Series: American Latino/a Heritage Theme Study

Latino history is American history. American Latinos and the Making of the United States: A Theme Study is a publication of the National Park System Advisory Board (NPSAB) for the National Park Service (NPS). Who is this theme study for? It's for students and teachers, for researchers, for preservation professionals, for local, state and federal government officials, and for the general public. In other words, it's for you.

• Article 1: American Latino Theme Study Introduction

  

  This essay explores the relatively unknown story of Latinos and their role in the making of the United States. Read more

• Article 2: American Latino Theme Study: Core Essay

  

  This essay surveys American Latino history through a focus on five individuals – Félix Varela, María Amparo Ruíz de Burton, Arturo Schomburg, Luisa Moreno, and Edward Roybal – whose lives trace major historical developments from the early 19th century into the contemporary era. Read more

• Article 3: American Latino Theme Study: Empires, Wars, Revolutions

  

  This essay explores various 19th and 20th century wars and revolutions in the U.S. and several Latin American countries and discusses not only their effects on the physical expansion of America, but also how these actions caused Latinos from Mexico, Cuba, and Puerto Rico to be territorially incorporated into the U.S. Read more

• Article 4: American Latino Theme Study: Immigration

  

  This essay explores the history of Latino immigration to the U.S. with particular emphasis on issues of citizenship and non-citizenship, political controversies over immigration policy, and the global economic context in which regional migration and immigration have occurred. Read more

• Article 5: American Latino Theme Study: Intellectual Traditions

  

  This essay discusses 19th and 20th century Latino intellectuals and their thoughts and writings about nationality, citizenship, disenfranchisement of women, nation building, and democracy. Read more

• Article 6: American Latino Theme Study: Media

  

  This essay focuses on the development of modern media by Latinos and its effect on American Latino communities. Read more

• Article 7: American Latino Theme Study: Religion

  

  This essay explores Latino religion and spirituality in the United States, including community formation and development, education, immigration, and rites of passage. It also addresses the influence of Latino religious and spiritual practices on the American religious landscape. Read more

• Article 8: American Latino Theme Study: Arts

  

  This essay explores Latino arts in the U.S. including the performing arts, visual arts, and literary arts as well as the impact of Latino artists on the nation and the world. Read more

• Article 9: American Latino Theme Study: Sports

  

  This essay explores how Latinos changed the profile of sports in the U.S. and includes topics such as racial segregation/integration, inclusion, Latina athletes, and community cohesion. Read more

• Article 10: American Latino Theme Study: Food

  

  This essay explores the history of Latino foods in the U.S. in the 19th and 20th centuries and their growth and popularity in the U.S. food industry Read more

• Article 11: American Latino Theme Study: Labor

  

  This essay explores the role Latino workers have played in the development of labor movements within the U.S during the late 19th and entire 20th centuries as well as their role in the development of the U.S. economy. Read more

• Article 12: American Latino Theme Study: Business and Commerce

  

  This essay explores the growth of Latino business and commerce in the U.S. from the Spanish and Mexican colonial periods through the 20th and into the 21st centuries. Read more

• Article 13: American Latino Theme Study: Science

  

  This essay discusses both Latinos who served important roles in the advancement of science and medicine and the impact of established scientific and medical practices on Latinos. Read more

• Article 14: American Latino Theme Study: Military

  

  This essay focuses on Latinos in the United States military during the wars of the late 19th and entire 20th centuries as well as the peacetime roles of American Latino soldiers and veterans. The essay also discusses the economic and social significance of military service to American Latinos. Read more

• Article 15: American Latino Theme Study: Struggles for Inclusion

  

  This essay focuses on formal and informal efforts by various American Latino groups in the 19th and 20th centuries for full political and civic inclusion as citizens of the United States, including the development of Latino political activist groups, the struggle for civil rights, and the fight for full electoral rights for all citizens. Read more

• Article 16: American Latino Theme Study: Law

  

  This essay focuses on several legal issues that have shaped the lives of Latino citizens in the United States. Topics include cultural citizenship, complex land and water issues within those portions of the United States that were once part of Mexico, and legal struggles for housing and public accommodations. Read more

• Article 17: American Latino Theme Study: Education

  

  This essay explores the struggles for equal educational opportunities for American Latino children in the 19th and 20th centuries. Topics include desegregation, struggles in higher education, and parents' advocacy for educational equality. Read more

• Article 18: American Latino Theme Study: New Latinos

  

  This essay explores actions taken by the United States government during and after the Cuban Revolution of 1959 and in response to upheavals in several Central American countries, most notably El Salvador, Guatemala, and Nicaragua during the 1980s, that resulted in significant increases in immigrants from those countries to the United States. Read more