Cherie Correa

14 June 2006

Why Do Immigrants from Nicaragua Seem to Resist Assimilation More than Some Other Hispanic Nationalities?

            Growing up in a fairly small, Texan town, I had many friends who were Mexican-Americans, but I rarely paid attention to their differences because they seemed to be as “American” as anyone else. They spoke English, even when they were at home, with the exception of when extended family members might come to visit, but even then, the older relatives were the only ones speaking Spanish. The exposure to these Americanized Hispanics was partly responsible for the many surprises I encountered after I met the man who would become my husband.

This is a man who definitely looks Hispanic, but when you listen to him speak English, you would never guess that he could also speak Spanish, like many of the people previously mentioned. However, whenever the mistake is made of referring to this man as being Mexican, he adamantly informs people the he is NOT Mexican. Not being sure of why this was such a sensitive issue, several cultural differences became apparent after meeting and spending time with his family. They did not seem to be as assimilated as the people I was used to seeing. For example, they ate food that I had never seen or heard of before, and they only attempted to speak English when I was around, out of politeness. However, once they found out I could speak a fair amount of Spanish, the prevalence of English declined even more. Even though the in-laws have been in the United States for over half of their lives, they still refer to Nicaragua as being their country, and other people are “Americans.” They seemed very concerned about keeping their culture alive, which was an occurrence that I was just not used to seeing.

In class, once we started discussing immigrants/minorities who were willing/refusing to assimilate, I started wondering, why do immigrants from Nicaragua seem to resist assimilation more than some other Hispanic nationalities? They seem to be similar to Allos in “America is in the Heart” when he says, “Please, God, don’t change me in America…” It is apparent that the basis for generalization, my husband’s family, is small, but the resistance to assimilate can be found in the extended family and Nicaraguan friends, which could suggest that more Nicaraguan immigrants are similar.

When trying to discover why some Nicaraguans seem to resist assimilation more than some other Hispanic nationalities, the most reasonable place to start would be to ask for clarification from the source of the topic at hand, the in-laws, Horacio and Rosa. Some parts of the conversations went as expected, while other parts were surprising. The in-laws left Nicaragua during a civil war that was occurring in their country; they were having problems with the government because people’s valuables were being taken away from them. The government was trying to make the country “fair,” similar to Communism, in terms of who owned what. For example, if a family owned three cars, the government would take away two of the cars by force, if necessary. They both came to the United States to stay with family members, and, originally, they had no intentions of staying permanently. However, Horacio saw opportunity with his job of installing carpet, and Rosa stayed with Horacio once they were married. They both consider themselves to be Nicaraguan, rather than American, because that is where they were born. Horacio and Rosa want their children and grandchildren to know about Nicaraguan culture: the customs, beliefs, and, especially, the language.

When asked why they are not willing to let their children and grandchildren become completely Americanized, they both said they were proud of their nationality and did not want their culture to die with them. The previously mentioned information was expected, but what was surprising was that they did not consider themselves to be more attached to their culture than other Hispanic groups, such as Mexican Americans. I noticed differences, but they believe that they are actually not as good at preserving their culture as the Mexican Americans. Rosa believes that it is easier for the Mexican Americans to preserve their cultural practices because their population is so much greater in the United States. Rosa claims that because there are not near as many Nicaraguan Americans in this country, it is much more difficult for them to preserve their culture.

            The information about the civil war and why Horacio and Rosa came to the United States sparked the idea to research what was happening in Nicaragua, which provides potentially valuable insights as to why some Nicaraguan immigrants are not as willing to assimilate as other Hispanic groups. There have been multiple troubles throughout the years, beginning around the 1970s, but the previously mentioned civil war that caused a lot of people to leave Nicaragua occurred because a leftist group, “the Sandinistas,” was trying to overthrow the dictator, Somoza. A few years after that, another group, the “Contras,” were trying to overthrow the Sandinistas (“Nicaragua” Internet). At first, the United States tried to help Nicaragua as much as possible. “Ronald Reagan's efforts to eradicate Communism spanned the globe, but the insurgent Contras' cause in Nicaragua was particularly dear to him. Battling the Cuban-backed Sandinistas, the Contras were, according to Reagan, ‘the moral equivalent of our Founding Fathers’” (Wolf Internet). However, in 1981 the Reagan administration stopped helping Nicaragua because it was believed that Nicaragua, Cuba, and the Soviet Union were helping the rebels of El Salvador (“Nicaragua” Internet). I also discovered another interesting part of Nicaragua’s history accidentally, but it could also help to answer the question concerning some Nicaraguan immigrants’ resistance of assimilation. Apparently, in the early 1980s, the Sandinistas forced a certain Nicaraguan tribe, the Miskitos, to relocate and denied their basic freedoms. They were trying to force them to assimilate and stop their tribal customs and traditions (“Inter-American Commission on Human Rights” Internet).

            Information about the technicalities of the civil war and legal issues in Nicaragua, as well as what was mentioned by Horacio and Rosa, could lead to a couple of important conclusions or possible answers to the question at hand. Nicaraguan Americans may be less willing to assimilate because, in the past, many of them have not come to America to pursue the “American Dream.” For example, Horacio and Rosa only wanted to temporarily leave their country for their own safety; the pursuit of the “American Dream” was more like a side effect. Once they saw the opportunities, they decided to stay, but it was never the original plan. With this in mind, it makes sense to assume that they do not feel the need to try to assimilate and follow a social contract because they did not feel they had a choice in coming here.

Another reason some Nicaraguan Americans might be less willing to assimilate is if they are familiar with what occurred with the Sandinistas trying to force some people to give up their cultures. Some people might resist assimilation in the United States because they do not want to lose their culture; knowing about people who were almost forced to give up their cultures could make some immigrants more determined to preserve their cultures.

Of course, there is no single definite answer to this question, but I do feel that I learned about some possibilities. However, I must admit that the unexpected information concerning the idea of Mexican Americans being better able and more determined to preserve their culture should also be researched, but that would have to be an entirely different topic or one that is continued if this line of research were continued. If I continued to expand upon this research, I would want to increase the number of Nicaraguan Americans I could speak to personally, and I would want to research the more recent patterns of Nicaraguans coming to America, such as how many are coming and why. I would also want to investigate Mexican American assimilation more because after talking to Horacio and Rosa, I think my thoughts were based on second and third generation immigrants, whereas, my in-laws have more experience with “new immigrants.” I believe that is why I was surprised by their previously mentioned comments.

I have learned a substantial amount during this project. For example, I was never quite sure why my in-laws came to America, other than the general idea of civil war. Before the research, I had never realized that they did not come over with the “American Dream” in mind. However, I found it interesting that they internalized it anyway. They both said they like America because “anyone can become whoever they want.” I learned more about how America has been involved politically in other countries, and how the Nicaraguan people have had some serious political issues. This entire topic is new to me, so I found all of the information extremely useful, and I would like to know more on the topic.

Works Cited

Bulosan, Carlos. “America is in the Heart.” 1946.

“Nicaragua.” FactMonster.com. 2005. http://www.factmonster.com/ipka/A0107839.html

            (12 June 2006).

“Part Two: The Rights Which the Government of Nicaragua is Alleged to Have Violated.” Inter-American Commission on Human Rights: Organization of American States. n.d. http://www.cidh.org/countryrep/Miskitoeng/part2.htm (7 June 2006).

Wolf, Julie. “The Iran-Contra Affair.” PBS. 1999.
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/reagan/peopleevents/pande08.html (12 June 2006).