Harvest of Empire

The stories as told in the movie Harvest of the empire offer an in-depth account of the causes of mass Immigration into the USA. In essence, the widely known assumption has been that the immigrants especially those from Latin America came to the USA due to poverty and, in this case, such for a greener pasture. Conversely, Juan Gonzales attempts to offer a unique perspective on the issue, and a side of the immigration story that is untold. To succeed in narrating this epic story, the author breaks down his story into individual nation’s experiences offering an intensive look at the American foreign policy, and the evolution over time. To this end, this paper attempts to provide a comparison between two Latin nations, the Cuban, and the Dominican Republic and their experiences.

Immigration

The migration and immigration of the two countries have semblances as well as differences. In essence, both nations first engaged the United States during the Spanish – American conflict. Notably, both countries began immigration into the United States towards the turn of the year 1960 (Gonzales, 2011). Specifically, the Cuban immigrants began streaming into the United States in the year 1959 (Gonzales, 2011). On the other hand, a substantial number of immigrants from the Dominican Republic migrated into the United States around the year 1960. Illustratively, both groups of immigrants are Spanish speaking because they were once part of the Spanish protectorate. As the movie reveals, the Dominicans initially went unnoticed as they passed off as black immigrants. The Dominicans were poor and would undergo tremendous prejudices and mistreatment of Native Americans. On the other hand, the Cuban immigrants were better economically because of the incentives offered by the Cuban government.

 Migration and Racialization

The movement within the United States for both groups of nationals took different sequences. Notably, the Dominicans decided to settle in the less active regions in the eastern and the Middle Western cities. Arguably, this migration patterns can be translated as an attempt by the Dominicans to take a reserved approach due to their financial status that was substantially below lower. On the hand, on arrival into the United States, the Cubans began to expand into Miami and Florida. The economic advantage that notable in the Cuban immigrants was, because of the Cuban government incentives for the refugees, and the link that some of the Cubans had in the American markets.

Foreign Policy

The main reason for the Latino migration into America is substantially due to the American government’s international relations with the two nations. For instance, the failure of attempts to force the construction of a tunnel that would penetrate through the Latino nations prompted an aggressive reaction from America. As the movie indicates, the United States government supported a revolt against the incumbent presidency in the Dominican Republic. In comparison, the initial arrangement between the United States and the Cuban government concerning the harvest of tobacco and the production of the subsequent products failed (Gonzales, 2011).

The United States effectively commenced attempts to oust the incumbent presidency. Consequently, the nation would stride into a period of civil unrest. In the two cases, the United States had to make deliberate choices to suppress a revolt that it had helped to trigger. Ultimately, the foreign relations decided to initiate a program that would assist Latino immigrants into the United States. Illustratively, these actions by the America government offer answers as to why the Latino’s have settled on the mainland.

References

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González, J. (2011). Harvest of Empire: A History of Latinos in America.

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