Bibliography
Comparisons
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salvadoran_Americans
- https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/es.html
Salvadorans coming to America faced a lot of the same hardships as the Irish and Germans but their new lives were different. Salvadorans had to compete with other Latino cultures, which resulted in a lot of violence. Also, Salvadorans did a lot of illegal immigration because they were so desperate to leave.
Push and Pull Factors
American Society
Push Factors:
- Civil Wars in Central America
- Economic Hardships
- Political Violence
- Escape the Draft
Pull Factors:
- Economic Opportunities
- Better Education
- Many already spoke English
- School was difficult to transition to
- Easily adapting to American Culture
- Americans have a skewed view of El Salvador that they tend to have a lot of prejudices especially in the media
Settlement & Support Groups
- California
- Texas
- Washington D.C.
- Large Salvadoran population in San Francisco
- Christianity
Standard of Living
Most of the immigrants were poor and only moved up to working class. There are some successful Salvadorans though.
Sacrifices
Journey to America:
- Leaving family behind
- Leaving Belongings
In America:
- Stereotypes of where they came from
- Mostly labor intensive jobs
- Gang Violence
Background of El Salvador
El Salvador Immigration
- It is a small country in Central America
- In the 1980s a lot of people from El Salvador were immigrating to the U.S.
- Most people speak English and Spanish
- Christianity is the major religion
By: Katie Burdick