answersLogoWhite

0


Best Answer

The term "Hispanic" is in general a reference to anything that is connected in some way with Spain or Portugal or with the countries in America where Spanish or Portuguese is a primary language.

In the US it is more often a term of convenience used to describe anyone who speaks Spanish or Portuguese, or who has ancestry from Spanish or Portuguese speaking parts of Central and South America. Used in this way it describes a group who have generally been disadvantaged in the US cultural and economic climate prior to the period around the 1970s when a broad agreement was reached to redress those disadvantages.

In the US most groups subject to discrimination in the middle 20th century were racially defined (to the extent that any race can be defined): Blacks, Native Americans (then called "Indians"), various oriental groups. But the cultures of South and Central America often did not distinguish between Black and White in the way the US culture did. All Hispanics were likely to suffer some of the racially- based disadvantages of the US culture, but some could appear to be "white" while others appeared "black" or mestizo (various heritage mixes of European, African and Amerind) In order to readily designate this group as qualified for assistance and corrective measures along with the Blacks and other racial groups, the term "Hispanic" was applied.

In this sense, therefore, Hispanic People are clearly not a single race, as the word "race" is used in the US. They may be one or more ethnic groups, but in the US membership in an Ethnic group is often a matter of self-definition.

User Avatar

Wiki User

16y ago
This answer is:
User Avatar

Add your answer:

Earn +20 pts
Q: Are Hispanics a race or ethnic group?
Write your answer...
Submit
Still have questions?
magnify glass
imp
Related questions

Which ethnic group began to populate in new york?

the answer is Hispanics


What ethnic group in Texas accounts for the most births?

hispanics


What ethnic group formed the united farm workers?

Hispanics


Which ethnic group does not fit with the area identified?

Hispanics and Oregon


What ethnic group or race is the most faithful in marriage?

asian..


What was the ethnic group that Germany considered to be the master race?

Aryan


What is the second largest ethnic group in US?

Hispanic/Latino is the second largest ethnic group in the United States, comprising about 18% of the population.


What group is the largest racial minority in the us?

African-Americans 12-14% is the largest racial minority, though Hispanics are largest ethnic minority, being Hispanic is not a race. It just refers to the those who are from one the former Spanish colonies.


Which ethnic group was to the Caribbean to work as slaves?

Race: The black race: Ethnicity: West Africans


What is a planned killing of a race?

The word for killing or trying to kill a race or ethnic group is genocide.


Name the different race and ethnic groups in Malaysia?

name the different races and ethnic group in malaysia


What is a group of people with the same race language religion or cultural traditions?

Such wide can be only a definition of the inhabitants of a certain state or world region.