Publication Date
Spring 4-25-2011
School
College of Arts and Sciences
Major
Psychology: Human Services Counseling; Spanish
Primary Subject Area
Psychology, General; Sociology, General; History, Latin American; History, United States
Disciplines
Latin American Languages and Societies | Social and Behavioral Sciences
Recommended Citation
Del Cid, Jessica L., "The American Dream: An Illusion or Reality for Latino Immigrants" (2011). Senior Honors Theses. 229.
https://digitalcommons.liberty.edu/honors/229
Abstract
Many Latinos from Mexico, Central America, and South America have made the decision to immigrate to the United States in recent years—whether legally or illegally. In the literature, stories of immigration and hopes for the American Dream proliferated; however, varying degrees of racism and anti-immigration sentiment were also revealed. Interviews of first-generation Latino immigrants and American citizens that were both attendees of a local Hispanic church in southcentral Virginia showed that Latino immigrants had hopes of achieving what they believed to be the American Dream, while realizing they had a long journey ahead. American citizens were more certain of having achieved at least some portion of the American Dream, and also had hopes of fully attaining what they believed to be the American Dream.
