shows how the Hispanic Americans enrich the United States with traditions, customs, and life experiences.

Hispanic Americans trace their roots to more than twenty nations and are members of every racial group. These differences influence their experiences and their perceptions of American life. The Hispanic American Experience examines stories of coming to America; striving for rights, building community, embracing identity, and facing challenges.

Mexican Americans are rapidly becoming the largest minority in the United States, playing a vital role in the culture of the American Southwest and beyond. This A-to-Z guide offers comprehensive coverage of the Mexican American experience. Entries range from figures such as Corky Gonzales, Joan Baez, and Nancy Lopez to general entries on bilingual education, assimilation, border culture, and southwestern agriculture. Court cases, politics, and events such as the Delano Grape Strike all receive full coverage, while the definitions and significance of terms such as coyote and Tejano are provided in shorter entries. Taking a historical approach, this book's topics date back to the 1848 Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, a radical turning point for Mexican Americans, as they lost their lands and found themselves thrust into an alien social and legal system. The entries trace Mexican Americans' experience as a small, conquered minority, their growing influence in the 20th century, and the essential roles their culture plays in the borderlands, or the American Southwest, in the 21st century.

"Road Work selected contact sheets from the American Journey Series made from 1994-1997" -- Publisher's website.

Provides information about the history and experiences of Americans with roots in the Spanish-speaking world